Picking exterior paint that survives a British winter
Outside, paint is protection as much as decoration. What holds up through London rain and what peels by spring comes down to a few choices.
The front of your house takes a beating. Rain, damp, frost and the odd bit of sun all work against the paint, and a job done on the cheap tends to show it by the following spring. A bit of thought up front saves you redoing it far too soon.
Match the paint to the surface
Masonry, render, brick and timber all behave differently, and they each want their own type of paint. Breathable masonry paint lets damp escape instead of trapping it behind the film, which is what causes that bubbling and flaking you see on older walls. Timber wants a proper exterior wood paint over a decent primer.
Prep beats the weather
We scrape back anything loose, treat bare or soft timber, and fill where we need to before priming. Painting straight over flaking paint just gives you fresh paint that flakes. On a London terrace that has been done a few times over the years, this stage is often the biggest part of the job.
Pick your days
Exterior coats need dry surfaces and time to cure, so we watch the forecast and plan around it. Paint on a damp wall or in the cold does not bond the way it should. It is worth waiting a day for the right weather rather than trapping trouble under the top coat.
