Painting Edwardian Houses in London: Red Brick, Render, Bay Windows and Period Colours

Understanding the Edwardian Property Type

Edwardian houses -- built between 1901 and approximately 1914, with some extensions of the style into the early 1920s -- form a distinct and significant part of London's residential fabric. The era coincided with rapid suburban expansion outwards from the Victorian inner city, and Edwardian houses are concentrated in areas such as Chiswick, Ealing, Finchley, Streatham, Tooting, Forest Hill, Walthamstow and parts of south Kensington.

The Edwardian property type is architecturally more varied than its Victorian predecessor. Where Victorian terraces tended to follow strict formal patterns, Edwardian houses mixed red brick, roughcast render, tile hanging, pebbledash and painted render in combinations that were considered progressive and picturesque at the time. This mixed-material aesthetic is both the charm of Edwardian properties and the primary challenge when planning their redecoration.

The Red Brick and Render Combination

The defining material combination of many Edwardian houses is red brick to the ground floor with cream or painted render to the upper portion, or the reverse. On detached and semi-detached properties, bay windows may be in brick while the main facade above is rendered. The transitions between materials -- the string courses, bands and mouldings that separate brick from render -- are important decorative elements in their own right.

The first rule of exterior redecoration on an Edwardian property is: do not paint the unpainted red brick. London's Edwardian red brick is typically good-quality stock brick in excellent condition after more than a century. Painting sound brickwork traps moisture, prevents natural breathability and invariably causes more problems than it solves. If brickwork has previously been painted and is now in poor condition, the correct approach is professional paint stripping and repointing, not more paint.

The rendered portions of the facade should be assessed for condition and repaired before repainting. Fine cracks in cement render are common in Edwardian properties following a century of thermal movement, and should be filled with flexible exterior filler before painting.

Bay Windows: The Defining Feature

Bay windows are one of the most recognisable features of Edwardian houses, projecting from the ground or first floor (or both) and typically incorporating a combination of brick, render, timber windows, lead or zinc flashing and tile or slate to the bay roof.

The timber elements of Edwardian bay windows require the most careful attention. The vertical framing, sills, fascias and soffits are all exposed to weather and must be properly prepared and painted to prevent moisture ingress. Pay particular attention to the junction between the bay roof and the main wall -- any defect here will allow water to penetrate into the bay structure and rot the framing from within.

The finish for Edwardian bay window timber should be oil-based gloss on the windows themselves and on any exposed joinery. White or cream is the period-appropriate choice for most London Edwardian properties, though some streets have a tradition of painting window frames in a colour that coordinates with the front door.

Edwardian bay window sills are a particular maintenance priority. The sill must be caulked at its junction with the wall to prevent water running behind it, and the underside edge (the drip nose) must remain clean and unobstructed to direct water away from the wall face below.

Pebbledash and Roughcast

Pebbledash -- render embedded with small stones thrown onto the wet surface -- is common on Edwardian semi-detached and detached houses in outer London and the suburbs. It was intended as a low-maintenance, weather-resistant surface and on well-built Edwardian properties it often survives in reasonable condition after more than a century.

Painting pebbledash is not always necessary or advisable. If the existing surface is sound, unpainted pebbledash is self-maintaining and more breathable than any paint coating. However, where pebbledash has been previously painted, or where a significant change of appearance is desired, painting with a heavy-bodied exterior masonry paint or textured coating is the appropriate approach.

Never use a smooth masonry paint on pebbledash -- the texture means the material sits in the voids between pebbles rather than bonding to a continuous surface, and coverage is much lower than on smooth render. A flexible textured masonry coating applied by roller gives better results, fills minor surface irregularities and provides a more uniform appearance.

Roughcast render -- a similar but slightly finer texture, applied as a wet-dashed finish -- is treated in the same way. Sandtex Trade Textured Masonry or Dulux Trade Weathershield Textured Coating are both widely used on London's pebbledash and roughcast Edwardian properties.

Tile Hanging

Some Edwardian properties, particularly in Surrey-influenced areas to the south, feature tile hanging to upper elevations -- small clay or concrete tiles fixed to battens over the upper facade. Tile hanging on original Edwardian properties should not be painted; the tiles are self-maintaining and painting them serves no purpose and creates ongoing maintenance issues as the paint weathers.

Where tile hanging has previously been painted and the paint is now failing, the preferred solution is careful paint removal and re-pointing of the tile bedding mortar where necessary, rather than further overcoating.

Period-Appropriate Colour Schemes

Edwardian exterior colour schemes were characterised by a comfortable, domestic palette influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. Creams, warm whites, soft greens and ochres were widely used, along with dark greens and Brunswick green on metalwork and doors. The formality of Victorian white stucco was replaced by a warmer, more relaxed aesthetic.

For modern Edwardian exterior redecoration in London, appropriate render colours include Farrow & Ball's Pointing, Hardwick White, and Elephant's Breath (which reads as a soft warm grey). For those who prefer a contemporary edge within an Edwardian framework, Mizzle or Pigeon work well on rendered elevations.

Front doors on Edwardian properties offer the most scope for colour expression. Deep greens, burgundy reds, navy blues and black all suit the Edwardian door profile. Coloured front doors were more common in the Edwardian period than in the earlier Victorian era, and the style supports them well.

Maintenance Intervals for London Edwardian Properties

In London's climate, exterior masonry on Edwardian properties should be assessed every five years and repainted on a cycle of seven to ten years, depending on exposure. Timber -- windows, doors and bay framing -- requires more frequent attention: inspect annually and repaint on a five to seven year cycle, addressing any failed areas sooner to prevent moisture ingress.

A proactive maintenance approach on an Edwardian property protects both the fabric of the building and the property's market value in London's highly competitive residential market.