A facade paint takes rain, sun and the movement of the wall. This guide explains what technical data sheets say about the common families (acrylic, elastomeric, siloxane, silicate, lime and textured coatings) and how to read the EN 1062-1 classes. The general names are covered in emulsion, acrylic, enamel, silicate and lime paint. This guide is only about the facade.
Updated 4 November 2026. General information, not a substitute for a technician’s assessment.
The essentials
- Two classes matter a lot on a facade: water vapour (V) and liquid water (W). Every paint we read with a printed EN 1062-1 class is W3 (low water absorption). Vapour varies: V2 (medium) for acrylic, elastomeric and textured products, V1 (high) for siloxane paints.
- Elastomeric paint hides fine cracks (the sheets say up to 0.3 mm). It complements a repair and does not cure damp rising from the ground.
- On an old lime-rendered wall, LNEC (Portugal’s national civil engineering laboratory) advises against low-permeability films and points to lime, silicate or mineral siloxane. Ask a technician first.
- Silicate and lime are alkaline: gloves and goggles, and never over old plastic paint.
- Every sheet sets limits for temperature, humidity and rain. See the best time of year to paint.
Reading the sheet: V and W classes
EN 1062-1 classifies paints for masonry and concrete outdoors. sd is the thickness of air that resists vapour as much as the paint does: the lower it is, the faster the wall dries. On the CIN Novaqua HD sheet (2012), V2 is 0.14 m ≤ sd < 1.4 m and W3 is W ≤ 0.1 kg/(m²·h^0.5), which the sheet calls low. The standard is paid and we did not read it: we use what the sheets print.
Do not trust the letter alone. Dissoltin prints “V1” with the range 0.14 to 1.4 m, which CIN calls V2. Compare the sd value, not only the class.
W3 is not simply “better”. LNEC says the paint should slow the entry of rain but not be very impermeable, because that can encourage salt crystallisation under the film. The same paper asks that the paint adds no significant resistance to evaporation.
What the sheets we read say
| Product (type) | Classes or values | Conditions and drying | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbocril Plus D10 (100% acrylic) | G3 E2 S1 V2 W3, no crack-bridging requirement | air > 5 °C, RH < 80%, recoat 4 h | 10 to 14 m²/L |
| Cinoflex (elastomeric) | G2 E3 V2 W3, film 100 to 200 µm | air > 5 °C, RH < 80%, recoat 24 h | 3.5 to 4.5 m²/L |
| Barbot Acryl RSX (acrylic-siloxane) | V1 W3 | air > 5 °C, RH < 80%, recoat 4 h | 10 to 14 m²/L |
| Cinoxano Mineral (siloxane) | V1 W3, sd < 0.10 m | air > 5 °C, RH < 80% | see sheet |
| Dissoltin (silicate) | G3 W3 | air 5 to 25 °C, RH < 80%, recoat 6 to 8 h | 8 to 10 m²/L |
| Com-Cal (lime) | µ = 15, pH 13 | 5 to 30 °C, recoat 4 to 6 h | 3 to 4 m²/L |
| Barbot Silicor (textured) | G3 E5 S1 V2 W3 | air > 5 °C, RH < 80%, 6 h between coats | 1 to 1.5 m²/L |
| weber.plast decor (textured) | V2 W3, 1 to 2 mm | 5 to 30 °C, no rain for 12 h | 1.8 to 2.5 kg/m² |
RH is relative humidity. Most sheets also ask for a dry surface at 2 to 3 °C above the dew point (Com-Cal and Weber do not say so).
Cracks and elastomeric paint
Cinoflex “hides” cracks up to 0.3 mm and tells you to repair cracks of 0.3 to 1.0 mm with filler first. The Fassa C 285 (elastomeric) also speaks of micro-cracks up to 0.3 mm. Two cautions from those sheets: Fassa must not be used where there is rising damp, and Cinoflex only resists rain after 24 hours, because it goes on as a thick coat. Larger cracks, or cracks that reopen, need a diagnosis: see cracks and plaster before painting and rising damp.
Old walls and new walls
On recent cement render, acrylic and elastomeric paints are the intended use in the sheets. On old lime walls, LNEC (Veiga and Tavares, 2002) says film-forming paints change how the wall handles water and stick badly to fragile renders, causing blistering and flaking. It recommends mineral paints. In an LNEC test, limewashes did not hinder the wall from drying and silicate paints slowed it moderately. Cinoxano has an LNEC application document (DA142) that rates it suitable for old buildings as far as vapour goes. For salts under paint, see salt on walls.
Textured coatings, colour and heat
Textured coatings (Silicor, weber.plast decor) hide flaws in the render. Weber advises washing with a jet at 60 bar at most and says that, if needed, the wall can be repainted after about 10 years. It warns that some colours fade under UV and that batches should not be mixed on one facade.
On heat: Secil treats dark colours (solar absorption α > 0.70) as a special case for its insulated-facade (ETICS) finish, with pigments that cut solar absorption by about 20% against the brand’s normal finish. That is an insulation system, not an everyday paint. If your facade has external insulation, ask the maker before choosing a dark colour. Council rules on colour: painting the facade.
Step list
- Identify the surface: cement render, lime, ETICS, ceramic.
- Fix the cause of any damp and repair the cracks.
- Pick the family: acrylic or elastomeric on recent render, mineral on old lime.
- Compare sd and W on the sheets, not only the letter.
- Respect temperature, humidity and rain. Work out litres with the calculator.
What we could not confirm
- The EN 1062-1 standard: it is paid. We used what the sheets print.
- The exact vapour permeability of several paints (acrylic, elastomeric): we only have the class, not the sd.
- Which family is best for a given facade: no official source says.
- Comparative durability and prices: no reliable source. Barbot’s 10-year warranty has conditions on the brand’s page, which we did not read.
- Rules on dark colours beyond Secil’s sheet.
- Robbialac and Sika sheets: not read.
Sources (read on 4 November 2026)
- CIN, Cinoflex 10-760 and Cinoxano Mineral 10-111, rev. July 2026, read in full.
- CIN, Novaqua HD 10-125, June 2012 (reseller copy), V and W classes.
- Barbot, sheets 1300 Barbocril Plus D10 (Rev. 11), 1935 Acryl RSX (Rev. 04) and 1400 Silicor (Rev. 06).
- Dissoltin, Tinta de Silicato FT102.04, January 2023.
- Com-Cal, Tinta de Cal para Exteriores, edition of 26/04/2024.
- Fassa Bortolo, C 285 BETON-E, 05/2026.
- Saint-Gobain Weber, weber.plast decor M/F, 2018 (reseller copy).
- Secil, Isovit Rev Reflect, undated.
- LNEC, Veiga and Tavares, Características das paredes antigas. Requisitos dos revestimentos por pintura, APTETI, 2002, read in full.