Paint Removal in Totnes

The Moore & Franks approach in Totnes

Totnes wears its history openly — Georgian and Victorian townhouses climbing Fore Street and the High Street, much of it listed and in conservation, with original stone and brick that has been painted over the decades. On solid, breathable walls in the damp Dart valley, that masonry paint traps moisture where it should be drying out. Moore & Franks remove unwanted paint, limewash and over-painting, and take painted stone mullions and plinths back to bare, with DOFF superheated steam — gentle on listed fabric, test patch first, an honest word on what returns. The original surface restored to breathe. Family-run, twenty-five years, £5m public liability.

The Georgian and Victorian townhouses lining Fore Street and the High Street are the heart of Totnes paint-removal work, and much of it is listed or in the conservation area. A great deal of that original stone and brick has been painted over the decades, and on solid, breathable walls in the damp Dart valley the coating traps moisture that should be moving out through the surface. The signs follow: blown render, damp indoors, brick and stone faces beginning to suffer. We lift the unwanted paint with low-pressure superheated steam, clearing it without abrading the historic fabric, so the wall can dry and the original face returns.

Totnes has a lot of stone detailing that has disappeared under paint over the years — mullions, plinths, door surrounds and features that were meant to be seen bare. Where the surface gives it up cleanly, we take those back. Across the river the slate-hung terraces of Bridgetown carry their own over-painted render, and out toward Dartington there is genuine heritage fabric best handled with the same care. Whatever the wall, we match the method to it and keep abrasive tools away from the soft, breathable stuff, where they would do lasting damage rather than good.

Every Totnes job begins with a test patch on a discreet area. With this much listed stone and period brick in the town, proving the method lifts the coating cleanly and leaves the surface sound comes before any full elevation. It keeps us honest: some historic coatings have bonded in for good and will not come fully back to bare, and we show you that on the test rather than promise the impossible. On a listed building we will flag where consent may be needed before the work, and the visit, test and written quote are all free.

Our Totnes customers are typically within 30 minutes of our Exeter base. We cover the wider TQ9 postcode area and the surrounding villages (Bridgetown, Follaton, Dartington, Berry Pomeroy, Ashprington, Stoke Gabriel).