Serious winter rain
It rains a good deal more here than in Vilamoura or Faro. A roof that just about copes on the coast will leak in São Brás at the first storm. This is where we push hardest to get the roof done before October.
Painting and Decorating in São Brás
In São Brás de Alportel the painting is mostly restoration of traditional houses — limewashed walls, stone surrounds, parapets and lacework chimneys. It rains a great deal more here than on the coast, and that is what forces the use of products that let the wall breathe rather than seal it.
We get there in about 30 minutes · Free site visit and quote
São Brás, as seen by the people who work there
São Brás is the gateway to the hills: higher, cooler and wetter than the coast — and it is that difference in climate that defines the kind of work we do there.
Ground rising towards the Serra do Caldeirão, with cork oaks, whitewashed houses from the cork-trade tradition, and a winter dampness far more pronounced than by the sea. Traditional Algarve houses with roof terraces and lacework chimneys, limewashed walls and barrel-tile roofs, many being slowly restored by people who moved in from elsewhere.
In São Brás the most common request is restoring a traditional house: roof, damp and exterior paintwork, almost always together.
What we find in São Brás
Chimneys and roof terraces that need a careful hand
The lacework chimneys and traditional parapets break easily and cannot be bought ready-made. Repairing them means recreating the existing pattern, not swapping in a catalogue part.
Limewash rather than plastic paint
On traditional walls, sealing the surface with impermeable plastic paint traps the moisture inside and blows the render off. These houses need products that let the wall breathe.
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
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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.
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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.
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3
Preparation
Protection, repairs and primer. It is the longest stage and the one that makes the difference.
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4
Painting and handover
Finishing coats, removal of protection, cleaning and a final walk-through with you.
Frequently asked questions about painting and decorating in São Brás
Do you actually work in São Brás, or do you travel in from elsewhere?
We work in São Brás regularly. We set out from Loulé and get there in about 30 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 São Brás?
It rains a good deal more here than in Vilamoura or Faro. A roof that just about copes on the coast will leak in São Brás at the first storm. This is where we push hardest to get the roof done before October. It is the situation we come across most often in São Brás, and it is why we look at the job before quoting.
How much does it cost to paint a house?
It varies a lot with the condition of the walls. A house with sound walls is mostly labour and paint; a house with cracks, damp or flaking paint takes days of preparation before any painting, and that is where the quote goes up or down.
How many coats do you apply?
Two finishing coats, plus the primer suited to the substrate, with the drying time respected between them. On strong colour changes — dark to light, or a red like the one we applied to a house in São Brás — one more may be needed.
Can I choose the colour after you have started?
Up to the moment we buy the paint, yes. We put a sample on the actual wall when there is doubt: the colour in the chart and the colour on the wall, in the light of the house, are rarely the same thing.
Painting and Decorating in São Brás
Tell us what you need and we will come and look. We get there in about 30 minutes and the visit is free.