Exterior Painting
Double-storey home | full exterior repaint
A weather-worn double-storey exterior stripped back, prepared and repainted in a clean two-tone scheme.
Asbestos-cement roof guidance, Cape Town
Sealing or removal starts with a compliant assessment.
Asbestos-cement roofs are regulated work in South Africa. This page explains the options plainly so you can judge the quotes you receive. Williams & Co carries out no asbestos work and refers it to a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour.
- Based in Durbanville, working Durbanville, Aurora, Vierlanden, Eversdal, Welgemoed, Bellville, Brackenfell, Kraaifontein, Kuils River, Plattekloof, Sonstraal Heights, Panorama, Kenridge, Fisantekraal and surrounds
- WhatsApp us and we reply during office hours.
- Written scope, one fixed price for the job
Problem & approach
Where these projects go wrong, and how we handle them.
The usual problem
Asbestos-cement roofs need a different decision process from ordinary roof painting. Cleaning or preparing the surface is prohibited under South Africa's asbestos rules, while damaged or deteriorated material may be unsuitable for coating at all. The first job is therefore to establish whether a compliant as-is coating pathway exists before anyone prices a membrane.
Our approach
For asbestos cement, compliance comes first. South Africa's Asbestos Abatement Regulations prohibit cleaning or preparing asbestos-cement surfaces. The Department of Employment and Labour's asbestos FAQ states that encapsulation with a rubber or synthetic coating may be allowed, but without surface preparation or cleaning. Williams & Co carries out no asbestos work of any kind: no inspection, preparation, cleaning, coating, sealing, encapsulation, repair, cutting, drilling, removal or disposal of asbestos-containing material. Asbestos work belongs to a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour, and we refer it there. What we can do is explain how sealing in place compares with removal, tell you what a proper written specification should say, and point you to a registered contractor. Everything else on the property, walls, timber, steel and non-asbestos roofs, we quote as normal.
What the removal quote does not tell you
Four things you get told about asbestos roofs. Only some of them are true.
“Asbestos is illegal, it has to come off.”
Manufacture and new installation stopped. Existing sheeting that is in sound condition is managed, not automatically ripped off. Managing it means keeping it undisturbed and sealed. That is encapsulation.
“Coating it just hides the problem.”
Coating it badly hides the problem. A primed, reinforced, three-coat seamless membrane is a waterproofing system. The difference is thickness, detailing and preparation, and a proper written specification says all three.
“Removal is the only permanent fix.”
Removal is permanent, and so is the invoice. Sealing sound sheets in place buys a recoatable roof for a fraction of the number. When the sheets are genuinely finished, removal is the honest answer.
“The cheap guy will spray it for next to nothing.”
One thin coat of acrylic over a chalky sheet looks perfect for one summer. Then it flakes off and the roof still leaks, minus the money. Both routes on an asbestos roof are regulated work regardless of the price quoted.
Read your own roof
Seven signs an asbestos roof is a water problem, not a demolition problem.
If you recognise most of this list, the sheets are usually still sound, which means sealing in place is worth pricing against removal. Both routes are regulated asbestos work, so both belong to a registered contractor.
- Brown stains or drips appearing along one line of the ceiling in heavy rain
- Chalky grey powder washing off the sheets into the gutters
- Hairline cracks running away from bolt holes and off the corrugation edges
- Corners broken or lifted where someone has walked on the sheets
- Moss and lichen holding water on the shaded side of the roof
- Green or black staining on the underside of the sheets in the roof space
- A removal quote in five or six figures that made you close the laptop
Williams & Co carries out no asbestos work of any kind. We will explain how the two options compare, tell you what a proper written scope should say, and refer you to a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour. Everything else on the property, walls, timber, steel and non-asbestos roofs, we quote as normal.
What we can quote
The work on your building we are able to take on.
- Roof painting and coatingMetal, tile and fibre cement roofs we are able to prepare and coat.
- Roof waterproofingRubber Sealant® liquid rubber over a roof that has started leaking.
- Waterproofing and dampWalls, parapets, gutters and flat roofs, diagnosed before they are coated.
- Commercial and industrial buildingsWarehouses, offices, complexes and retail, scoped in writing.
What may be included
Scope you can actually read.
The exact line items on your quote depend on the site inspection. This is the shape of what a typical project of this type includes.
- Plain-English explanation of the options on an asbestos-cement roof
- What a written scope from a registered asbestos contractor should contain
- The registration questions to ask before anyone starts
- Referral to a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour
- Quotation for all non-asbestos painting and Rubber Sealant® work on the property
Products we work with
The Systems Behind the Work.
Approved applicator and authorised reseller of Rubber Sealant® Liquid Rubber.
Our preferred paint on most projects.
We are not a Plascon approved applicator. Plascon is simply the paint we choose to specify for its quality and track record, and we will recommend a different system where a project calls for it.
Our process
4 steps from enquiry to handover.
- 1
You tell us what you have and send photographs
- 2
We explain the options and what the regulations require
- 3
We refer the asbestos scope to a registered contractor
- 4
We quote the non-asbestos work on the property separately, in writing
Honest limits
What we will tell you up front.
A proper contractor should be honest about what a service can and cannot do. These are the things we will always flag.
