Give your exterior walls a unique look

Stone cladding can be incorporated in different ways depending on owner’s design taste and engineer’s expertise. Photos by Rachel Mabala

What you need to know:

Are you planning on giving your exterior walls a new look, building and wondering what to do with exterior walls? We share some of the exterior wall finishing designs you can opt for.

In most cases, home owners concentrate on beautifying the interiors, neglecting the outside look of the house. The exterior walls need to be given a unique and outstanding look to increase the general beauty of the house.
Choice and creativity are some of the things that would give you a good looking and attractive exterior walls. Here are some of the various things you can do to bring beauty to your exterior walls.

Add paste
According to Robert Sendagire, an engineer, paste is trending as most house owners have adopted it. He says it gives the walls a rough texture, hence a great look. Paste comes in a bucket that costs Shs170,000 and is in a variety of colours including grey, cream, ivory and gold, among others.
“Many people have opted for paste because it takes them away from the usual paint which almost every household has. It makes a house unique, classy and beautiful,” he says, adding that choosing a colour that matches your interior is a must to give them a uniform look.
He also says you should choose a colour depending on the environment you live in. For example, if it is a dusty area, dull colours will be a great choice as opposed to bright ones that will get dirty easily.

Stone cladding
Stone cladding has been greatly used by a number of people in the past and still remains a great way of beautifying exterior walls. These are sometimes rock or natural stones. They are incorporated on the walls in different artistic ways, depending on the engineer’s expertise, they can be given a variety of colours as per the owner’s choice.
“Avoid using weak stones that would fade away in a short time but opt for strong and good quality stones,” sendagire advises.

Paint
Painting adds beauty and value to the house. However, you need to have competent painters, reliable products and a good colour scheme to have a good look on your walls.
Moses Senfuma, a painter, notes that painting needs the art of blending various colours to create a good picture in your home.
“When painting the exterior, put in mind the environment around you. Don’t use green if you have a lot of trees around because the insects will not differentiate your house from the environment and this will cause insect invasion in your house. besides that, your house will not be outstanding from the environment.” he says
He adds that if you live in a dusty environment, you can use Roman Red, Beetle nut, harvest gold, mink gold, and Brown Beige, among others for the exterior because they are dust friendly.

Rough cast
Most home owners, especially those in dusty places, opt for rough cast because its dust resistant. Rough cast is usually grey with a rough surface and when not handled with care, can hurt.
Sharifu Mwesigwa, a builder, notes that rough cast helps strengthen the house walls and keeps them safe from external damage. He says rough cast can be used to uniformly to cover the walls hence giving them a unique look.

Granite
Mwesigwa adds that granite gives walls a smooth shiny and unique surface hence giving it class. It is in a variety of textures, tones and colours. Granite for walls is used in commercial building but can to a residence.

Creeping plants
This is a rare style in Uganda though some people have used it. Sharon Amoding, a landscaper, notes that creeping plants have been added to bare walls to bring a natural look as well as beauty to the house.
“Though they aren’t left to cover the entire wall. A plant is placed a single stride from the bottom to the ring beam while being controlled on the sides so that it does not spread to the entire wall,” she says adding that you can also leave it to cover the entire house, though it has not been used here.
However, Amoding notes that you need to take caution while using creeping plants because they could harbour dangerous animals. Constant supervision, ensuring they do not reach the door is a great idea.

Tiles
Mwesigwa also notes that tiles for walls could be a great choice. He adds that tiles could look like granites walls. He says that these could be incorporated of a small portion on the wall as décor. They should be taken good care of so that they are clean and beautiful.

Exterior cladding
Exterior cladding is prone to heavy exposure to the elements; wind, rain and debris can weather your property’s facade over time so it is important to be wary of the life span and durability of the cladding materials you purchase. Ask your supplier and contractor lots of questions and find out as much as you can regarding what to expect from your cladding.
Finding the right materials for your home’s cladding is only half the job. Finding the right specialist can and will ensure the safety and security of your cladding job.