Painting Trespa: Is It Possible, and When Is It Wise?

Most people who look this up have the same problem: the panel has discoloured or the colour no longer suits the new window frames. Replacing is expensive, so painting seems logical. It is possible, but it is a different story from painting wood. Trespa is a panel pressed under high pressure, with a hard and closed surface, made to need little maintenance.

Paint does not adhere to such a panel by itself, so the preparation is the job. A painter who simply puts a coat over it delivers work that first looks good and can flake afterwards. Feel free to question us on that, precisely before you give an order.

On wood a primer soaks into the pores, on Trespa it cannot. So the paint has to fix itself to the surface itself, and that often carries a film of dirt, algae and residue from cleaning products. Products with wax or shine make it even harder. A coat that goes on like that may stay for a year and then comes off, especially along edges and on the windward side.

On top of that, a panel warms up in the sun and shrinks again as it cools. The paint has to be able to follow that movement. That is why we do not just pick any tin off the shelf, but a build-up that suits this kind of substrate and the position on the facade.

We begin with thorough cleaning and degreasing. Then we sand the whole panel, so the gloss is off and the paint has something to bond to. All dust comes off again, because nothing adheres to dust. Then comes a bonding primer, and only after that two top coats. We tape off frames and other parts around it, and joints and edges get separate attention.

We only do this in dry weather and under the right conditions. Outdoors that means 5 to 30 degrees and humidity up to 85 percent. How important the preparation is you can also read at preparation, sanding and priming.

If the panel is warped or cracked, or the layers are coming loose at the edges, paint does not solve that. Then replacing is better, or only the damaged part. If factory warranty still runs on the panels, first check what painting means for that. Also check whether your owners' association has rules about the facade, because then a colour change is not only your choice: see painting for an apartment or owners' association.

If the panel is only a bit dull and dirty, cleaning is sometimes enough. We say so honestly if painting is not needed at the moment. That saves you money, and the panel will simply cope for the time being.

Anthracite or black is tempting, especially if the frames already have that colour. But dark shades heat up much more than light ones, and then the panel moves more. That puts pressure on the paint layer and on the fixings. How that works out on your facade depends on the compass direction and the panel size.

So ask beforehand, and do not choose on the sample alone. Lighter shades are less risky here. We discuss it during the site visit, because customers often mention in their reviews that we help think about colours. A calm matching colour often does more than you think.

On a detached home in Grou we treated Trespa as part of major maintenance. This was done together with BW Coatings and with Herfst & Helder, on a home where the frames and parapet also got attention. You can see the result at major maintenance in Grou.

We mention this project because it shows that Trespa does not stand apart from the rest of the facade. Frames, doors and panels must work as one whole, and then it is nice that everything runs through one point of contact. On bigger jobs we discuss beforehand which product works best for which part.

• Photos of all the panels, close up and from a distance.
• Close-ups of corners, edges and fixing points.
• The brand and type of panel, if you know.
• The age of the panels and whether warranty still runs.
• Earlier paint layers: has the panel been painted before?
• The colour you want and the compass direction of the facade.
• Any rules from an owners' association.

Is there sealant between the panels, or are they open-jointed? A photo of a corner says enough. At the site visit we look at the substrate and decide on the build-up.

Count on more work than on an ordinary facade, because the preparation weighs heavier. Height, the number of corners and a big colour change count, as do the panel size and the number of joints. At MJA it is in the quote as a fixed price after the site visit, including our own scaffolding. On homes two years old or more, Dutch VAT of 9 percent applies to painting work, and 21 percent on commercial premises.

Trespa is a subject you are best not deciding on gut feeling. That is why with us it starts with a site visit and an honest answer: paint, clean or replace. As a painter we gain nothing by selling you something that comes off after two years. On Google we have 4.8 from 25 reviews, and we are members of OnderhoudNL.

Send photos via the quote request, or WhatsApp 06 3006 0558. Mohamed will look, even if you doubt whether you need a painter at all. You can read more about facade work at facade cladding painting.