Can you plaster over/ remove external pebbledash?

Question

Is it possible to plaster over and then repaint external pebbledash which covers a house (this is currently painted yellow)? Can a professsional look be achieved or will it always look bodged. Would a normal plasterer be able to do this or do I need a particular specialist? Any idea on cost?

As an alternative can the pebbledash be removed? Is this sandblasting or something else? I have heard that sand blasting is very expensive and can result in damaged bricks so perhaps not the best idea.

Thanks.

Answer 1

You can remove the pebbledash using a lump hammer and a brick-bolster, just be carefull not to cut into the faces of the bricks. Also, if the pebbledash rendering is loose, be careful as it may come off in large areas without any warning. It hurts when it falls on you from above !

Failing that, you can just paint over the whole thing with good masonary paint, it comes in a wide range of colours.

I wouldn't recommend plastering over it, to get a good finish you'd have to make the plaster as thick as the thickest pebble, that could be 2-3 inches depending on how good the finish is. Not only would that be expensive, but it'd add a lot of extra weight to the wall and could pull any loose pebbledash off on it's own. If that happens you're back to square one ! Also, you might have problems going behind down-pipes and around drains etc.

Personally I'd paint it.

Answer 2

I would recommend chipping it off and starting again. Some of it will be loose anyway. Putting another layer on top of what is already there will cause problems around the windows and doors - you basically would be making the surface thicker by about 1-2 cm and if the underlying pebble-dash is flaky, it will all fall off anyway. To remove it - it is a hammer and chisel job - or a Kango as a previous reply said. Some pebbledash will come off really easily, other parts will stick like super-glue. The underlying bricks will not look as good as new, so it will need to be re-rendered. Why do all the work - is what is there at the moment damaged? In which case you can have it patched up and then the whole lot painted. In the end you can't tell the difference and it is quicker, less fuss and cheaper.

Answer 3

sandplasting is a very expensive alternative.but what i would do is contact a local builder/plasterer and get them to give you a quote.it all depends on the size if your house and whether you have a semi or detached house.but on a average semi detached house with gables with the hire of scaffolding you would be looking at 4500/6000 pounds.hope this helps

Answer 4

hi mel im a plasterer by trade .and the answer is yes .be careful on the quotes u get a lot of rip of artists out there if u need my advice on this let me no ok ...mick

Answer 5

best to remove p/dashing, if rock hard you can uni-bond walls and render, you need a good renderer, not a plasterer

Answer 6

You dont use plaster outside,Use render.Sand-cement-waterproofing add mix.