Abstract Building envelope materials containing titanium dioxide have been proposed to exploit their photoactivated depolluting and self-cleaning potential, but a full appraisal of their durability and long-term performance is still missing. This study reports a two-year campaign of natural exposure in Milano, Italy, of photoactive and non-photoactive fiber-reinforced mortars, analyzing the evolution of lightness, solar reflectance, porosity and photoactivity. After aging, photoactive samples showed limited color variation. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 containing samples, characterized with dye degradation tests, was minimal after aging. Then, after alternated cycles of UV-Vis irradiation and rinsing, almost 70% of the initial photocatalytic efficiency was recovered.