Identify the surface and follow the current instructions for your exact products. Do not sand or strip uncertain old coatings. Read the safety guide before disturbing materials.
Repaint intervals
Paint does not fail on a schedule; it fails where water and sun get at it. Inside, walls last until they look tired or the colour bores you. Outside, the south and west faces, the sills and the bottom rails go first, and a house is only as protected as its worst window.
| Surface | Interval | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Interior walls, living rooms and bedrooms | 7 to 10 years, or when tired | Scuffs at hand height, colour change behind pictures |
| Interior walls, hall, stairs, kitchen | 4 to 6 years | Marks that no longer wash off |
| Interior woodwork | 8 to 12 years | Chipped edges, yellowing white |
| Exterior windows and doors, oil gloss | 5 to 7 years | Chalking, hairline cracks at the putty line, dull sheen |
| Exterior windows, modern water based system | 4 to 6 years | Loss of sheen, open joints |
| Front door | 3 to 5 years | Fading, cracking in sun |
| Cement render in masonry paint | 10 to 15 years | Chalking, algae, hairline cracks |
| Lime harling in limewash | Thin refresh every 5 to 8 years | Patchiness, bare lime showing |
| Lime harling in mineral paint | 15 to 20 years | Very little |
| Cast iron gutters and railings | 5 to 8 years | Rust weeping at joints and undersides |
| Fascias and soffits | 6 to 10 years | Flaking where gutters overflow |
The ten minute walk round
Once a year, in a dry week in spring, walk round the outside of the house with a notebook. Look at every sill from below, every bottom rail, the putty on every pane, the joint between frame and stone, the gutters and where they discharge. Press a thumbnail into any paint that looks dull. Anywhere it dents or flakes, note it.
Then spend an afternoon: scrape the loose, spot prime the bare, fill the cracks, run a bead of sealant along any open joint between frame and masonry, and touch in. That afternoon, done every year, is what turns a five year gloss system into a ten year one. It is the cheapest decorating you will ever do.
- Sills and bottom rails, press with a knife
- Putty lines, look for cracks and gaps
- Frame to stone joints, look for open sealant
- Gutters, watch during rain for overflows onto paintwork
- Downpipes, look for green streaks that mean a leak
- Ground level, check soil or paving has not risen above the damp course
Inside, the small habits
Keep a jar of each colour, labelled with the room and date. Touch up scuffs on matt walls with a small roller sleeve of the same type, not a brush, or it will flash. Wipe kitchen walls with a soft cloth and a drop of washing up liquid, not a scourer. Fit felt pads to chair backs that touch the wall. Open the bathroom window after every shower, even in January. These are dull, and they add years.
Common mistakes
- Waiting until paint has failed before repainting; a recoat on sound paint costs a third of a strip and repaint
- Ignoring the north face because it looks fine, when it is where the algae and damp live
- Touching up matt walls with a brush
If a whole elevation is chalking, or more than a few windows have soft timber, book a proper repaint rather than another year of patching. We can walk round with you and say which it is.
Sources & further reading
Original general guidance from Aethos, informed by the resources below. These references cover relevant safety, materials or techniques, not a specification for your property. Product examples are not paid recommendations.
- Zinsser: AllCoat Exterior Satin (opens in a new tab)
A product example covering exterior substrates, preparation and application conditions, not a universal recommendation.
- Farrow & Ball: paint finishes (opens in a new tab)
Different products and sheen levels for different surfaces. Check the current product advice sheet.