masonary wall coating what to use ?
 

I have a detached three car garage. It is built with masonary ( block ) walls about 3 ' tall then stick built above that. On one side of the garage it looks like they used traditional black foundation coating. On another side it looks like some type of white paint. I have no leaking in any of it. This spring I want to paint any exposed block with something. What is generally used ? Do you just use paint ? What about primer ? All the joints are good with a few hairline cracks that I have caulked. One sidewall is completely exposed/above grade. The backwall is half under grade half above grade. The third wall tapers from completely below grade to fully exposed. I'm getting ready to paint the entire garage and want to make sure whatever I put on the block will hold up.

I have used a white ceramic roof coating before... It is flexible, good for like 30yrs or so... can probably have color added to it if needed...

Regular 100% acrylic exterior satin paint will do just fine.

elastomeric roof coating Good stuff read about it.

UGL makes a paint that waterproofs concrete block, might be wise on the block that is underground on the other side. Fairly expensive, so regular latex on the other areas would save some money. FYI waterproofing paints need to be applied to bare concrete, so if you think you might need it, don't paint it with anything else first.

I have used Drylock on unpainted block/masonry, then painted with a good quality elastomeric sealer...

Yep, Drylock works well, but we really don't encounter much of the wet stuff here in paradise.

Something that resembles baby poo yellow....
Is this wall a fence between you and a neighbor?

I have used Drylok in the past it's good stuff but doesn't go very far ( $$$ ). I never thought to use elastomeric white roof coating that might work great. With the slight movement block walls sometimes incur that might remain flexible enough to not crack. Thanks for the tip.

Might be a good time to:
-trench on the uphill side,
-dig down a few feet and install subsurface drainage,
-powerwash everything,
-paint after a hot dry week,
-backfill,
-done.

Yup.

My garage has a flat concrete roof that water used to pour through. I painted it with two coats of that black s*** (bituminous sealant), then ordinary acrylic outdoor paint. The paint sticks to it well as the black stuff is actually waterbased. AND it has been water proof ever since :)

Agreed on the UGL Drylock, comes in white, tan and grey. It's premixed thick liquid and ready to go.

There's also Thoroseal, you have to mix it, more of a "cement" coating than the UGL which is latex and "rubbery".

What do you mean by "exposed" block - do you mean it has no paint/other treatment at all?

If the block is already painted/treated - why bother with all the high tech stuff and not just use latex?

I just used the Behr Deckover stuff and am very impressed with it. Dries to a really durable cover....their coverage guide is waaaaaay off however, it goes a LOT further than they say it does.