Meet Guy Alexander Bell of Never Paint Again

Never Paint Again is Europe's foremost blog all about painting the outside of your house. Expert author and property surveyor Guy Alexander Bell has been blogging about painting houses since 2002, and he sure knows his stuff! For wall coating services in the UK, Spain, and other selected locations in Europe, call 0800 970 4928.

1. What are the main differences between your wall coatings and "regular" exterior paint?

The type of paints we use are manufactured especially for their durability and longevity, along with superior protection against the cold and wet British and Irish weather. They are commonly known by their generic term of "Exterior wall coatings" to differentiate the materials from normal masonry paint, and the coatings cannot be bought in stores, nor are they suitable for DIY application.

Each tub of the wall coating product is specially made for each painting contract we do, by a company called Andura, who have a paint factory in Oxford, England. I personally have successfully used their external coating systems since 1986, and their products are approved by all major bodies governing building codes and construction regulations in the UK.

The biggest differences between DIY paints and our coatings is the fact that masonry paints will usually last up to only 2 years on the typical UK house which will have an exterior wall surface of either brick or stucco render. This is compared and contrasted to the type of wooden siding (known as cladding in England) which is commonly used in the USA.

Our stucco wall coatings will last anything upwards of 15 years or more, which gives excellent value for money for the typical homeowner, especially as it comes with a 15 year warranty against fading, cracking, or peeling.

2. How do your wall coatings protect against dampness, mold, and other troubles?

They are made with special ingredients including water dispersants, which actively repel rainwater, in a similar way to a non-stick Teflon frying pan. Also, the coating is manufactured with perlite, which is crushed granules of Italian marble, and this gives the coating extra strength and enhanced weatherproofing qualities: perfect for our cold and wet climate!

The coating is also 20 times the thickness of a similar film of masonry paint, meaning that any undulations, scars, or other horror stories on the walls are hidden beneath the coating, making for a smooth and uniform finish across the entire property.

As we install the coating system ourselves, we can control the overall quality of the finish and its expected lifespan. There are similar house painting systems in other countries like the USA and Canada, and we have enjoyed a good collaborative relationship with many painting companies in America, something that none of our competitors even bother with!

3. What are some of the topics you cover on the NPA blog?

Our popular blog has been around for quite a few years now and has been featured on TV, on the radio, and in several magazines and journals, both online and offline.

Each month we go from strength to strength by being better than the rest and by providing unrivaled, award-winning customer service.

Many rival companies simply use their blog to sell their products, but as I am a published author who also writes for several magazines, I am able to blog about a variety of topics that we think will interest our readers, and based on the feedback we get, I think people seem to enjoy what I write about!

Recently we have covered topics like solar power, insulation, damp proofing, flood prevention, ways to add value to your home, interior design, drywall, snow damage to houses and roofs, converting cellars, sound proofing, consumer protection issues, and a whole lot more!

We are always on the look out for new writers to come and join us; however there is a strict vetting process and a editorial review, which to date, very few have passed the strict quality guidelines for publishing that we demand. The changes being rolled out by the search giant Google over the past two years suggest that quality over quantity is definitely the way forward for getting found in the search engines.

4. How did you personally become involved in the house painting business?

I started in the house painting business in 1985 whilst still at school, aged 14, helping my late father who was a foreman for a wall coating company in London. I used to help out at weekends and during school holidays; however when I turned 16 and left school, I went working full time with him.

By the time I was 18, I had my own business repairing houses in London, and applying exterior wall coatings to homes across the city and sometimes father afield too.

After a break to attend university, I set up my own, much larger business, and we installed our special paints and coatings on homes and office buildings across the United Kingdom and in Ireland, too.

My work has so far taken me to the USA, Malta, Ireland, Gibraltar, and Spain.

5. Could you give some practical suggestions for homeowners who want to extend the life of the exterior of their home (be it conventionally painted or treated with your wall coatings)?

Well, of course it is tempting for me to sit here and tell you about our own products (!); however, I guess that's not the point of the interview, and it's a bit like our own philosophy of purposely not trying to sell to people every five minutes like some companies do!

Anyway, the easiest and simplest way to keep the exterior of your home in good order is to look after it! Moving away from simply adding curb appeal to your home, there are lots of things that you can do to keep your home in good condition, such as making sure any problems that arise with the building are dealt with quickly.

Finding damp coming into the house is a prime example of the need to get any work done NOW rather than later, when the problems have got worse, and then often more expensive to fix.

If having the house painted, choose a neutral color, and make sure you choose a proper licensed contractor, who can show you examples of previous work, and can supply references from other clients.

Make sure your roof tiles or shingles are not missing and letting water in to the roof, and ensure that your garden or yard is kept clean and tidy and not allowed to grow wild.

Keeping your house in good condition does not have to necessarily cost a lot of money, and a few simple steps you can take can retain the resale value of the property, and save you a lot of money of avoiding future costly repairs.

Any final words, Guy?

Well, all I can say is thanks ever so much for interviewing me today, and I hope that your readers enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed speaking with you today.

It is also our website's ten year anniversary this year, and some exciting changes will be happening on the site, so be sure to come along to our blog at http://www.neverpainatagin.co.uk/blog to read more expert DIY and home improvement advice, from over 800 original articles.

Thanks, Guy!