PRESTONETT EXTERIOR QUICK DRY FILLER

No. Exterior filler should not be applied in the rain or onto a wet substrate. A saturated substrate compromises adhesion, and rain washes out fresh filler and disrupts its set. You need a dry substrate, dry weather and a long enough weather window. A fast product shortens that window. PRESTONETT EXTERIOR QUICK DRY FILLER, a quick-drying exterior filler, can be overcoated quickly, so a repair can be secured between two spells of rain. If the forecast is uncertain, it is better to protect the area or put the work off.

You cannot speed up the set of a powder filler, because its pace is determined by its formulation. The real solution is to choose a fast product. PRESTONETT EXTERIOR QUICK DRY FILLER, a quick-drying exterior filler, can be overcoated quickly and has a working time of 35 minutes. Dry, mild weather then helps the mixing water to evaporate. Avoid full sun and strong wind, however, which dry the surface out too quickly and cause cracking, and apply two moderate passes rather than one overloaded coat.

Work in three stages. Preparation first: remove any loose material, brush down chalky areas and dust off, to obtain a sound, clean, dry substrate. Repairs next: PRESTONETT EXTERIOR QUICK DRY FILLER, fibre-enriched and microporous, fills up to 4 cm thick, with 0.9 kg of powder per litre and a mixing ratio of 0.45 litres of water per kilo; mix it in small quantities, as its working time is 35 minutes. Finishing last: sand the repairs once dry, then apply a suitable exterior paint, in dry weather from start to finish.

First open up the hole slightly to remove any crumbling edges, then brush and dust off. Next, mix PRESTONETT EXTERIOR QUICK DRY FILLER at 0.45 litres of water per kilo, in small quantities as its working time is 35 minutes; 0.9 kg of powder fills one litre. Load the hole with a filling knife, pressing the filler firmly into the base to expel any air, then strike off flush with the wall. PRESTONETT EXTERIOR QUICK DRY FILLER fills up to 4 cm, its fibres protect the repair from cracking, and it can be overcoated quickly, so you can move straight on to the exterior paint.

An exterior filler withstands the weather once dry and covered with its finish, but it is not waterproof in the way a waterproofing product is. PRESTONETT EXTERIOR QUICK DRY FILLER is microporous. The repair lets the substrate breathe, which is essential on a façade, because a product that traps moisture would cause blistering. During application and setting, the fresh filler must be protected from rain, and it is the filler and exterior paint together that provide lasting protection for the repair.

Work area by area. First tap-test the façade and hack off anything that sounds hollow or crumbles, back to a sound substrate, then dust off the edges of the cleared areas. Next, fill with PRESTONETT EXTERIOR QUICK DRY FILLER, fibre-enriched and microporous, mixed in small quantities at 0.45 litres of water per kilo, as its working time is 35 minutes. Strike off each patch flush with the existing coating, sand once dry for a perfectly flush finish, then apply masonry paint over the whole surface to unify it.

Hiding filler means making preparation marks, such as patch repairs, disappear under a uniform finish. Three things matter. First, a flush finish: each repair must be struck off and then sanded, because an unsanded patch remains visible in raking light. PRESTONETT EXTERIOR QUICK DRY FILLER can be sanded, so it lends itself well to this. Next, an even base, with a primer that equalises absorbency between the filled areas and the existing substrate. Finally, the finish, applied to the whole wall and not just to the repairs, which unifies the colour and protects the filler.