Painting old stone cottage exterior, help!!

[Kitsmummy]

My old cottage is white painted stone and quite shabby.

The painter and decorator is painting the outside on Monday and he advised using Sandtex masonry paint.

I'm just having a minor panic that I should be using something more breathable. Cottage is 350+ years old.

Can anyone advise? Thank you

Goodness, yes you want to go breathable with a property that old. Even the modern 'breathable' paints aren't enough for heritage homes - I'd worry you were storing up damp issues later down the line and getting it off is nigh on impossible then.

These guys are great so take a read here: www.heritage-house.org/news/breathable-masonry-paint.html

I would try earthborn masonry paint:

earthbornpaints.co.uk/product/silicate-masonry-system

Quite expensive but made for this sort of thing and more environmentally friendly. I've used their interior paint and it goes on beautifully.

If its all stone then I would consider getting the tatty old paint sandblasted off

Little Greene also have a masonry paint you might want to look at, but again £££.

Sandtex do a breathable masonry paint

If it has already been painted with non-breathable paint, putting breathable paint on may not help.
Sorry to have to say this, but I'd get advice first from an expert in heritage buildings.

😭 thank you for the advice everyone. I think I'd best go get some different paint