Updated on 24 June 2026 · by Pepe, painter in Elche
The wall that fences off your plot is the first thing people see of your home, and also what gets grubbiest: rising damp at the base, green mould on the north face, salts that lift the paint. I'm Pepe, a painter in Elche working across the Costa Blanca, and here I'll explain how to paint a masonry wall so it comes up well and doesn't fall apart at the first winter.
Just like with metal, the secret is in prepping the surface before you paint. Painting over a damp wall or one where the paint is falling off is money down the drain.
1. Prep the wall
With a scraper or brush, take off all the flaking paint, the green mould and the efflorescence (those white salt stains). If there's mould or algae, wash it with a disinfectant solution and let it dry properly. Repair any cracks and blown patches with mortar or exterior filler and leave the surface firm and even.
2. Stop the damp before painting
If the wall has rising damp (soaking up from the ground) or water getting in, you have to deal with the source before painting: over the top, any paint will end up lifting. Once it's dry and sound, apply an exterior stabilising primer, which seals the surface and helps the paint grip evenly, especially if the wall is very absorbent or badly weathered.
3. Paint with a waterproof, breathable paint
For the topcoat, use a waterproof, breathable masonry paint (a textured or flexible exterior paint). It keeps water out but lets the wall breathe, which is exactly what stops the damp getting trapped and lifting the paint again. Give it two coats, crossing the second over the first so you don't get any patchy light spots.
- Go for light colours: they reflect the sun and show the marks less.
- Paint with the wall dry and no rain forecast for the hours after.
- On very exposed walls, a flexible paint hides and copes better with hairline cracks.
Wall and railing together?
Plenty of homes combine a low masonry wall with a metal railing on top. They're two different jobs, the wall needs masonry paint and the metal needs rust primer and enamel, but I do them in the same visit so the boundary comes up coordinated and at a single price. You'll find it in the fence and wall painting service, below.
Want the exact price for your project?
I will come and see it with no obligation and give you a fixed quote, free and the same day. You deal directly with me, no middlemen.
FAQ
- Why does the paint on my wall come off after a few months?
- Nearly always down to damp, or painting over a previous coat that wasn't gripping. You have to prep, treat the damp and prime before the topcoat; otherwise the new paint lifts just the same.
- What paint do you use for an exterior wall?
- A waterproof, breathable masonry paint (textured or flexible). It keeps water out but lets the wall breathe, which is what stops damp lifting the paint.
- Do you paint block or concrete walls?
- Yes, block, brick and concrete. It gets prepped, primed if needed and painted with exterior product. I come and look and give you a fixed price for free.