Exterior Painters in South London

What Affects the Cost?

• •Access required (ground level, tower, or full scaffold)
• •Surface condition (sound paint vs flaking, blown render, or chalky masonry)
• •Substrate (smooth render, pebbledash, brick, or timber)
• •Repairs needed before painting (cracked render, rotten window timber)
• •Paint system (standard masonry vs breathable mineral on period walls)

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Areas We Cover

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does exterior house paint last in London?

A properly prepared exterior repaint lasts 8 to 10 years on masonry and render, and around 5 to 7 years on south-facing or exposed elevations that take the brunt of the weather. The figure that matters is not the paint, it is the preparation. Most exterior jobs that fail early failed because someone painted over chalky, powdery or flaking masonry without stabilising it first, so the new coat had nothing sound to grip. We stabilise the surface, fill and repair, then run a three-coat system: a stabilising primer, an undercoat, and two top coats of a weather-resistant masonry paint such as Dulux Weathershield. On a sound, prepared wall that holds for the best part of a decade. These timescales are based on exterior work completed across South London since 2020, and we guarantee our exterior workmanship for five years.

What is the best time of year to paint outside?

Spring through early autumn, when surfaces are dry and daytime temperatures stay above roughly 8 degrees, which most exterior masonry paints need to cure properly. The wall also has to be dry: paint damp render or brick and you trap moisture behind the film, so the coat blisters off within a season. Through a London summer we work most weeks. In winter we hold exterior jobs unless there is a settled dry spell, because a coat applied in the wrong conditions is wasted money. If your repaint is urgent and the weather will not cooperate, we will say so rather than paint a wall that fails. We plan the programme around the forecast at the survey.

Can you paint pebbledash, render and brick?

Yes, and each takes a different approach. Pebbledash needs a thicker textured masonry coat worked into the stones by brush and roller, and more material than a smooth wall. Smooth render takes a standard masonry system, but we fill hairline cracks and re-bond any blown sections first, because painting over loose render just seals in the problem. Painting brick is close to a one-way decision, so we talk it through before committing, and on period brick we usually recommend a breathable mineral paint rather than a standard masonry film. On any of these surfaces the preparation and the repairs are where the job is won or lost.

Do you paint the exterior of period and listed homes?

Yes, and on a pre-1930s house the type of paint matters as much as the colour. Solid brick and lime-rendered walls need to breathe, so sealing them in a standard plastic masonry film traps moisture and blows the render or feeds damp inside. On period exteriors we use breathable mineral paints from Keim, Beeck and Earthborn that let the wall pass moisture while still shedding rain. On listed buildings we apply for Listed Building Consent where the colour or material is changing and match the original where required; repainting in the same colour family is permitted development and needs no consent. All Well Property Services is CHAS accredited and carries Public Liability insurance to £5 million, which managing agents and conservation officers ask for on this work.

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