Frognal NW3: Grand Detached Villa Full Exterior

A large detached Edwardian villa on Frognal Way required a complete exterior repaint. The property's prominent position on this prestigious Hampstead street meant the finish had to be impeccable. The stucco facade had developed a network of fine cracks from thermal movement, and several areas showed signs of moisture ingress where previous acrylic coatings had trapped water within the walls. The extensive woodwork — including bay windows, fascias, soffits, and a grand portico entrance — showed varying degrees of paint failure and timber decay.

Key Challenges

We erected independent scaffold on all four elevations, carefully protecting the mature garden planting below. The stucco was thoroughly assessed and all cracks were raked out and filled with a flexible lime-based repair mortar that moves with the building. Areas of blown render were cut back and patched to match the original profile. We specified Keim Granital mineral silicate paint for the entire facade — this vapour-permeable system bonds chemically with the masonry substrate, allowing trapped moisture to escape while providing exceptional UV resistance and a documented service life on European buildings measured in generations. The colour was custom-matched to the client's preferred warm stone shade. All woodwork was prepared by hand — decayed timber sections were consolidated with epoxy or spliced with Accoya where necessary. The woodwork received a Sikkens system: HLS Plus basecoat for deep timber protection followed by two coats of Sikkens Cetol Filter 7 Plus in a natural oak shade, providing a beautiful translucent finish that allows the timber grain to show through on natural wood, while painted sections received Sikkens Rubbol BL Satura in white.

Project Approach

Services Provided