Residential house painting Sydney
Many Sydney homes have some outdoor decking, or a gazebo, a BBQ area, or perhaps decking around a swimming pool. This type of outdoor timber structure is exposed to the summer Sun and weather conditions, so it requires regular maintenance and occasional repair. This means repainting, or re-staining, every few years.
The positive of maintaining any outdoor timber decking is that the staining is reasonably straightforward for the average DIY person. A little research on the right stain products and the right painting techniques and there is hardly ever an issue.
Does your decking need re-staining? Pour a few tablespoons of water on the decking. If the water beads up and floats on the top of the decking then the timber is still watertight, which means you don’t need to stain. But if the water soaks into the surface then the old stain or coating has worn away. This will require repainting as the timber is liable to soak up rainwater, causing damage over time.
Look for any damage to individual timber boards, these will need to be repaired or replaced.
There are basically oil based stains and water based stains.
Oil Based stains
Oil based stains tend to give off some strong fumes when applied, but this is not too bad for outdoor work.
Oil based stains are quite durable in harsh weather, and penetrate deeply into the wood while still showing the natural woodgrain.
Oil stains tend to try slowly, though this helps when applying an even coat.
These are odour free and easy to clean up with plain water. They will not trap moisture in the timber.
These stains dry fairly quickly, and modern versions have improved, with a similar durability to oil stains.
Painting services Sydney
The occasional DIY project is a healthy pursuit. But painting a house is very time consuming. Have professionals look after the painting, and enjoy the look of a neatly painter home.
