For Timber:
Timber is the most versatile and user-friendly building material we have, but it needs to be looked after - both because it’s becoming harder to get (with depletion of our forests leading to closure of remaining stands) and because it’s a natural product and as such, interacts with the environment. It does this in a number of ways - it swells and shrinks with changes in humidity; it is bleached and aged by sunlight and weather.

Most importantly, there are a whole bunch of organisms that have evolved to regard it as a fine dinner. Our first line of defence against the effects of weathering has always been and still is: OIL. That is to say, vegetable or wood oils - in particular, the oil from seeds of the Flax plant, usually called Linseed. This is also a natural product, so we have to protect it from the environment as well, or all we achieve is to give a lot of mould and fungi a free meal. The most “green” way to do this is with Zinc Oxide, which is non-toxic but the bugs don’t like it.

This is why we recommend all exterior timber receive a coat of First Base Primer before anything else. To protect the timber - the paint is there to look good, but the primer is there to work. Watch those cut ends too - the end grain need a coat more than anywhere else!

For new timber:

Water-based:

Oil-based:

For old timber:

The thing to remember here is that paint, and particularly oil-based (alkyd) paint, will continue to age even after you paint over it. This can lead to the situation where you have a perfectly good paint job, quite young in itself, failing disastrously because the surface it’s painted on to (old paint) is dying of old age and peeling off the wall. There is one way, and one way only, to prevent this - and its called PREPARATION.

Either of the above systems will work perfectly well on old timber if the original paint and all the weathered surface wood is first completely removed by burning, sanding or planing. This is not necessary in the case of sound, 100% Acrylic paints, however, as they age differently and can better handle multi-coat applications and age differences. For aged acrylics a good scrub with a little detergent, a broom and lots of water is sufficient, followed by two coats of the fresh Acrylic paint.

If you would like more detailed information for your situation, or would like us to inspect your building before you start work, just contact us by phone, fax or email.

For Fibro, Hardplank, Masonry and Stucco:

These materials in general need less protection and are more stable that timber. They don’t need First Base Primer, and in some cases, don’t need a primer at all.

Water-based:

Oil-based: