It is one of the questions we are asked most often: how long should a good decorating job last before it needs doing again? The honest answer is that it depends — on the room, the surface, the exposure and the quality of the original work — but there are realistic intervals worth knowing, particularly for the period properties that make up so much of prime London.

Interior rooms

In a typical reception room or bedroom, a well-applied scheme will look its best for around five to seven years, and often longer in a low-traffic room. The walls themselves age slowly; what usually dates a room first is scuffing around doors and switches, and the gradual dulling of woodwork. High-traffic areas — hallways, staircases, kitchens — tend to need attention sooner, often every three to five years, simply because they take more daily wear.

Woodwork ages differently to walls

Skirting, architraves and doors take more knocks than walls and show wear faster, but a tough finish like eggshell or satin, properly applied, holds up well. It is common to refresh woodwork once between full redecorations — a lighter job that keeps a room looking cared-for without redoing everything.

Exteriors and façades

Outside, the weather sets the schedule. Exposed elevations, render and exterior joinery in London's climate generally need redecorating every five to eight years, though a sheltered front may last longer and a south- or west-facing elevation that takes sun and driving rain may need it sooner. With period properties this is not only cosmetic — it is protective. It is the heart of our exterior and façade decorating.

On a period home, exterior decoration is not just about appearance. The paint is part of what protects the building from the weather.

Why period properties are a special case

Older London homes were built with breathable materials — lime plaster, lime render, soft brick — that need to release moisture rather than trap it. The right exterior systems let the building breathe; the wrong ones, applied to save money or time, can seal moisture in and accelerate decay behind a perfectly smart-looking façade. This is why, on a period property, when you repaint matters less than what you repaint with and how the surface is prepared. Letting decoration go too long allows water in; using the wrong modern coating traps it. Both cause damage that costs far more to put right than decoration ever would. This is why decorating a period or listed home is a specialism in its own right.

What makes decoration last longer

  • Thorough preparation — the single biggest factor in how long a finish survives
  • The correct primer and system for each substrate, rather than one product used everywhere
  • Breathable, conservation-appropriate materials on period masonry and render
  • Quality paint applied in the right conditions, with proper drying time between coats
  • Addressing the cause of any damp or movement before painting over it

A job done properly the first time is the cheapest decorating you will ever buy, because you do it far less often. The intervals above assume good work; a rushed job over poor preparation will need redoing in a fraction of the time, and may cost you in repairs as well.

If you are wondering whether your home is due for redecoration — inside or out — we are happy to take a look and give you an honest assessment, with no obligation.