Base
Remove old coatings and paint, for example by water sand blasting. Also roughen any new concrete surfaces by water sand blasting. Clean the surfaces of dust with a pressure washer. Repair any damaged concrete. The patch surfaces must be left as coarse as possible. Allow the patches to harden for at least one or two days before coating. If the base has dried up, wet it until it is darker in colour. The best time to wet the surface is the previous night. Before starting work, apply a test coating to ensure the structure and tint. The tint is affected by, for example, the absorption characteristics of the base, the consistency of the mass, the coarseness of the surface, and naturally the sprayer itself (nozzle size and air volume), and the spraying method used.
Mixing
Check the water requirement of the coating from the bag. We do not recommend adding all of the water right at the start. When doing test coating, the exact amount of water suitable for the work method is first determined. This amount must then be used for all mixing rounds of the same product batch. Add the dry material to the water and mix with a concrete mixer for around ten minutes. With a power mixer or a drill paddle, around two to three minutes of mixing is sufficient. Allow the coating to stand for around ten minutes and mix it again for a short while. Find the correct consistency at this stage by gradually adding the rest of the water. Remixing ensures that the ingredients of the coating are fully dissolved and the mixture becomes homogeneous. The finished coating remains workable for around two hours.
Work instructions
The temperature of the base and air must be at least +5°C when applying coating and this temperature must be maintained for at least 3 days after coating. The most suitable conditions for coating are temperature of +10°C to +20°C and windless cloudy weather. Fescon Facade Coating is sprayed using a screed or funnel spray. It can also be applied manually with a steel spatula or brush.For sprayed and rubbed surfaces: The first layer is sprayed as a layer of 1 to 3 mm and then levelled with a steel spatula pressing firmly onto the base. The second layer with thickness of about 1 to 3 mm thick is finished either as a sprayed or rubbed surface. The first layer must be allowed to harden for at least one day before the next spraying. Spray the last layer using mass that is as dry as possible in good weather conditions. By varying the elasticity of the mass, size of the nozzle, air volume and spraying distance, different kinds of structural patterns can be achieved. The more flexible the mortar, the larger the air volume and the smaller the nozzle are, the "smaller" the structural patterns shall be. Dark colours require greater care than light colours when spraying. We recommend spraying contiguous surfaces at the same time. You should "hide" the working seams in corners, expansion joints or, for instance, behind drainpipes. There may be some differences in the tint of different manufacturing batches, so we recommend ordering the required amount of coating all at once. With a plaster spray, the spraying distance is over 1 m, and with a funnel top sprayer, around 0.6 m. Spray using circular motions perpendicularly to the surface. The water-soluble salts in the cement and the salts formed during the hardening of the lime may rise to the surface with moisture and appear as efflorescence. Heavy rain soon after the coating, internal moisture in the structure, thermal leakage and insufficient ventilation cause efflorescence. The risk can be reduced by protecting the fresh coating from rain. For the same reason, the new facade should be allowed to dry for at least one heating season before coating.
After treatment
The coated area must be protected with a plastic film or light spraying of water (the water must not flow) for at least one to three days. When the temperature is:
+20°C, protect the fresh coating from rain and strong sunlight for one day
+10°C, protect the fresh coating from rain for three days
+5°C, protect the fresh coating from rain for seven days
Service instructions
A dirty surface treated with Facade Coating can be cleaned with a pressure washer. Remove any damaged spots and repair the holes. No water should remain on the base after cleaning. Facade Coating or Stone Colour S paint can be used for recoating. The work instructions for the product used must be followed during coating and painting work. One treatment is normally sufficient for a cleaned, undamaged surface. Two or more treatments are needed for damaged areas from where the coating has been removed or holes have been patched.
Storage and handling of waste
See the separate storage and disposal instructions https://www.fescon.fi/en/material-bank