Exterior paintwork suffers due to the rain, sun, and frost. We take all types of exterior painting and decorating work across Croydon and surrounding areas, taking on full house repaints to smaller jobs like front doors and window frames.
What We Cover
External walls, whether rendered, pebbledashed, or brick that’s been painted before. Woodwork window frames, door frames, fascias, soffits, bargeboards, front doors, and back doors. Obscured garden walls, garden sheds, and outbuildings.
The key difference with exterior work is using the right paint for the job. External masonry paint is supposed to be breathable and weatherproof and woodwork requires proper exterior gloss or satinwood that can handle the weather. Asking for internal paint to be used isn’t sustainable for the work.
Preparation Work
Preparing the work is the most time consuming part and has to be done right. No one can paint over flaking paint and dodgy surfaces or the work suffers and will be undone very quickly.
To start, we do a detailed and thorough cleaning. It means removing dirt, algae, and loose old paint. While pressure washing dirt, algae, and paint away is helpful, care must be taken to not damage the render or force water into places it shouldn’t go.
When it comes to bad, rotten wood, we take the time to cut it out and replace it, as it is a waste to paint and cover the rot, it will only continue to get worse underneath. When it comes to window frames, we have noticed rot at the bottom corners where a lot of water tends to collect. Before we start any work we will show you the trouble areas as we need to fix them first.
We take the time to fill any cracks we see in the render. Small, hairline cracks are expected, but we need to fill bigger cracks to prevent water from getting in. For bigger cracks, we use exterior filler so we do not have to deal with the problem in the future.
We need to take the time to sand and prime any bare wood we have before painting, especially if the wood has knots, as they need to be treated. It is tedious work, but it is necessary if you want the work to last.
Masonry Painting
Painting walls with render or pebbledash tends to take a lot of paint more than people expect. Because the exterior walls are rough in texture it soaks more paint in, and we have to do more than 2 to 3 coats for decent coverage.
Masonry paint has a few different finishes to choose from, those being smooth or textured. Textured paint is thicker and will cover and hide any imperfections that may be present, but it is harder to repaint a surface with a thick texture. On the other hand, a smooth finish is easier to maintain. If you are looking to maintain a smooth finish over time.
Colour choice is important both inside and outside. Darker colours absorb more heat leading to potential problems with the render expanding and contracting. Darker colours will also fade more often compared to lighter colours. Lighter colours will also fade quicker over time, but will be more easier to maintain over the long run. It is really a balancing act.
Most houses tend to stand out better with neutral colours, such as white, cream, and grey. Other more bold colours are also really stand out, but will require more maintenance over time, and may make the house harder to sell in the future. Ultimately, it is your house and your decision.
External woodwork requires the most attention and maintenance. Items such as window frames, door frames, and fascias are the most exposed to the outside world, and tend to require the most woodwork attention.
For all the woodwork, we rub down the paint and, if the wood is in poor condition, we will burn it off. Then we will have to do a priming, undercoat, and topcoat. If any steps are skipped it can lead to some poor results.
While gloss is still often used standard, modern design trends have switched to satinwood which is also exterior and is easier to maintain. It also doesn’t have the problem of yellowing over time which is common with white gloss paint.
If you have windows with UPVC and wooden frames, we will only paint the wood. UPVC does not need painting, and professional UPVC paint has a poor lifespan, anyway.
Fascia and soffit boards are often ignored, but they are significant. They protect your roof space from the elements. If the boards are rotting, moisture will enter your loft space. We assess them thoroughly before painting and inform you if we find any problems.
Weather and Timing
Weather is very important when it comes to exterior work. We cannot paint in the rain, of course. But it’s also not ideal in very hot sun, as the paint will dry too quickly and may crack. Morning dew and humidity can also be a problem. We need dry conditions and reasonable temperatures.
This is usually the case in spring, summer, and early fall, which is when we prefer to work. In winter we can work if the weather is dry and not too cold, but there are far fewer good days in winter.
Paint always needs time to dry between coats, and it takes longer to dry in cooler, damper conditions. We will not rush it. Leaving the paint to dry is an important part of doing the job properly.
If rain is forecast, we stop and put covers over anything that needs to be protected. We would rather wait than ruin the work we have already done.
Access and Scaffolding
If we have to work on things that happen above the ground floor, we’ll need proper access. Depending on the work being done, this will be in the form of scaffolding, tower scaffolds, or ladders. Though scaffolding is a little pricey, it is needed for safety and completing a proper job for two-storey homes.
You won’t have to sort scaffolding yourself – we handle that on your behalf. It’s incorporated in the quote.
Some work can be done from ladders, for example, painting a front door, doing touch-ups on ground floor windows and things like that. However, painting the entirety of a house demands scaffolding to be assembled.
What About Render Repairs?
As part of the preparation process, we perform minor render repairs like filling small cracks or patching damaged areas. However, if you wish to undertake a large render job, or a full re-rendering, that is a much bigger task, and we will need to go through everything to make sure you comprehend the procedure.
When we use older cement render, it can look like it’s blowing or cracking – it can look like it’s detaching from the wall. If it’s damaged a lot, simply patching it is not always the solution – it can require a full repair.
How Long Does It Last?
When you use decent exterior paint, it lasts for a good 5-8 years minimum, and can last longer than that provided it’s well maintained and sheltered. Walls facing the south and west get the brunt of weather, and will need to be repainted sooner than walls facing the north and east.
Usually, woodwork needs maintenance more often than masonry, at least every 4 5 years depending on its condition and its exposure to the elements.
Not maintaining the woodwork means more expensive repairs down the road. If painting is neglected and moisture begins penetrating the woodwork, repairs will be needed.
Getting a Quote
To provide a quote, we first need to visit the property. The amount of work to be done, accessibility, condition of the surfaces – they will all influence the quote. Our team will visit the site, inspect the work to be done, and provide a detailed quote.
We are located in Croydon and we service all nearby areas. Most of our clients are referrals, which is a good indication of quality of our service.