- South Africa's Asbestos Abatement Regulations prohibit cleaning or preparing asbestos-cement surfaces. The Department of Employment and Labour's asbestos FAQ states that encapsulation with a rubber or synthetic coating may be allowed, but without surface preparation or cleaning.
- Williams & Co carries out no asbestos work of any kind: no inspection, preparation, cleaning, coating, sealing, encapsulation, repair, cutting, drilling, removal or disposal of asbestos-containing material. Asbestos work belongs to a contractor registered with the Department of Employment and Labour, and we refer it there.
- Nothing on this page is legal advice or a specification for your building. It is general information so you can judge the options and the quotes you receive.
- A manufacturer's product specification does not override South African asbestos requirements.
Not sure what your asbestos roof encapsulation needs? Send us a photo.
Take one photo on your phone, send it on WhatsApp, and we will tell you what we are looking at. We are in Durbanville most weeks, so a site visit is easy to arrange.
WhatsApp a photoFAQ
Asbestos Roof Encapsulation: questions we hear
Budgeting
What decides the scope of your quote?
Preparation, access, repairs and the specified coating all affect the job. We inspect first, then quote one fixed price for the agreed scope.
Related work
Recent projects like yours.
A few real Williams & Co jobs matched to this service. More in the projects gallery.
Exterior Painting
Single-storey home | exterior and trim
Walls, fascias and trim brought back to a crisp finish, with cracks treated before any coating went on.
Roof Painting
Tiled roof | cleaned and coated
Tiles cleaned down, ridges checked and re-bedded where needed, then coated with a specified roof system.
Keep reading
The pages our Durbanville clients read before they phone us.
Start here
- Painters in DurbanvilleWhat we charge, how we scope it, and why the cheap quote was never cheaper.
- Commercial painting in DurbanvilleOffices, warehouses, complexes and shops, scoped in writing and painted around your trading hours.
Durbanville, service by service
- Roof waterproofing in Durbanville
- Damp proofing in Durbanville
- Exterior painting in Durbanville
- Interior painting in Durbanville
- Asbestos roofs explained in Durbanville
- Complex and body corporate repaints in Durbanville
Where we work
- Painters & waterproofing in DurbanvilleWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in AuroraWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in VierlandenWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in EversdalWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in WelgemoedWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in BellvilleWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in BrackenfellWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in KraaifonteinWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in Kuils RiverWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in PlattekloofWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in Sonstraal HeightsWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in PanoramaWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in KenridgeWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in FisantekraalWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
Complexes, commercial & managed buildings
- Body corporate & complex repaintingA scope trustees can compare, phased block by block.
- Commercial & retail paintingShops and offices painted after hours, never closed.
- Retail & shopping centre paintingMalls and shopfronts painted around trading hours.
- Office interior paintingOccupied offices repainted floor by floor, after hours.
- White boxing & make-good paintingGet a commercial unit lettable again, fast.
- Warehouse & industrial coatingRusted metal roofs sealed, hot workshops cooled.
- For property managers & agentsWritten scopes, fixed prices, photographs for the file.
- Painting maintenance programmesScheduled cycles for portfolios and property companies.
- Wine farm & estate paintingOld lime plaster, gables and cellars, handled properly.
Sectors we work in
- Wine cellar paintingWashdown, condensation and taint risk, specified properly.
- Schools, churches & clinicsProgrammed into holidays, services and quiet clinic days.
- Guest houses & restaurantsRoom by room, overnight, never a lost sitting.
- Dealerships & showroomsBrand colour standards, after hours, open in the morning.
- Self-storage, gyms & logisticsMetal roofs and big elevations, water and rust first.
- Planned maintenance cyclesBudget once, inspect yearly, never repaint in a panic.
Business parks & work at height
- Painting in Atlas GardensWarehouses and offices done around your trading hours.
- Painting in Durbanville HillsExposed, wind driven buildings need their own specification.
- Factory & industrial paintingWater first, then steel, then walls. In that order.
- Office park & multi-tenant repaintsFloor by floor, out of hours, nobody loses a day.
- Exterior crack & plaster repairWhy the crack came back, and how it is properly fixed.
- Working at heights paintingThe compliance to demand before anyone leaves the ground.
- Scaffolding & access paintingAccess is priced per erection. Plan around that and save.
- Painting tender checklistOne page, so three quotes describe the same job.
Specialist systems
- Rubber Sealant® Liquid RubberApproved applicator and reseller: prices, coverage, colours and guarantee terms.
- Buy liquid rubber in DurbanvilleThe same drums we use, collected by arrangement.
- Liquid rubber prices, per litre and per m²Every price published, with the coverage behind it.
- Asbestos roofs explainedSealing in place versus stripping, and who may do the work.
- Waterproofing & damp proofingLiquid rubber on roofs, walls and rising damp.
Durbanville and surrounds
Get a fixed price for your asbestos roof encapsulation.
Three ways to start, all of them quick. Send a WhatsApp, tap to call, or leave your details and we come back with a written scope and one fixed price for the whole job.
WhatsApp Leroy now Call 079 435 6308
Monday–Friday 08:00–17:00
What happens after you send it
We reply, ask the few questions that matter, then book a proper look at the property. You get a written scope, one fixed price for the whole job, and a straight answer on what we will not do.
One-year workmanship guarantee on qualifying Williams & Co work.
Takes about 20 seconds