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House painting
The outside of the house washed, repaired and coated in paint that lets an Irish wall dry out, with the gutters, fascia and front door finished to match.
in short
AltHome paints the outside of houses across Kerry, Cork and Limerick: washed with a biocide, cracks and hollow render repaired, powdery surfaces stabilised, then two coats of breathable masonry, silicone or mineral paint that lets an Irish wall dry out. A properly prepared wall holds for 8 to 12 years. An average house takes four to seven days, weather permitting.
what decides it
The preparation, and a paint the wall can breathe through
Almost every exterior job that fails early failed before the first tin was opened. An Irish wall carries algae, salt, old chalky paint and hairline cracks that fill with water every time the wind comes off the Atlantic. So the house is washed down first, the green growth is killed with a biocide wash rather than just blasted off, and the wall is left to dry. Cracks get raked out and filled, blown or hollow render is cut back and patched, and anything powdery is bound down with a stabilising primer so the new coat has something solid to grip. Then the paint itself. A cheap plastic film paint seals the wall like a bag, and moisture that gets in behind it, and it always gets in behind it, has nowhere to go, so the paint blisters off in sheets in three or four years and takes the render face with it. We use breathable masonry paints, silicone water repellent or mineral silicate depending on what the wall is made of, because they shed rain off the face while still letting vapour out. On old solid walls and lime render that is not a preference, it is the difference between a dry house and a damp one. The rest is discipline about weather. We do not paint below about eight degrees, we do not paint onto a wall that is still wet from the night before, and we stop early enough in the afternoon in autumn that the coat is touch dry before the dew falls. Painting a damp gable at four o’clock in October is how you get a patchy, streaked finish that shows up the first sunny morning.
The gable that keeps going black
North and west facing gables go green and then black because they never get enough sun to dry out and they take the weather first. Repainting them without treating the growth just buries it, and it comes back through within two winters. That wall gets the biocide wash, time to dry, and a paint with a fungicide in the film. If a leaking gutter or a missing cap on the wall head is feeding it, we fix that at the same time, otherwise you are paying to paint a wall that is still being watered.
the work
What is included in exterior house painting?
- Wash the house down, kill the algae at the root and give the wall time to dry.
- Rake out cracks, cut back hollow render, patch it and let the patches cure.
- Mask glass, sills, doors, paths and planting, and cover what cannot be moved.
- Prime chalky, patched or bare areas so the topcoat sits on something stable.
- Two full coats of breathable masonry paint, cut in by hand at every edge.
- Finish fascia, gutters, railings and the front door, then wash down and clear the site.
4 steps
How long does it take to paint the outside of a house?
You get in touch
Send the address and a photo of the front and the worst gable. We answer the same day.
We come and look
We check the render, the growth, the old coating and the access, then price the prep and the paint separately so you can see both.
We paint it
Wash, repair, prime, two coats. We work to the forecast and tell you straight away if weather moves a day.
You sign it off
We walk the house with you in daylight, touch in anything you spot, and leave the paint reference and the guarantee in writing.
next door
What goes around it
Most people who repaint the outside are getting the house ready for something else at the same time.
asked
House painting: common questions
What time of year can you paint outside here?
Realistically April to early October, with good spells either side. What matters is not the month but the wall: it has to be dry, above about eight degrees and rising, and dry again before dew. We would rather move you a week than put a coat on a damp gable.
Can you paint over pebbledash?
Yes, and it is one of the better surfaces to paint once it is clean, because there is so much key on it. It drinks paint, so expect more material than a smooth render, and any loose stone has to come off first or it will drop out of the finished face.
Do I need scaffolding?
For a two storey house with gables, usually yes, and it is money well spent because the crew can work with both hands and cut a straight line. A bungalow is normally done off towers and ladders. Either way the access cost is in the written quote, not added later.
How much does it cost to paint the outside of a house in Ireland?
House size and height, access (ladders, towers or scaffold), the condition of the render, and the paint system decide the price. Pebbledash and heavily cracked render take more preparation and more paint. We price it after walking round the house.
When is the best time to paint a house in Ireland?
From about May to September, on dry days above around 5 to 8 °C with no rain forecast for several hours after. We work to the forecast and move a day rather than paint onto a damp wall.
quote
Get a fixed quote for exterior painting
Tell us the address and how many storeys. We work across Kerry, Cork and Limerick. We ring you back within one working day. Add photos of the walls and the price we send you will be tighter.
085 220 1422 · info@althome.ie
Written by the AltHome crew. Last reviewed September 2026.