07725 314415Paint Stripping across Devon
When exterior paint has had its day — flaking off render, peeling from timber or blistered on masonry — painting straight over it just traps the failure underneath. We strip tired and failed coatings back to a sound, stable surface using DOFF superheated steam, so the wall, window or door is ready to repaint or leave bare. No grit-blasting, no scarred substrate, no clouds of dry paint dust.
The Moore & Franks approach
The DOFF system runs steam onto the surface at a high temperature but low pressure, which softens old paint and lifts it without hammering the material underneath. That matters most on the soft stuff — lime render, old timber, soft brick and natural stone — where a grit or sand blaster chews the surface up and leaves you with a bigger repair than you started with. The heat kills off any algae and biological growth in the same pass.
Not every coating comes off with steam alone. Some modern plastic and masonry paints need a poultice or an appropriate chemical stripper worked in first, then rinsed and steamed clean. We read the coating and the surface before we start and pick the method that clears the paint without harming what's beneath it. Where a full strip isn't the right call — the existing paint is sound and only patch-failing, say — we'll tell you that rather than sell you a bigger job.
Most domestic strip jobs run to a day or two depending on the area and how many layers have built up over the years. Larger elevations, heavily layered Victorian joinery or a full render strip take longer. The free site visit is where we confirm the scope, prove the surface will take the method on a test area, and put a written quote in front of you before anything starts.
A clear, repeatable process.
No surprises, no upsells. The same method every job — that's how you get the same result every time.
- 01
Survey & quote
Free visit to identify the coating, test a small area and confirm the surface will take the method safely.
- 02
Prepare & protect
Ground, glass and planting protected; stubborn modern coatings pre-treated with a suitable poultice or stripper where needed.
- 03
DOFF steam strip
Superheated low-pressure steam softens and lifts the paint back to a sound surface, killing off any growth as it goes.
- 04
Rinse & assess
Surface rinsed down and checked over, ready for you or your decorator to recoat — or left clean and bare.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions we get asked the most. If yours isn't here, drop us a line — we reply same day.
Not the way we do it. DOFF superheated steam works at low pressure, so it lifts the paint without the scarring, pitting or erosion that grit and sand blasting cause. On soft lime render, old timber and natural stone that gentleness is the whole point — the surface comes back sound rather than chewed up.
Yes. Steam suits joinery well — it softens layered paint on frames, sills, doors and fascias without gouging the timber, and it's far kinder to the wood than a heat gun or a chemical soak. Badly built-up Victorian and Edwardian joinery is exactly the kind of work it handles.
It depends on the surface. If the existing coating is largely sound and only patch-failing, a full strip is often overkill and we'll say so. Where the paint has failed across the elevation — flaking, blistering or letting water in behind it — taking it all back to a stable base is the only lasting fix. We assess that on the free site visit.
Far less than mechanical methods. Because the paint is softened by steam rather than ground off dry, you don't get the clouds of paint dust a sander or blaster throws out. We protect the ground and planting, clear up the debris and leave the site tidy.
Fixed price, in writing, guaranteedFree, no-obligation quote within 24 hours.
Send a couple of photos or book a site visit — fixed price in writing before any work starts.