ᐅ Experiences with facades coated with latex paint and blown-in insulation

Hello everyone,

I am planning to have blown-in insulation installed in a semi-detached house we are purchasing (built in 1928, double-layer masonry, wooden beam ceiling). Two specialist companies have already visited and provided quotes. I have heard from acquaintances that they hesitate to install blown-in insulation because the facade would first need to be sanded to remove the latex paint applied there, as otherwise problems with the blown-in insulation might occur.

Does anyone here have experience with this on the forum? If that is the case, what other methods besides sanding are possible to remove the latex paint? Is it possible to estimate the cost for about 350 sqm (3,767 sq ft) of facade (without scaffolding, since the roof will be redone anyway and the house will be scaffolded for that)?

Thank you very much!

Junkman schrieb:

I heard from acquaintances that they hesitate to install blown-in insulation because they would first need to sand the facade to remove the applied latex paint, as otherwise there could be problems with the blown-in insulation.

Who says that?
What specific problems?
What do the two specialist companies that have already visited the site say?

My acquaintances heard this from an insulation company they hired, which then also renovated the facade (a total of €65,000 for a three-family semi-detached house about 5 years ago). I have since spoken with my energy consultant, who sees it completely differently and said that even if it were a completely airtight latex paint and thus the increasing vapor permeability of the wall outward were not present, a problem could only arise if moisture were to penetrate the wall. Given that the roof is being completely rebuilt, the windows are being replaced, and the basement masonry is monolithic, with any potential rising moisture between the ground edge and the start of the cavity wall construction still having about 1 meter (3 feet) to dry out, this seems highly unlikely.
I have now put this issue to rest for myself and accepted that, especially with an older building, you cannot plan, exclude, or anticipate everything in advance.

Junkman schrieb:

I have now spoken with my energy consultant, who sees it quite differently

As expected. A different statement would have surprised me a lot

To be fair, I should add that I also have an energy consultant nearby who supports this assumption. But well, I can’t know in advance, and just assuming that there might possibly be some problems under certain circumstances in the future, which could cost another 20,000 to 30,000 euros, is just not feasible anymore... Thanks for your response! 🙂