Wood Staining and Painting in Phuket

Which woodwork around a home does the service cover?

Wood staining in Phuket by Phuket Pro Painters means giving a new finish to timber that is built into a house or villa, indoors and out. Woodwork needs different materials and different hand skills from masonry walls, so it is a separate service under our house and villa painting in Phuket.

The woodwork we take on is:

• timber doors, window sashes, frames and mouldings
• timber slats, privacy screens and sun louvres
• timber ceilings, soffits, fascias and bargeboards
• salas, pergolas and exposed timber roof structures
• deck boards, wooden stairs and handrails

Loose furniture, and replacing rotten timber, are jobs for a carpenter and are not part of the wood painting service.

Stain, solid paint or clear coat: which finish should I choose?

There are three main ways to finish timber. The painter recommends one according to the species of wood, where it is installed and the look the owner wants.

On outdoor timber that sits in direct sun all day, a thick clear film tends to craze and peel in sheets as the wood expands and shrinks. A penetrating exterior stain is easier to maintain, because when the colour fades the timber can be washed, lightly sanded and stained again.

How does a wood staining or painting job run?

The quality of a timber finish is decided at the sanding stage. The painters at Phuket Pro Painters work on wood in this order.

1. Check the timber. Rotten or split pieces, which a carpenter must replace first, are separated from timber that can be finished.
2. Cover floors, walls and glass around the woodwork, and mask hinges, handles and glazing.
3. Strip or sand the old finish. The wood is sanded along the grain, from coarse paper to fine, until the grey layer or peeling film is gone.
4. Fill nail holes and surface marks with a wood filler close to the colour of the timber, then sand again.
5. Dust off and wipe the surface clean, because leftover wood dust leaves the finish gritty.
6. Stain the timber or apply a wood primer, depending on the finish chosen.
7. Apply the finishing coats in the number the paint manufacturer states on the label, with a light sand between coats where needed.
8. Inspect the work and remove the masking tape with the customer.

What do Phuket's sun, rain and humidity do to woodwork?

Timber reacts to the weather more than masonry or steel does. In Phuket, outdoor woodwork faces three things at once.

Sun and UV break down the top layer of the wood until the colour fades and turns silver-grey. Poolside decking and west-facing slats show this first.

Rain and humidity make timber swell during the monsoon, roughly May to October, and shrink in the dry months. That repeated movement cracks hard, thick paint films along the joints. Water that sits on end grain and in joints is where black stains and mould begin.

Salty sea air leaves salt on the wood and speeds up rust on hinges and screws, which then run rust stains down the timber.

In practice, outdoor wood in Phuket needs care in cycles, not a single treatment. Staining again as soon as the colour starts to fade takes less labour than waiting until the wood is grey and sanding everything back. Outdoor staining should be done on days when the timber is completely dry, so the dry season, roughly November to April, suits it better than the wettest months. Interior woodwork can be done all year.

What should a homeowner prepare before wood painting?

Preparing before a wood painting job cuts down the dust that spreads through the house and lets the painters reach every face of the timber.

1. Clear furniture, plant pots and rugs from the deck or sala.
2. Take down curtains and blinds fixed to timber frames or sashes.
3. Tell the painter which doors must work every night, so the order of work lets them close and lock before the painters leave.
4. Settle the colour by asking the painter to make a sample on the real timber in a spot that is not on show, because a stain looks different on each species of wood.
5. Stop watering plants and switch off sprinklers near outdoor woodwork while it is being finished.

What are the terms for hiring wood painting from Phuket Pro Painters?

A wood staining or painting job starts with a survey and measurement on site, which is free. The painter counts the doors and sashes, measures the slats and decking, and judges how deep the sanding must go. A written quotation is then issued before work starts. You can hire in two ways: labour only, where you buy the stain or coating yourself in the quantity we work out, or labour and paint together. Labour only is common in Thailand and suits owners who have a product specified by their designer. Surface preparation, such as stripping an old finish completely, is shown as a separate line, and the terms of the workmanship warranty after handover are stated in the quotation.

Estimated rates for woodwork are on the painting prices and hiring options page, and a first estimate is available from the painting cost calculator. You can also ask directly through the request a woodwork assessment page or call 063-004-0115. The team speaks English.

When should woodwork be done alone, and when with other painting?

Wood painting can be done on its own when timber is the only problem, such as a faded front door or a grey deck. If the interior walls are going to be painted too, the sanding should come before the interior wall painting, because wood dust should not settle on finished walls.

A home that combines timber slats with a steel frame, such as a steel gate with timber infill, is better done together with steel and gate painting, so the joint between the two materials is finished neatly. For a villa with a large amount of timber in its sala, ceilings and pool deck, see how a whole property is planned on the villa painting service page.