Roof & Exterior

Exterior painting that's mostly preparation

Exterior house painting across the Northern Rivers. The painting bit is the easy part; the prep is what makes it last.

The painting itself is the easy part. The prep is what makes a paint job last seven years instead of two.

When a recent exterior paint job is already peeling, it’s almost always one of four things. The substrate was damp when the paint went on. The old paint was failing and wasn’t scraped back properly. There was salt or mould on the wall that wasn’t washed off. Or the wrong primer was used over the wrong surface. We diagnose which one before we quote, because painting over the problem doesn’t fix it.

We use Dulux or Taubmans acrylic for most exterior jobs; for elastomeric finishes on cracked render we use a flexible coating; for unpainted timber we prime with an oil-based undercoat first. Two coats is the standard, three coats if you’re going from a deep dark colour to white or vice versa.

What we won’t do: spray over peeling paint to make it look good for a sale. It’s misleading to the buyer and it’ll come off within a year. If a job needs to come off back to the substrate, we’ll quote that honestly.

We’re a small crew. A typical single-storey weatherboard is three to five days, depending on prep. A larger render or two-storey home is one to two weeks. We work clean — drop sheets down, off-cuts and rubbish removed at the end of every day, mowed lawns kept off the paint.

When you need this

The reasons people call

Existing paint is flaking, chalking, or peeling — particularly on the north and west walls
Render is showing through where the paint's failed
Trim and eaves look tired even after a wash
You want a colour change for resale or your own sanity

How we work

What actually happens

Wash the surface first — paint applied over mould or salt won't bond
Scrape and feather any failing paint back to a stable edge
Sand, fill, prime any bare areas; spot-prime any tannin or rust bleeds
Two coats of the topcoat — brush, roll, or spray depending on the surface and your preference
Sash brush the trims, eaves and front door

What's included

In the quoted price

Full prep: wash, scrape, sand, fill, prime
Two coats of topcoat across all painted exterior surfaces
Trims, eaves, fascia, downpipes, front door
Drop sheets, masking and daily cleanup
Photos of any substrate damage we find under the failing paint

Honest about scope

What can go wrong, what's not included, what we check first

FAQ

Exterior House Painting questions, answered

Soft-wash vs pressure-clean — what's the difference and why does it matter?

Pressure-cleaning strips the visible top layer of mould off but leaves the roots; the dark stripes come back within a season. Soft-washing uses a roof-safe biocide to break the growth down properly, then a low-pressure rinse to take it away. The roof stays cleaner for two to three years instead of two to three months, and the tiles/coating don't get abraded in the process.

Our roof has solar panels — does that change anything?

We work around solar panels carefully. We don't clean the panels themselves (that's a specific service with a specific cleaner; we can recommend). We don't walk on them, we don't get detergent on them, and we soft-wash the rest of the roof without compromising the panel edges or seals.

How often should we be cleaning the roof?

Every two to three years for most Northern Rivers homes. Coastal-strip homes with mature cocos palms or eucalyptus overhanging the roof: closer to every two years. Sheltered inland homes with minimal tree cover: every three years is fine. Annual gutter cleaning regardless.

Ready for a real number?

Phone is the fastest. Quote form if you'd rather write. Either way, you'll hear back with a written number, not a starting price.

Call 0401 364 405 Get a written quote