Why Exterior Painting and Decorating

We often get asked why bother with Exterior Painting and Decorating. Well, we thought we would put together a small list of the most common reasons why it would be necessary to have the outside of a building done up:

Weather:

Of course, the main reason an exterior of a property needs to be repainted more frequently than its interior is all about the weather. As the weather varies in severity, so does the time the painting needs to be redone.

Extreme heat and extreme cold do damage. Rain and wind also put a lot of pressure on the building. Here is a short list of other causes:

The age and health of the wood:

With the many years of wear and tear from weather and time, the wood used gradually loses its structure and strength, so is likely to expand more in the heat and contract more in the cold than new correctly prepared wood. This causes cracks in the paint, which in turn allows the weather to get at and damage the exposed wood.

The condition of the property:

Over our forty-year experience, we have found most properties need repainting every three to five years. Our heart sinks when we come to a property with damp wood exposed to the unremitting weather through gaping or even small cracks and holes. In other words, the worse we find the condition of the property, the harder it is to make our job last.

Rot:

One way to spot rot is even if the surface isn’t cracked, being shrunken is a sign rot. Press it to find out. A sure way to get rid of it is to replace. However, if not too wide or deep, you could gouge out and use one of the wood hardeners. Be sure to remove all the rot, failure to do so means what’s left will continue to spread.

The decorators do a bad job:

For the reasons above, it usually takes longer to prepare outside than inside. The paint should be a well-known brand. Ideally, the decorating company carrying out the work would offer at least a two-year guarantee, as do we.

In conclusion, the main thing to remember is not to wait too long. Leaving the job for another year on an already deteriorating property usually ends up costing you more than you think.