Before applying the solution, it is best to sand the surface with abrading paper to get rid of excess dust or paint flakes from past paintwork. When people refer to brick sealers, they are talking about a water repellent coating that seals exterior bricks.

If it’s highly absorbent then you might want to use a stabilising solution but personally, assuming the brickwork is in sound condition, I would use either Zinsser Guardz or simply use a mist coat. Emperor Masonry Paint is the most advanced masonry paint available in the UK thanks to its super hydrophobic technology. Easy to apply, this quick drying solution is ideal for ensuring a stable paintable surface and good adhesion of masonry paint. You can alleviate matters by using a fungicidal wash from time to time and also improving the ventilation.

One coat of this wall stabilising solution is normally sufficient but very porous surfaces may require an additional application. When it comes to painting any exterior wall, we highly recommend opting for the Emperor Paint range. Some examples of friable surfaces are weathered cement or brickwork, and it is important to check them before applying paint. This product is incredibly versatile, as it works on a variety of surfaces including concrete, cement, plaster, plasterboard, renders, pebble dash and MDF. Hi again Dave - I don't have a smartphone or an Iphone, but nonetheless my son has worked something out.

Our readers ask plenty of questions about stabilising solutions so as well as providing them with this article, here are some direct answers to your questions.

The Bond-It Stabilising Solution is also a great, ready-to-use product that will make sure to prepare your walls for paintwork.

First of all, you should make sure to do a thorough visual examination of the surface you’d like to paint, to see where stabilising solution might/might not be needed. This usually ensures that the walls have had sufficient time to dry-out in depth and that any loose material is washed away naturally when it rains.

The render is a breathable type render, because the wall has damp issues (due to the fact that it wasn't tanked after building and prior to rendering). It is highly penetrative, meaning it will help fill up any holes in porous surfaces, allowing you to apply a paint system without any issues. It allows you to effectively stabilise or harden "less than perfect" walls or substrates in preparation for the application of Weatherflex. The kind of dust they mean is like a chalk board, where you can wipe your hand over it and it'll be covered. Stabilisers, sealers etc over the top of it won’t do anything to improve on what little adhesion it has to the substrate.

Can paint directly on it or wallpaper directly on it, might need lining paper first, if walls are bad. A subject that crops up a lot on the topic of exterior wall paint is ‘Stabilising Solution’ or ‘Primer’.

Due to this technology, you must use their Emperor Paint Exterior Masonry Primer as this contains the same super hydrophobic technology. Finish with one or two full coats although you may need to still thin these a little for ease of use but don’t over do it. Stabilizer as it's sold from painting places is usually used on surfaces where they continually have a layer of dust on them, that the will allow the paint to fall back off.