Exterior wood on this coast has a hard life. Ultraviolet light breaks down the lignin at the surface of the timber and turns it silver-grey; the daily heat cycle moves the wood against whatever is coating it; and where a finish cracks, moisture gets underneath and lifts the rest of it off. Untreated or neglected exterior joinery on the Costa del Sol can go from sound to needing replacement in a handful of years.
We work on entrance doors, window frames and shutters, terrace railings, pergolas, gates and garden furniture, in everything from iroko and teak to pine and painted softwood.
What a joinery job includes
- Assessment of whether the existing finish can be recoated or has to come off entirely
- Stripping, sanding back, removal of any grey UV-degraded surface
- Treatment of any rot, splitting or open joints before finishing begins
- A penetrating primer or base coat appropriate to the species and the exposure
- Two or three finishing coats depending on the system and the aspect
- Pergolas, railings and gates treated on all faces, including the undersides people forget
- Advice on a realistic recoating interval for each element
Why exterior wood fails, and what actually holds up
There is a real choice to make between a film-forming finish and a penetrating one, and it is not just about looks. A varnish or a paint sits on the surface as a film: it gives strong UV protection and a hard, wipeable finish, but when it eventually fails it fails visibly, by cracking and flaking, and putting it right means taking the whole lot back to bare timber. A penetrating oil or a breathable woodstain soaks in instead of forming a skin: it does not flake, and a refresh is a wash and a fresh coat rather than a strip-back, but it needs doing more often.
For a south-facing entrance door in hardwood, we usually recommend a high-solids exterior varnish with genuine UV filters, in three coats. For a large pergola or a run of terrace railings, where stripping thirty metres of timber back to bare wood in five years’ time is nobody’s idea of a good outcome, a penetrating oil system is almost always the better long-term decision even though it means a lighter maintenance coat more often.
Whichever system is used, the end grain is what decides how long it lasts. The cut ends of rails, the bottoms of door stiles and the tops of posts absorb many times more moisture than the faces do, and they are the places a finish is most often skimped. We seal end grain properly, which is slow, unglamorous work and the main reason one pergola is still sound at eight years and another needs replacing at four.
How we work
Four steps, no surprises
- 01Site visitWe come out, measure up and listen to what you want.
- 02QuoteA written fixed price.
- 03The workMasking, preparation and painting — with daily clean-up.
- 04Walk-throughWe inspect every aspect of the together before signing off the project.
Recent work
Common questions
Can our sun-damaged door be saved, or does it need replacing?
Usually saved. Grey, rough timber is normally only surface degradation a fraction of a millimetre deep, and sanding back reveals sound wood underneath. Replacement is only genuinely necessary where rot has got into the joints or the structure has moved. We will tell you honestly which one you are looking at.
How often does exterior woodwork need recoating?
On an exposed south or west elevation, a penetrating oil wants a refresh every one to two years and a varnish system every three to four. Sheltered north-facing joinery can go considerably longer. We give you a realistic interval per element rather than one number for the whole property.
Do you do the wood on our pergola and outdoor furniture too?
Yes — pergolas, gates, railings, decking edges, planters and furniture. They are usually quicker and cheaper to do at the same time as other work, because the set-up and the materials are already on site.
Will you paint our window frames a different colour?
Yes, provided the existing finish can be taken back properly first. Going from a dark stain to a light paint takes more preparation than the reverse, and we will price that honestly rather than under-quote and cut the preparation short.