newbies

Hi
We are Lee and Mandy and we have recently bought a cave. Although we don't live there full time yet. The cave house is near Orce.
Does anyone have any advice on what kind of paint to use on the interior walls?
Thanks
Lee and Mandy

mollieblaster wrote:Does anyone have any advice on what kind of paint to use on the interior walls?  

Welcome, guys!

So far as paint goes, it depends what your walls are made of. Some are bare (under the paint) earth, some are concrete and some could be pretty much anything that was available when the cave was dug.

My walls are concrete - but it's a rather crappy concrete: a weak mix. So it is rather friable which makes painting tricky. I have started to use a concrete stabiliser (special order), followed by a coat of imprimacion (primer / undercoat) then a top coat of white (natch!) "plastico" which is basically just a vinyl emulsion paint.

Other people just buy sacks of "cal" which is, essentially, whitewash. Though in the bagged, dry, state it's a rather corrosive white powder that you should wear a mask to handle. It's then diluted in water ... lots and lots of water and usually reapplied every year or two.

If your walls have been plastered (known as "yeso" in Spain), then you'll need to prime them before painting, or the plaster will absorb all the moisture and the paint will flake off. The yeso also discolours white emulsion / plasitco paint if it's not treated before painting and the walls come out in a yellowish colour after a few months,

hello , we put whitewash on it , The painter spray it on the wall , So the wall keeps breathing . We are from Venta Micena and we also have a cave house in Orce. Welcome here :-)

Welcome!

As Pete says, most interior cave walls need to be able to breathe, especially if they have been yesod.  Your best bet is to use a breathable water based paint. I use the ones with 'Petreo Liso' on the label.

From what I understand, Cal (lime) is the old way the Spanish used to whitewash the walls.  There is no need to use this particular product anymore, as there is a chemical version called Temple (pronounced Tem-play) which like Cal, comes in powder form and is mixed with water.  It is cheap and can make the walls powdery when dry, which is where the breathable new paints come in - more expensive, but you get a much better finish.

As Pete says, you first need to know what type of walls you have - from there you can make your choice.

Good luck.

Welcome Welcome , Orce is a great place, all year round and it sounds like there is some great advice here re what kind of paint to use :-)