Outside the house

An exterior wall here has to take months of hard ultraviolet light and then a season of driven rain. That is a different job from a bedroom wall and it needs an exterior product, proper preparation and a shade whose pigments hold up: earths and mid tones fade far more gracefully than bright reds and purples.

Prepare, then paint

Wash off dust, chalk and growth, let the wall dry, and fill and prime before the first coat. Preparation decides how long the job lasts.

Work with the weather

Paint early or late rather than in the afternoon sun, and get a coat on with enough daylight left to be touch dry before the evening damp.

Earth pigments last

Iron oxide earths and mid tones fade slowly and evenly. The strongest brights are the first to go pale on a south wall.