Thankfully winter doesn't last forever, and with lighter mornings and brighter afternoons on the way it’s a sure sign that spring is just around the corner, an excellent time to repair the exterior of your home and get it ready for next winter. The frost, heavy rain, snow and gale force winds over the winter months will have pummelled your home and no doubt caused some damage. Some easy and simple DIY tasks won’t only improve the appearance of your home but save your home’s exterior from deteriorating into a condition that can only be repaired by a professional and of course costly tradesman.

Repointing

Repointing is a common DIY task undertaken at this time of year, winter can cause damage to the mortar used in exterior walls, so regular checks assessing any signs of damage are recommended. Not only does loose and damaged mortar effect the appearance of your exterior walls but leads to leaks and damp appearing inside your home, both of which will be costly to remedy especially if left to deteriorate.

Repointing isn’t that difficult, in fact it’s quite simple, but can easily eat up a whole day if not longer when you’ve got large walls that need repairs.

The first thing you should do is inspect all of your walls noting any areas where the mortar is damaged, particular attention should be given to the brickwork around windows and doorways, which are especially prone to damage. Using either chalk or masking tape to mark the areas of brickwork will help ensure you repair all areas when it’s time to mortar.

After marking each area of the wall that needs repointing, start to remove the old mortar using a small chisel and hammer, a small screwdriver can also be handy to wiggle free any loose pieces from between the bricks. Start on the vertical edges before moving onto the horizontal edges of the brick to avoid creating further damage. Remove between 6-12mm of mortar depending on the depth of mortar used in the wall.

Once all of the cracked, loose and damaged mortar has been removed, mix up the new mortar, 1 parts cement to 3 parts builder’s sand is usually a good ratio and ensuring it’s a good firm mix, use a pointing trawl to apply the mortar between the bricks, taking your time making sure the mortar is pressed firmly into the gaps.

Repainting

Repainting the exterior of your home is another great way of brightening it up in time for the summer and the years ahead, while ensuring that any damage caused by the winter weather is repaired. Repainting your home however, is no small task and it’s important to make sure you have plenty of time in which to complete the job, also check the weather forecast and plan the work for when the weathers looking bright.

To make the job easier and safer than balancing on ladders you can rent scaffolding or raised work platforms, you can also rent spray guns that will speed up the job whilst give you better results than brushes or rollers.

Before painting you’ll need to make sure the walls are clean and dry along with free of any old flaky paint. Use a scrapper and remove the old paint from areas where needed before sanding the edges down to ensure a smooth finish.

After the walls are prepared mask off the window and door frames, also cover the ground below your work area with dust sheets or plastic to prevent paint from splattering on your driveway or flower borders.

Complementing Touches

Complementing touches make all the difference, and creating a welcoming, attractive appearance needn’t be costly, try new door handles and stainless steel door numbers along with a lick of paint on your front door to compliment the newly repaired exterior.

Now that you’ve successfully repaired your exterior walls its time to repaint the front door, but before you do read our article on how to strip paint from doors.