Facade washing

The house looks older than it is. Not because the paint has flaked — it is largely intact — but because the north wall has taken on a green-black tinge, the window sills have grey streaks, and the section under the roof overhang has turned a different colour from the rest. You have started to think the house needs painting. Often, that is not what it needs.

A dirty facade looks ready for paint long before it actually is.

What we actually do

The softwash method means the chemistry and time do the work, while the pressure is kept low. On timber cladding, this is the difference between maintenance and damage.

1. Inspection. Cladding type, condition of the paint, where the algae sits, and whether there are areas of rot or loose paint. The price is set based on this.
2. Preparation. Plants, beds and terrace are watered and covered. Windows, doors and vents are checked to be closed. Wet foliage absorbs less of the run-off.
3. Eco-labelled product with low pressure. The product is applied to the facade from the bottom up — the opposite of what instinct suggests — so that it does not run in dry streaks over untreated areas and leave marks. It is then left to work. It is the dwell time, not the pressure, that dissolves the algae.
4. Hand scrubbing where the coating is stubborn. Always that, never more pressure.
5. The details. Window frames, sills, bargeboards, corner boards, the underside of the roof overhang, and the outside of gutters and downpipes. It is the edges and undersides that reveal a half-done facade wash.
6. Rinsing from top to bottom at the end, with a controlled amount of water.
7. Report. If we find flaking paint, cracked boards or early signs of rot, you are told with photographs. This is information you need before planning next season, not something we wash over.

Why it pays off

Algae and moss on a timber facade hold moisture against the wood. Damp wood under paint is where rot begins, and rot in cladding is among the more expensive surprises a house can give you. A clean facade dries faster after rain, simply because there is nothing there to hold the water.

Then there is the paint. Paint has a lifespan, but that lifespan is shortened by anything sitting on it and holding moisture. A facade washed every other year keeps its paint longer than one left untouched — and when the house is eventually painted, washing is the first step anyway. In that case you have simply paid for it in advance, in smaller instalments, and had a tidy facade in the meantime.

And finally: a facade wash at approx. kr 9 000 against a full facade painting are not comparable sums. Many houses that look ready for paint just need a wash.

How often should you have it done?

Every other year for most houses in Vestfold. Annually on north-facing sides, under trees and facing a busy road. Always the year before the house is painted.

How long does it take?

A full working day, around 8 hours, for a standard detached house. We need dry weather and a few degrees above freezing — the product needs time to work, and rain washes it off before it has done the job.

Book an inspection for facade washing — you receive a fixed price in writing, and we do not start until you have approved it.