Now this might not be a popular thought, but it sometimes occurs to me, that here in our English marine climate, we should be more like the French, who don’t use much, if any paint on the outside of their houses. Whenever I’m there, or was when the exchange rate was fairer, I see lots of bare, hardwood windows and unpainted walls.
I don’t know why the French are like this, but there are many things I don’t understand about the French.
Their no-nonsense approach to aristocracy at the end of the eighteenth century, followed by an aristocratic revival
(Princess Eugenie, Biarritz and all that) in the nineteenth- is just one example.
Here in England, our damp climatic conditions, although good for your skin, are not so good for outside paint, and yet all over London we see every surface; render, stucco, brickwork, woodwork, plastic gutters, garden walls, garden gnomes, fences, etc., all brightly painted up.
I can only suppose we do this, because it looks nice, or perhaps after a few wall repairs that don’t blend in, a coat of paint evens everything up.
Anyway, somos nos somos, or however it goes.(We are what we are.)
So this being the case; what is the best paint for the London conditions?
The damp, dirt and a few long hot days to draw out the moisture (and the paint with it, causing bubbling and flaking) calls for the best paint that money can buy.
We recently used, in Primrose Hill no less, a paint called SANDTEX CLASSIC STONE GLOSS.
This is a water-based, shiny, or sheeny paint, that is easy to use and looks great.
And because it’s water based it’s easier to touch up later if needed.
Get your painter to fork out the extra money for it. It’s worth it.
By the way that is a good tip: When asking for a quote, ask the contractor to specify WHAT PAINT he proposes using-type and brand.
You see, 90% or more of the cost of your paint job is labour, so it makes no sense to skimp on paint quality.
Like wine, the cost of the paint is a good guide to the quality.
Good luck with your painting project.
Joe
PS. You may have noticed in this blog, I didn’t mention anything about JP Taffe’s almost famous prior-to-paint repairs. You can read about these in my other blogs.