Kensington Project

This exterior project in Kensington, W8 required our team to fully redecorate the facade of a classic London townhouse. All surfaces were carefully prepared — including the removal of failing paint, crack repairs, and application of a specialist primer — before a high-quality exterior paint system was applied throughout.

Working in a conservation area demanded an especially high standard of care and attention, both in protecting the surrounding environment and in matching the character of the original property. The result is a beautifully refreshed exterior that will stand the test of time.

The condition of the elevation

The client needed the facade brought back to a proper standard and protected against another decade of London weather, without the property looking out of step with the terrace it sits in.

Exterior painting in Kensington W8 comes with constraints that do not apply on a quieter street: restricted access, narrow pavements in constant use, and conservation-area expectations about how the finished elevation should look. Scaffold was arranged through our own contractors, and the rest was planned around before any work started rather than dealt with as it arose.

What the job covered

The programme ran for seven weeks on site and covered the elevation in full:

• Rendered and masonry facade, prepared and fully recoated
• Timber sash windows, frames and sills
• Front entrance door, surround and decorative detailing
• Cornicing, string courses and moulded render features
• Railings, balustrades and external metalwork

Stripping back and repairing

On an exterior, preparation determines how long the finish lasts. Failing and flaking paint was removed back to a sound edge, and the substrate beneath was inspected rather than simply overcoated — cracks in the render were raked out and repaired, and any timber showing decay was cut out and made good before priming. Bare and repaired areas were treated with a specialist primer suited to the material underneath, since render, timber and metal each need a different one.

Surfaces were cleaned down to remove atmospheric soiling and organic growth, which is what causes a new coating to fail early on a London facade. Work was scheduled around the weather so that no coat went on to a damp surface or was applied where it could not cure properly before nightfall, and the pavement, neighbouring properties and planting were protected throughout.

The coating system

A high-quality exterior paint system was specified — a coating built to stay flexible through the movement a facade goes through between summer and winter, applied over the correct primer for each substrate. Timber and metalwork were treated as separate specifications from the masonry rather than finished in the same product.

The finished facade

The elevation reads as one clean, even surface, with the moulded detail sharp rather than clogged with paint and the joinery lines crisp against the render. The property sits comfortably within its terrace, and the coating system will hold up against the weather it now has to face.

If you are planning exterior work nearby, see our painters and decorators in Kensington page, read more about exterior painting, or browse the rest of the Modernus portfolio.