Exterior painting for frames, windows, doors and fascias, plus interior walls and ceilings done properly
Good painting in Rotterdam starts with sandpaper, not a brush. This close to the North Sea and the Nieuwe Waterweg, outside woodwork takes a beating from damp air, wind-driven rain against the front of the house and the swing between frost and sunshine. Paint laid over a poor surface lets go within a few years. So we sand back, scrape off anything loose, cut out rot and fill it with wood filler, then prime bare timber before any topcoat goes on. We do this on window frames (kozijnen), front doors and fascias, and indoors on walls and ceilings. If your home is over two years old, the work is charged at the reduced 9% VAT rate.
Get a painting quote
- 1Tell us what needs painting
- 2We check the woodwork and walls
- 3You get a quote covering prep and paint
Call us, or email a few lines on what needs doing and where you live. Photos of the roof, gutter or paving help.
- Free quote
- Price agreed in writing
- Roof and ground
- Painting & cleaning
- English & Nederlands
What you get
What painting on time saves you
Paint is the coat your woodwork wears. While it's intact, water stays out. Leave it too long and a painting job turns into a carpentry job.
No rot setting in
Wherever paint cracks or peels, rain soaks into the timber. Sills and the bottoms of frames hold on to that moisture longest. Touching them up in time stops the wood going soft and needing to be cut out.
Prep that does the work
We sand back to a sound surface, cut out rotten patches and fill them with two-part wood filler. Bare wood gets a primer. That's what lets the topcoat grip and keeps it looking right for years.
Lower VAT
Painting a home that was first lived in more than two years ago is charged at the reduced VAT (btw) rate of 9% rather than 21%. The lower rate covers the paint and the preparation too, not just the hours.
Clean, sharp interiors
Indoors we cover floors and furniture, fill cracks and holes, and sand the walls smooth. Walls and ceilings get two coats of emulsion, with crisp lines along the skirting boards and door frames.
A smarter front
Frames, front door and fascias decide how a house looks from the street. A fresh coat in the existing colour, or a new one where that's allowed, makes a terraced house or upstairs flat look properly cared for.
Done alongside other work
If the gutter or roof is being sorted anyway, we paint the fascias and the dormer on the same visit. That saves putting ladders or scaffold up twice, and it all sits on one quote.
Exterior painting
Painting in Rotterdam: when can you work outside?
Outdoor painting only works when it's dry and stays dry. The timber has to be properly dried out, no rain can fall while the paint is drying, and morning dew or fog can leave a fresh coat dull. Most exterior paints need a temperature of somewhere between 5 and 10°C or more; the tin will tell you. In practice that makes the outdoor season in Rotterdam roughly April to September. Indoor painting can go ahead all year round.
- Scraping off loose and flaking paint, then sanding
- Cutting out rot and filling it with two-part wood filler
- Priming bare timber, then undercoat and topcoat
- Indoors: filling, sanding and two coats on walls and ceilings
- Colour advice, with an eye on the rules for listed buildings
Our approach
How a painting job in Rotterdam runs with us
Most of the time goes on preparation. The painting itself is the quick part.
- 01
Survey
We come round and press a bradawl into the timber to find any soft spots. Outside we note old paint layers, cracks and rot; inside, the state of the walls and ceilings.
- 02
Quote and colours
The quote lists each part of the job: how much prep, which paint system and how many coats. If you live in a listed building or a protected cityscape and want a new colour, check with the gemeente Rotterdam first whether you need a permit.
- 03
Preparation
Masking, covering and sanding. Loose paint comes off, rotten spots are cut out and filled, and bare wood is primed. You won't see this stage once it's done, but it decides how long the paint lasts.
- 04
Painting
Undercoat and topcoat follow, with proper drying time between them. Outside we watch the forecast and would rather move a day than paint into fog. Inside, walls and ceilings get two coats.
- 05
Handover
We walk round all the work with you, pull off the tape and dust sheets and clear up. If you spot a patch that isn't right, we put it right there and then.
- →
What next?
Send us a message about what needs doing. A quote costs you nothing.
Ask for a quote →
Questions
Painting questions, answered
Does the 9% VAT rate apply to my painting job?
It does if your home was first used as a home more than two years ago and is meant for permanent residence. The reduced rate covers the painting itself, the preparation and the paint we use. If we replace rotten sections with new timber, or fit new frames or glass, that part is charged at 21%. The quote shows the two separately.
How often does outside woodwork need painting?
It depends on which way the house faces and on the paint. A south-west facing front takes far more sun, wind and rain than a sheltered north side. A good habit is to check the paint every couple of years and book a repaint as soon as you see cracks, peeling or bare patches, especially low down on frames and sills.
Can I just change the colour of my window frames?
On most houses, yes. But if you live in a national or municipal monument (rijksmonument or gemeentelijk monument), or inside a protected cityscape (beschermd stadsgezicht) such as Historic Delfshaven or Kralingen-Midden, a colour change on the front or the frames can need a permit. If in doubt, even about repainting in the existing colour, ask the gemeente before we start.
What do you do about wood rot?
Small patches are cut back to sound timber and filled with a two-part wood filler, which is sanded and painted once it has cured. If a piece has gone too far, say a whole sill, we replace that section with new wood. We agree that with you first, because it costs more and is charged at the 21% VAT rate.
Do you paint indoors as well?
Yes. We paint walls and ceilings, internal doors, frames and staircases. Before we start, floors and furniture are covered and holes and cracks filled. Indoor work can be done year round, so winter is a good time for it once the outdoor season is over.
Service area
Where we paint
We're based in Spaanse Polder and paint homes all over Rotterdam, from Hillegersberg and Delfshaven to Prins Alexander and Charlois, and further out in Lansingerland, Barendrecht and Ridderkerk.
- Rotterdam
- Schiedam
- Vlaardingen
- Capelle a/d IJssel
- Krimpen a/d IJssel
- Barendrecht
- Ridderkerk
- Rhoon
- Berkel en Rodenrijs
- Bergschenhoek
- Maassluis
- Spijkenisse
Get your frames painted before next winter
Ask for a quote or send photos of your woodwork. We'll come and look and tell you how much prep it really needs.