What this site does
What this covers
Choosing a coating for a patio, path, drive edge or rendered wall usually comes down to a handful of measured properties. How slippery will it be when it rains. How well does it let a wall breathe. How much rain will it keep out. Does it suit the substrate underneath, whether that's dense concrete, natural stone, cement render or lime render. Terrace Paint Reference sets out those properties for anyone standing in front of two tins on a shelf, or two quotes from a contractor.
The method
A figure only helps if you know what it means and where it came from. Every measured figure on this site carries four things in the same sentence.
- The number itself.
- Its unit.
- Which direction on the scale is better.
- The organisation that defines it.
A Pendulum Test Value on its own tells you nothing. Stated with its band, its direction and the UK Slip Resistance Group attached, it tells you whether a surface is likely to be safe underfoot when wet. The same applies to the two quantities used for breathability, to the V and W classes printed on a tin, and to every other figure covered here. Pages such as Will It Be Slippery When Wet? and The Two Ratings on the Tin set these figures out property by property.
Where no figure exists
Some questions people ask don't have a published answer. How long a coating will actually last on a given patio is one of them, because no source publishes a service life for these products and a warranty is not the same thing. Where that's the case, the relevant page says so in its opening paragraph and gives the questions that predict longevity on your specific surface. How Long Will It Last? works through that question directly.
Who it's for
This is written for UK householders repainting or resurfacing a patio, path, drive edge or rendered wall, and for the small contractors and decorators carrying that work out. Many are working on a solid-walled or older property without knowing that changes the right answer, particularly where lime render is involved. The decision usually has to be made in a season with a fixed start and end, from in front of a shelf.
Terrace Paint Reference supplies nothing and applies nothing. It takes no fee from any manufacturer, retailer or contractor.
Unit, direction, source
Every figure here carries its unit, which way the scale runs, and the organisation that defines it, in the same sentence.
No figure invented
Where no published figure exists for a question, such as how long a coating lasts, the page says so and gives you the question to put to a supplier instead.
No product sold here
This site supplies nothing and applies nothing, and takes no fee from any manufacturer, retailer or contractor.
How this site is paid for, and how to flag a figure
This site carries display advertising, and that is what pays for it. No manufacturer, retailer or contractor pays to be featured, to have a product named, or to have a figure presented in a particular light. Advertising placement is separate from which coatings, standards or sources appear in the guides.
Reporting a figure
Every measured figure here carries a source and the date it was read, so it can be checked against the body that published it. If a figure looks wrong, has been updated since, or doesn't match what you're seeing on a tin or a datasheet, email terracepaint.
To look into a correction, this site needs a few things from you:
- Which page the figure is on, and what the figure currently says
- What you believe the correct figure is
- The organisation and document you're getting that figure from
- The date of that document, or the date you read it
Where a correction is confirmed against the publishing body, the figure is updated and the change is dated.