Exterior Painting

What’s involved

• Masonry and render painting in weather-resistant masonry paint
• Exterior woodwork: fascias, soffits, bargeboards, window frames, doors, gates and fences
• Cleaning down, scraping back flaking paint, treating bare timber and filling cracks
• Priming and undercoating bare or repaired areas so topcoats bond and last
• Safe access using ladders, towers or scaffold as the job needs

What affects the cost

Every job is different, so we quote each one rather than publish fixed prices. These are the things we look at:

• The size of the property and how many elevations are being painted
• Access, a bungalow versus three storeys, and whether a tower or scaffold is needed
• The condition of the existing surfaces, sound paint needs far less prep than badly flaking or damp areas
• How much repair the render or woodwork needs before painting
• The time of year and the dry-weather window available for the paint to cure

How the job runs

Every job follows the same four stages, consultation, preparation, the work itself, then a proper clean-up. For exterior painting, that looks like this:

1. 1

   Walk round the outside and quote

   We look at the property with you, check the condition of the render, masonry and woodwork, work out what access the job needs, and quote the whole thing in writing — access included, so there are no surprises later.

2. 2

   Wash down and repair

   Surfaces cleaned down, flaking paint scraped back, cracks filled and bare timber treated, planned around the forecast so everything is dry before any paint goes on.

3. 3

   Prime and paint

   Bare and repaired areas primed and undercoated first, then masonry and woodwork finished in weather-resistant exterior products, working safely from ladders, towers or scaffold as agreed.

4. 4

   Leave it tidy

   Sheets up, splashes off the glass, waste taken away, and a final walk round the outside with you before we sign the job off.

Common questions

What time of year is best for exterior painting?

Spring through to autumn is ideal, exterior paint needs dry surfaces and mild temperatures to cure properly. We avoid painting in the wet or in a frost, and plan around the forecast rather than rush a coat on in poor conditions.

How long will the paintwork last?

On well-prepared surfaces with quality paint, masonry typically holds for several years and woodwork a good while between recoats, though it depends on exposure. A sheltered wall weathers far more slowly than one that takes the wind and rain. Proper preparation is what makes the difference.

Do you repair render and woodwork too?

We deal with minor crack filling, flaking and bare timber as part of the prep. For larger render repairs or rotten timber we'll flag it and either sort it or let you know if it needs a specialist first, we won't paint over a problem and hope it holds.

Will we need scaffolding?

Only where it's needed for safe access and a proper job, often a tower or ladders are enough. Any access is included in the quote, so there are no surprises later.

Can you paint just the front door, windows or one elevation?

Of course. Doors, window frames, fascias or a single weather-beaten elevation are all jobs we're happy to quote for. Smaller exterior jobs done at the right time are what keep the bigger, more expensive repairs at bay.