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Painting, decorating and home improvement tips blog

Recently completed work

Posted by Adrian
July 21st, 2023

Recently completed work

Below are some pictures of a recent exterior I completed.

As you can see from the first pictures, the fascia and soffits needed some attention. The house was a mid-terrace house, so only had fascia’s and soffits at the front and rear of the property.

After giving them a good rub down and dust off, I primed the bare wood, followed by a coat of Dulux Weathershield undercoat, and then a topcoat of Dulux Weathershield white gloss. I think you would have to agree, a massive difference from the before and after pictures. The client was very happy, and their fascia boards and soffits will look good and be protected for the next few years.

Picture of flacking paint on fascia board and cracked soffit board

Picture of bare wood on fascia board

Picture of bare wood on fascia and soffit boards

And this is the final result

Picture of painted fascia and soffit in white gloss

Picture of painted fascia and soffit in white gloss to front of property

Picture of painted fascia and soffit in white gloss to rear of property

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Lead flashing

Posted by Adrian
July 24th, 2010

Why not to paint lead flashing

I’ve been working on exterior houses over the past few weeks and I thought I would share this tip with you.

Whilst painting the exterior of a house, many jobs include the painting of the lead flashing, because the paint on the lead has started to peel. Many houses have lead flashing either under the windows or maybe along the roof of a conservatory.
Graphic of lead flashing, a paint kettle and brush

One of the reasons why the paint peels off of lead is because the lead oxidises, this means the lead has a chemical reaction with the oxygen in the air, this lifts the paint and leaves a white powder on the surface of the lead. Another reason for paint peeling is the lead expands and contracts with the heat, this can crack the paint allowing moisture or water in and lifting the paint.

If your lead flashing has been painted it can be a long job cleaning it all off which is why most people re-paint the lead.

If you do repaint the lead, remove all the loose flaky paint and any white powder substance, which is the oxidisation. Next use a flexible undercoat and topcoat, such as Dulux Weathershield undercoat and gloss, I have found this lasts OK, although not forever.

What you should do with lead flashing.

If you have new or unpainted lead please don’t start to paint it! The best solution is not to paint it and to use an oil to treat the lead; this will keep it supple and stop it from cracking.

The best oil’s to use are one of the following, Patination Oil, WD40 or 3in1 oil, all are widely available from hardware shops or builders merchants.

Simply take a cloth, tip some oil onto the cloth and then work it into the lead, you will notice the lead becomes darker as the lead absorbs some of the oil. Continue doing this until you’re happy with the result. Your lead will now look good, be able to breath and be supple to stop it from drying out and cracking.

You will need to re-apply the oil when the lead is starting to look a light grey or just a little bit weathered. If you stick with this method your lead will last for years and you don’t have to worry about paint peeling off it ever!

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Posted in Decorating Tips | 46 Comments »




Pictures added to website

Posted by Adrian
July 12th, 2009

Masonry iconWe have today added some pictures of recent exterior work. The images can be found on the gallery page.

The house was painted with Dulux Weathershield smooth masonry county cream paint and the front door was re-painted in Dulux Weathershield Windsor Blue gloss, giving this house a fresh look.

Front of house painted in cream masonry paint and a blue door.

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