Painter Woudsend: old buildings, old paint layers

Woudsend lies on the Ee, between the Heegermeer and the Slotermeer, and used to be a village of trade and shipbuilding. You still see that in the older houses along the water. For us it mainly means there is often a lot underneath the last coat of paint.

Our base is Mirns, and Woudsend falls for us in the same corner as Sneek and surroundings. An old building calls for a calm approach, and that starts with looking at what is there before we do anything.

White lead has been banned indoors since 1939 and outdoors only since 2009, according to OnderhoudNL. In an older house you can therefore meet both. That is no disaster, but dry sanding is then not a good idea, because you do not want that dust in the house, in the garden or in the water.

At old paint and lead you can read what has to happen if in doubt. We discuss that during the site visit, and if in doubt we work so that as little dust as possible is released. That takes a little more time than ordinary sanding, and you see that in the quote. But it is the way to treat an old house properly, certainly if you live in it yourself or children run around.

An old façade sometimes has so many layers that profiles have filled in and doors stick. Then there is always the question of whether it has to come off. Sometimes it can be built on a stable layer, sometimes everything comes loose and taking it off is the only good way.

The type of paint plays a part too: a switch from solvent-based to water-based does not always work just like that. At water-based or solvent-based we explain the difference. Where needed we use Sikkens products that suit the surface, and we explain that to you without unnecessary jargon.

Not every house is well maintained, and a property that changes owner often has a backlog. One of our customers had a house that had had no maintenance for 10 years, and when it was opened up there turned out to be a lot of wood rot. It can be repaired, but it calls for more work than an ordinary painting round.

At ten years without maintenance you can read what to expect then. A listed or characteristic building may also fall under other rules; check with the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân if you are in doubt.

Take photos of the whole façade, and of the spots where the paint is coming off or flaking. Add when the building was built and whether you know when it was last painted. If you have old invoices or colour specifications, those are welcome too.

If it is a listed or characteristic building, we would like to know that beforehand. Is it on the water? Then show how we get to the rear. Send everything to 06 3006 0558 or to contact@mjaallroundbouw.nl.

The final paint job is usually the quickest part here. The time goes into preparing, repairing wood and the precautions for possible old paint. Nationally, as a market guide, exterior painting starts from €35 per m2, and wood rot from €50 per spot. On an old building you will rarely be at that.

At MJA you get one fixed price after the site visit, so that you are not faced with surprises during the work. If something unexpected comes up while opening up, we discuss it with you first before we go on. In an old house that can happen, because not everything can be seen from outside.

We are a member of OnderhoudNL, a recognised training company and Top Pro 2025 at Trustoo, and work with a Google score of 4.8 from 25 reviews. Mohamed is your contact and also says when something can wait another year.

Do you have an older house in Woudsend that you want something done to? Send your photos through the quote form. We are then happy to look on site at how best to tackle this building, and what you should have done first if you want to spread the work.