How Often Should Exterior Woodwork and Masonry Be Repainted?

These are general ranges, and your own house may differ:

• exterior woodwork, such as windows, doors and fascias: often every five to eight years, sometimes sooner on exposed or south-facing timber
• masonry and render: often ten years or more with good paint and preparation
• fences and garden timber: depends on the finish used, and often needs re-treating more regularly
• gloss and satin finishes on woodwork: tend to need attention earlier than the masonry around them

Look for flaking or peeling paint, cracks in the film, areas where the paint has worn thin or gone chalky, and any bare wood showing. Check the bottoms of window frames and doors, where water collects, and the joints, where moisture gets in. Press a fingernail or the tip of a screwdriver gently into the timber. If it feels soft or crumbles, it's rotten and needs repairing, not just repainting.

On masonry and render, look for paint that chalks when you rub it, flaking or blistering, hairline cracks, damp patches, and green or black algae growth. Cracks in render let water in, and paint can only do so much if the wall behind it is damp. A wall that looks stained or tired may simply need a thorough clean, but a wall that's peeling needs proper preparation and repainting.

Exposure is the big one. South and west-facing walls take more sun and rain and age faster, and walls under trees stay damp and grow algae. The quality of the paint matters, and so does the preparation. Paint applied to a clean, dry, sound surface can last years longer than the same paint put over dirt, loose paint or damp. The number of coats and the weather on the day also make a difference.

Most paint failures come from skipped preparation: loose paint not scraped away, bare wood not primed, rot not repaired, algae left to grow back. A thorough job costs more up front but extends the life of the finish, which usually saves money over a decade. This is why a very cheap exterior quote deserves questions.

It isn't always necessary to repaint everything. Where only one window, door or section of fascia is failing, a spot repair, with the area cleaned, sanded, primed and painted, can buy time. But patchy repairs can look uneven against older paint, and if most of the surface is failing, it usually makes more sense to do the whole elevation, or the whole house, in one go.

Once paint has failed, water gets in. Timber swells and rots, render cracks and the damage becomes more expensive than repainting would have been. A quick check once a year, in spring, of the problem areas is the cheapest maintenance you can do.

If your home is listed or in a conservation area, changes to the colour or the type of paint on the outside can need consent. Check with your local council before you plan the work, and mention it when you ask for quotes. It's also worth using paints suited to older masonry and timber, so the surface can breathe.

Exterior painting is best planned for dry weather, usually late spring to early autumn, and it helps to have the whole property assessed at once, so repairs, cleaning and painting are done in the right order. A written quote should say what's included, what repairs are allowed for and how weather delays are handled.