Painting and Decorating in Santa Bárbara

In Santa Bárbara de Nexe the façades face south, looking out over the lagoon, and take sun all year round. This is where we push hardest for high-grade paint with a stable pigment: an ordinary paint loses its colour visibly after two summers on these façades.

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We get there in about 20 minutes · Free site visit and quote

Santa Bárbara, as seen by the people who work there

Santa Bárbara de Nexe is villa country with a view — halfway up the slope between Faro and the barrocal, where a lot of people built the house they intend to stay in.

South-facing slopes looking out over the lagoon and the sea, large plots, and a mix of restored traditional houses and good-quality new build. Detached villas on generous plots, many with a pool and retaining walls because of the slope, and a good number with natural stone cladding on the façade.

In Santa Bárbara de Nexe we do a lot of outdoor work — stone, walls, pools and façade maintenance.

What we find in Santa Bárbara

Sloping ground means retaining structures

Almost everything built here sits on terraces. Poorly drained retaining walls are the most common structural problem we find in the area.

Natural stone façades needing treatment

Schist and local stone develop efflorescence and green growth on the exposed face. Washing them with the wrong product discolours the stone irreversibly.

Wind and southern exposure

The view has a price: south-facing façades take sun all year round and lower-grade paints lose their colour in two summers.

Painting and Decorating: what we do

Protecting what stays — Furniture, floors, frames and glass protected before we start. The house does not become unusable.
Treating cracks and damp — Opening and repairing cracks, treating mould and correcting the cause where there is water ingress — painting over it only hides it.
Substrate preparation — Sanding, removal of loose paint, filling and levelling until the wall is ready.
The right primer — Primer chosen for the substrate: new render, old masonry, timber and metal all need different products.
Two finishing coats — Branded paint, applied in two coats with the drying time respected between them.
Joinery and metalwork — Doors, skirting, shutters, timber pergolas, gates and metal railings.

How the work goes

1
Visit and assessment
We look at the condition of the substrate. A wall with rising damp is not solved by painting, and it is better to know that beforehand.
2
Choosing colours and products
We help with the colour and explain the difference between grades. We put a sample on the wall when there is doubt.
3
Preparation
Protection, repairs and primer. It is the longest stage and the one that makes the difference.
4
Painting and handover
Finishing coats, removal of protection, cleaning and a final walk-through with you.

Work in and around this area

Traditional house: paintwork, pergola and Santa Catarina tiling

Exterior paintwork in deep ochre red, a new solid timber pergola and the Santa Catarina floor tiles brought back.

7 photographs

Crack repair and finishing on a contemporary villa

Treatment of cracks, joints and junctions in a house of straight lines, where any wall defect shows from across the room.

29 photographs

Exterior painting of a villa with a veranda

Façade, veranda and outdoor ceilings repainted, with full protection of the paving and the glazing.

25 photographs

Frequently asked questions about painting and decorating in Santa Bárbara

Do you actually work in Santa Bárbara, or do you travel in from elsewhere?

We work in Santa Bárbara regularly. We set out from Loulé and get there in about 20 minutes, which means we can come and look at the job without charging for the trip.

What usually goes wrong with this kind of work in Santa Bárbara?

Almost everything built here sits on terraces. Poorly drained retaining walls are the most common structural problem we find in the area. It is the situation we come across most often in Santa Bárbara, and it is why we look at the job before quoting.

Do you paint gates, railings and metalwork?

Yes. On metal the job is different: rust removal, anti-corrosion primer and enamel. Near the sea this is not optional — without anti-corrosion treatment the rust comes back through the paint before long.

How long before I can use the room?

With water-based paints, the same day. The smell is minimal and the paint continues to cure over the following weeks without bothering anybody.

How long does exterior paint last in the Algarve?

With proper preparation and good-grade paint, eight to ten years on a normal façade. On a south-facing façade or near the sea, expect less — five to seven years.