Outside · Exterior Wood & Cladding
Outdoor timber that weathers the years, not the seasons.
Vertical exterior wood under sun, rain and damp — facades, cladding, fascia, pergolas, doors and window frames, primed against blue-stain and topped to shed weather. Here is the system we specify for exterior wood and cladding.
- Cladding
- Fascia
- Pergolas
- Doors & windows
The recommended system.
The right primer for each finish, then one topcoat by the look — open-pore varnish to show the grain, or weatherproof paint and lacquer to cover it.
For exterior wood and cladding, this is the system we specify — the primer that matches your finish, then the topcoat that suits the look and the part. Prime first; then pick one finish.
Over the primer, pick one topcoat by the look you want — the grain showing through, or covered under a solid colour.
Just oiling a pergola or a fence? Terrace Wood Oil 236 is a penetrating exterior oil whose LEINOS applications cover pergolas and fences — a leaner, oiled alternative for those parts only. It is not specified for cladding, fascia, doors or window frames; for higher pigment and UV protection on those, LEINOS points back to Premium Wood Varnish 260.
236Terrace Wood OilA different intent: for an opaque, solid-colour finish the right paint — and the right primer — depends on the component. Cladding and shutters keep the biocidal 150 base; windows and doors take Resin Lacquer Primer 810, the primer LEINOS specifies under the 840 lacquer. Pick the route that matches what you are coating, not both.
Cladding & shutters
Elastic weatherproof paint over cladding.
Windows & doors
Silk-gloss lacquer for joinery.
builds one open-pore varnish to show the grain and two opaque finishes to cover it — and specifies the matched primer under each: a biocidal impregnation (150) under the grain-show varnish and the cladding paint, and Resin Lacquer Primer 810 under the silk-gloss joinery lacquer. Outdoor timber that is not primed for its finish has no business carrying a topcoat. None of these exterior finishes uses a separate care product: you keep them by cleaning down and recoating with the same finish when the weather has had its years.
Why it’s demanding
What the weather puts an exterior finish through
Rain & movement
Driving rain soaks the timber and the daily wet-dry swing makes it move — a brittle film cracks and lets water sit in the joints.
Sun & UV
Relentless sun bleaches and greys unprotected wood — an exterior finish has to carry real UV resistance, not just colour.
Damp & fungi
Exterior timber is open to blue-stain fungi and rot — the system has to start with a primer that protects the wood, not just dress it.
The primer protects the wood. The topcoat protects the look.
On exterior timber the colour is the easy part — it is the unseen base coat that decides whether the wood is still sound in ten years. Prime against blue-stain and rot first, then choose the finish for the look you want. Skip the primer and the best topcoat in the world is just paint over a problem.
See it in real projects.
All projects
Got Questions?
Questions about exterior wood & cladding
Quick answers on formulation, application and Indian-climate suitability. Pulled from our full FAQ and TDS library.
- Yes — and the primer depends on the finish. The open-pore varnish 260 and the cladding paint 850 go over Impregnation Wood Primer 150, the base coat that penetrates the timber and carries film protection against fungal attack (blue stain); its TDS specifies one generous, undiluted coat. The silk-gloss joinery lacquer 840 is a different system, primed with Resin Lacquer Primer 810. Either way, the topcoat goes on once the primer has dried fully.
- It is a look decision. Premium Wood Varnish 260 is an open-pore, vapour-permeable glaze that lets the grain show and the wall breathe, and it covers the whole job from facades to windows and doors. For a solid painted colour, use Weatherproof Paint Oil-Based 850 on cladding, shutters and facades, or Finishing Lacquer 840 on windows and doors. The varnish 260 and the paint 850 go over Impregnation Wood Primer 150; the joinery lacquer 840 is primed with Resin Lacquer Primer 810.
- For a solid-colour finish on windows and doors, use Finishing Lacquer 840 — its TDS names dimensionally-stable wooden components such as windows and doors, and LEINOS primes it with Resin Lacquer Primer 810. Weatherproof Paint 850 is specified for cladding, shutters and facades rather than window frames, and goes over Impregnation Wood Primer 150. If you want the grain to show on joinery instead, Premium Wood Varnish 260 covers exterior doors and windows too, over the 150 primer.
- These exterior finishes are kept by recoating, not by a separate care product. When the weather has dulled or worn the surface, clean it down, sand lightly where needed and recoat with the same finish — there is no strip-back to bare board. How often depends entirely on exposure, so talk to us about your wall before you plan a maintenance cycle.
Ready to protect your exterior wood?
Open a product to download its TDS, or talk to a LEINOS specialist about your timber, your exposure and the finish you want before you order.