Beauty Begins on the Outside: The Complete Guide to Exterior Coatings

Your home’s exterior appearance is no less important than the design of its interior spaces. After all, the exterior is the invitation to your home. So what are the trendiest kinds of coatings you need to know about? And what tips will ensure that you enjoy a high-quality application with many years of long-lasting durability? Here is the complete guide to all types of exterior coatings:

Until about twenty years ago, there was very little to discuss about a home’s exterior: the choice was between spray plaster (spritz) and smooth paint. However, the field of exterior coatings has evolved over the years, resulting in an explosion of new advanced solutions. Today, consumers can choose from a mind-boggling array of material types, textures and shades. We have collected the hottest trends and most popular coatings in the market, along with helpful hints to ensure that you will experience a successful renovation and create an impressive looking home, both inside and out.

The Unchallenged Star of External Coatings Is – Plaster!

In recent years, plaster has taken the world of external coatings by storm. Plaster, a decorative finish with a wide range of textures and shades, gives the home its ultimate appearance. It is used as the third and final coating in the exterior coating process, protecting the walls against moisture and weather damage. Highly flexible, plaster can seal fine cracks of up to 1 mm in width that can develop in the exterior wall.

Colored Acrylic Plaster: The Most Popular Choice

Tambour Colored Plaster, an acrylic coating for exterior walls, has been the most popular product in the field of exterior coatings in Israel for the past few years. Its popularity is due mainly to its high resistance to the Israeli weather and to its ability to seal cracks in the walls while retaining an impressive exterior appearance and a consistent color over time. The colored plaster delivers a beautiful, unique rustic look with a variety of textures. The plaster is available in all the shades from the Tambour color swatch book, making it truly colorful. This colored acrylic plaster complies with plasticity standard 1731, which guarantees its ability to seal fine cracks of up to 1 mm in width.

Mineral Plaster: The Natural, Authentic Look

The second popular choice for exterior coating after acrylic plaster is mineral plaster, based on natural materials that give it an exceptionally natural look. Mineral plaster also allows walls to “breathe,” thereby reducing the amount of moisture and humidity inside the home.

The most popular varieties of mineral plaster are Arava, a powdered cement with a natural appearance of stone and concrete, and Rocca, a wet mineral plaster, with a high resistance to weather damage and able to prevent mold and mildew buildup within the wall. Both varieties are available in a range of 10 shades, all with a distinctive earthy appearance.

Terrano Plaster: The Best of All Worlds

If you’re planning to build or renovate your home, find out about Terrano Plaster, the latest innovation in the plaster market. Terrano Plaster is a colorful plaster combining the appealing features of acrylic plaster – light weight, ease of use and durability – with the authentic appearance typical of mineral plaster. The result is no less than stunning: a slightly roughened finish, with delicate, rounded grooves, giving it a truly unique appearance. Terrano comes in a broad range of shades and with a coarse or medium texture.

Multiflex: The Flexible Solution for Effectively Sealing Cracks

Tambour Multiflex is a flexible acrylic coating which can be used as an alternative to colorful and mineral plasters. It comes in an array of decorative finishes and has textures ranging from delicate to coarse. As its name indicates, Tambour Multiflex’s great advantage is its exceptional plasticity. It is twice as flexible as acrylic plaster, able to seal cracks of up to 2 mm in width, making it the protection of choice for those seeking long-term durability for exterior walls.

Supercryl M.D.: The Answer for Those who Prefer Paint

Supercryl M.D., a paint with a smooth texture and a matte gloss, is recommended for those who prefer paint to plaster. Supercryl M.D. retains color consistency, keeping walls uniformly shaded for years, and protects outer walls from the Israeli climate. It can be obtained in any of the shades found in the Tambour fan deck.

What are the most important considerations for obtaining a perfect exterior coating?

It takes a professional

Unlike painting interior walls, applying exterior coatings requires an experienced, skilled professional. Attempting to do it yourself, without technical know-how or practical experience, could result in exterior walls that are not properly protected and could fail to deliver the look you’ve been dreaming about.

Plan your budget in advance

The sequence of painting, the application and the renovation will be determined by the professional builder, but it is important to plan the budget correctly and to set aside sufficient funds for the exterior coatings. Even if finishing the exterior walls is the last work to be done, there is no reason to reach that stage with a depleted budget and then be forced to compromise. Make sure you receive a detailed, itemized price quote from a professional. It should include all the required components: preparation work, raw materials, work hours etc.

Match the exterior color and texture to other parts of the house

When choosing the preferred color and texture for coating the exterior walls, it is worth taking into consideration the design of the home’s interior space, the layout of the yard, the surrounding vegetation, and even the surrounding houses. Remember that you don’t have to choose a single color; shades can be combined in exterior coatings too. Different shades can be used without looking too flamboyant. For example, applying one color to a certain floor, which complements the main color can create an interesting, fresh exterior appearance.

Standards Seal: A must

It is imperative to look for the Israeli Standard Seal when buying materials to be applied to exterior walls. Bear in mind that the exterior coating plays an important role in repelling moisture, protecting against weather damage, sealing cracks, etc. Therefore, untested paints and products that do not comply with industry standards should be avoided. Tambour’s products comply with the most stringent standards and offer a high-quality solution which will serve you for years to come.

See it, feel it: There’s nothing like it!

Since all these Tambour products are special, with unique textures and materials, we recommend that you get a first-hand impression of what your ideas and dreams are going to look like. Your journey to the perfect home passes through Tambour House, where you will receive advice on all issues concerning painting and coating exterior walls free of charge, and where you will be able to envision what your home will look like, seeing the full range of coatings, textures and shades available.