I’d be very interested to hear of some real experiences please on how long linseed paint finishes are really lasting for people before they need recoating?
I have tried various paints (both modern and traditional types) including Holkham (Allback) and Linseed Paint Company over the years on my window frames with varying degrees of success. The linseed ones are very nice to use, and so even though the drying times are a real problem on window frames I have persevered with them in the hope that they would last a very long time once done properly.
The trouble I have now is that on my most problematic windows which are made of pine, are south facing, and are painted a dark brown, some are looking in need of attention just two or three years after using either type of linseed paint.
Added to the above, I have just been to Gothenburg for the first time and I couldn’t help noticing that the paint on all their external woodwork was in excellent condition. Both on window frames and on boarded exteriors I only saw a handful of bits of flaking paint anywhere and so I assumed they must all be using Allback linseed or similar. But as I did not notice even one single UPVC window anywhere in the entire city I wondered how they all managed with the problems of drying times on windows, … so I asked. Then I asked some different people to get another view, and then I asked the owners of a very old timber house to see if they agreed. And to my surprise, I found that nobody used linseed paint anymore because they now have something that lasts much longer! From my admittedly small survey, it seems that the Swedes prefer Norwegian paint (because the weather in worse in Norway) and that the most popular seems to Jotun Demidekk which they expect to last 15 years on exterior woodwork before it needs repainting!
A search of this forum does return one interesting result as well, and that is here when Biff suggested Jotun paint for the roof of a windmill.
So basically, do other people really get anything even close to 10 years from linseed paint?
I have just bought some Jotun Demidekk and I’m going to try it on one window frame and on one capped bargeboard to start with, but I’d really like to hear other people’s views on painting windows (and other external woodwork) in period properties.
I have tried various paints (both modern and traditional types) including Holkham (Allback) and Linseed Paint Company over the years on my window frames with varying degrees of success. The linseed ones are very nice to use, and so even though the drying times are a real problem on window frames I have persevered with them in the hope that they would last a very long time once done properly.
The trouble I have now is that on my most problematic windows which are made of pine, are south facing, and are painted a dark brown, some are looking in need of attention just two or three years after using either type of linseed paint.
Added to the above, I have just been to Gothenburg for the first time and I couldn’t help noticing that the paint on all their external woodwork was in excellent condition. Both on window frames and on boarded exteriors I only saw a handful of bits of flaking paint anywhere and so I assumed they must all be using Allback linseed or similar. But as I did not notice even one single UPVC window anywhere in the entire city I wondered how they all managed with the problems of drying times on windows, … so I asked. Then I asked some different people to get another view, and then I asked the owners of a very old timber house to see if they agreed. And to my surprise, I found that nobody used linseed paint anymore because they now have something that lasts much longer! From my admittedly small survey, it seems that the Swedes prefer Norwegian paint (because the weather in worse in Norway) and that the most popular seems to Jotun Demidekk which they expect to last 15 years on exterior woodwork before it needs repainting!
A search of this forum does return one interesting result as well, and that is here when Biff suggested Jotun paint for the roof of a windmill.
So basically, do other people really get anything even close to 10 years from linseed paint?
I have just bought some Jotun Demidekk and I’m going to try it on one window frame and on one capped bargeboard to start with, but I’d really like to hear other people’s views on painting windows (and other external woodwork) in period properties.