Exterior Painting
Your house is likely to be the most expensive object you will ever own, and therefore needs looking after by expert house painters. Poorly maintained exterior paint-work can quite quickly lead to significant deterioration of wooden windows, sills, facia boards, and doors. Rendered masonry surfaces, once painted, need regular washing down and/or repainting to keep algae and lichen growth at bay, as well as preventing unsightly peeling paint.
The length of time between major repaints depends on the age of the property and the coatings used, but surfaces should be repainted BEFORE the paint starts to flake and peel. With proper preparation and good painting practise, modern coatings can extend the interval between each repaint. A quick "lick of paint" applied without proper preparation, materials or processes is a false economy. Painting a house is a costly job, especially taking into account the cost of erecting scaffolding or other access, so it makes sense to do the job thoroughly first time to achieve the longest period between repaints.
Resin Repair Systems
We have started using these systems for dealing with old windows and joinery that are too expensive to replace when rot sets in. Basically there are two parts to the system: - a resin filler and a wood-bonding primer. Rotten wood is completely removed and the system used to either fill the hole or "glue-in" new timber. It performs much better than "car body filler". Also available is a synthetic putty-substitute for replacing the cracked putty which often fails at the bottom of panes of glass. It’s not cheap, but then neither is replacing a window, particularly if it has unique architectural value.
Decking and Other Exterior Wood Care
Modern woodstains can now be obtained in a huge range of Opaque or Transparent colours, so if you really want to paint the garden shed purple, you can! Decking requires a bit more care. Mould and mildew must be killed and washed off carefully with a pressure-washer and deck-cleaner before any coatings are applied.
