What is exterior painting?
Exterior painting covers every coat of paint that goes on the outside of your house: the window frames, the front door, fascia boards, a wooden porch and sometimes the whole facade. It protects the wood and the surface underneath against rain, sun and frost, and it sharpens up the whole house in one go.
Outside is a different job to inside. An interior wall never sees rain or full sun, so a thinner coat that just needs to look good is enough there. Outside, the paint has to survive wind and weather, and that takes more preparation and a heavier build-up of layers. It’s a different job with its own priorities, even where the finished result looks similar.
You usually notice it first on the window frames: the paint starts flaking, the colour turns dull and faded, or the wood feels soft under your finger where water tends to sit. That’s the moment to act, before the problem grows into something more than a fresh coat can fix.
I’ve been doing this work, alongside plastering, for close to twenty years. Painting and plastering sit close together: a wall or facade often needs to be smooth and even first, so the paint goes on evenly and stays put.
Painting window frames
Window frames are usually the first thing that needs attention. Wood moves with the seasons, it expands in the heat and shrinks in the cold, and the paint has to move with it without cracking, flaking or lifting at the joints.
On wooden frames, I start by sanding off old, loose paint back to sound wood. I fill any gaps and small holes, and where the sealant around the glass has dried out or cracked, I replace it, otherwise moisture works its way back in behind the frame. Then comes a primer that bonds well to bare wood, and only after that the topcoat in the colour you choose. An even, opaque coat lasts longer than a thin layer rushed through to get the job done fast.
uPVC frames need a different approach. You usually don’t need to sand those back to the material, but degreasing properly and using the right primer matters just as much. Skip that step, and paint on uPVC tends to lift again quickly, where on wood it can work the other way round.
The bottom rail of a frame, the drip edge, needs extra attention. That’s where rainwater sits longest after a shower, and it’s exactly where wood starts rotting first or paint lifts first. I always check that spot separately, even when the rest of the frame still looks fine.
Painting exterior woodwork
Before I start painting, I always check the wood itself first, not just the window frames but also fascia boards, a wooden front door or a porch. Paint over rot is wasted work: the rot carries on underneath the new coat, and before long it flakes off again, exactly where it was already weak.
If I find rot in a frame, fascia board or door, I deal with that first, either with wood filler or by replacing the damaged section if it goes deeper than the surface. Only once the wood underneath is solid again do I move on to sanding, primer and topcoat. That way you’re not painting a fresh layer over a problem that’s coming straight back.
I also check the joints around the glass and where the frame meets the wall. A frame that looks freshly painted but still lets moisture in at the edges looks worse after one winter than you’d expect. The same goes for a wooden garden gate, a timber garage door or the threshold under a back door: wherever wood and water meet, I check the condition of the wood before I pick up a brush.
How often should you paint your window frames and woodwork?
That depends on which side of the house it’s on and on the piece of wood itself. The south and west sides get more sun and rain than the north side, and wear out faster as a result. The type of wood, the quality of the last coat, and whether cracks or bare patches are already showing all play a part too.
I’d rather not give you one fixed number that’s supposed to apply to every house, because it just isn’t true. One frame holds up for years, while another on the opposite side of the same house doesn’t. Send a photo of your window frames or woodwork, and I can see in the paint itself whether it can wait or whether it’s due now.
Best weather for exterior painting
Not every time of year works. Paint bonds and dries best in dry, mild weather, without rain that can thin or mark the coat, and without strong sun that dries the paint too fast before it can properly bond. In frost or high humidity, a coat stays wet too long and doesn’t cure properly.
I take that into account when planning, even when there’s some pressure to get the job finished quickly. A coat applied in the wrong conditions might look fine at first, but it tends to hold up for less time outdoors than one applied at the right moment.
Painting window frames: step by step
I work through a fixed order, even on a small job like a couple of frames. Skipping a step is usually the reason a coat starts failing again after a while.
- Photo and assessment. You send a photo, and I can see the condition of the wood and whether there’s rot or loose paint.
- Price. Based on that, I give you a price quickly.
- Preparation. Sanding, replacing sealant, dealing with wood rot where needed, and masking off anything that shouldn’t get paint on it.
- Primer. A coat that bonds well to bare wood or to a repaired section.
- Topcoat. In the colour you choose, applied evenly and opaque.
- Clean-up. I clear everything away when I’m done, so you can use the space straight away.
A single frame is quicker than a whole facade full of woodwork, but the order stays the same.
Render the facade first, then paint
Want the wall around the window frames painted too, not just the frames themselves? Then the surface underneath has to be right first. Paint doesn’t hold on loose or damaged render, however well the coat itself goes on.
If your facade shows cracking or old, weathered render, I’d suggest getting the facade rendered first. On a smooth, paint-ready surface, painting gives you the result you’re after: crisp and even, without old cracks showing through again after a few months.
If it needs rendering first and painting after, I simply plan the two back to back. You don’t need to arrange two separate visits, and you know exactly where you stand in one go. Keep the drying time between rendering and painting in mind too: render that’s still damp underneath won’t hold paint properly. I’ll tell you how long that takes in your case once I’ve seen the job, it varies by season and by the thickness of the layer.
Painting the whole outside of your house
Sometimes it’s not just a few window frames, but the entire exterior: every frame, the front door, the woodwork under the roofline and, where it’s there, timber cladding. That’s a bigger project with more preparation, and often scaffolding or a ladder for the higher sections.
On a job like that, I walk the whole exterior first, from photos or on site, so I know exactly which parts just need a fresh coat and which need repair or rendering first. That way you’re not stuck with the same weak spots again in a couple of years, while the rest of the facade still looks fresh.
I’m happy to help with colour choices too. A frame colour that clashes with the roof tiles or the brickwork stands out more than you’d think, and you usually only notice once the first coat has dried. Torn between a couple of colours? I’ll put down a test strip somewhere less visible before you commit.
What determines the cost of exterior painting
I don’t work with one fixed price that fits every house, every job is too different for that. What does count: how many frames and how much woodwork is involved, the condition of the wood, whether repairs or rendering come first, how many colours you choose, and whether scaffolding is needed.
Send a photo so I can give you a price that matches your actual situation.
What customers say about my work
Reviews are in Dutch, because they come straight from Werkspot. Osman scores 4.9 out of 5 across 34 reviews. None of them mention exterior painting by name, but the pattern across plastering and painting jobs is the same: tidy work, on time, and everything cleared up before I leave.
Sterk Stukadoor means “strong plasterer” in Dutch. Osman is the tradesman behind it, working alone on smaller jobs and bringing in one or more colleagues on bigger ones.
Exterior painting in Gorinchem and the region
I’m based in Gorinchem and travel across the wider region for exterior painting, from the Alblasserwaard and Land van Altena further out. I regularly work towards Utrecht and Dordrecht too, for a handful of frames or a whole facade.
Got window frames that are due, or want the whole outside of your house repainted? Send a photo and I’ll quickly tell you what’s involved.