A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of repainting the entire outside of a family home in Port Macquarie.

We decided to make a holiday of it to see the family, so we packed up our 18 month old daughter and the dog and headed on a road trip from the gold coast. This is a seven hour trip but we were lucky enough to have a fairly good run through the night (allowing our daughter to sleep most of the way).

The entire outside had been recently rendered creating an entirely different look to the existing brick exterior. Being new render, one coat of undercoat needed to be applied to all surfaces to seal the render and provide a solid base for a lasting finish. These ‘before’ photos were taken as the undercoat was being applied.

This paint job took just over one week to complete and has created an entirely brand new look to an older house.

The colour chosen to be applied as the main wall colour was “Dulux; Mole Grey”. “Dulux; Juvenile ” was also chosen as an accent colour to accentuate features such as the post at the front entrance way. As you can see in the pictures choosing complementing Charcoals and greys has created a sophisticated and stylish look. Using different shades of grey can also make the green from foliage in any surrounding gardens really pop.

The roof on this property was looking tired and had many cracked roof tiles, and almost the entire ridge cap pointing had cracked away. Some of the tiles needed to be replaced, but finding a perfect match proved to be difficult. We finally tracked some down that were a perfect match, so could easily slide into place with the existing tiles.  It was a grueling task for Nick in the sun to scrape back the old powdering pointing work, but once he replaced it with new pointing, the roof was really stating to take shape. The entire roof was sprayed with one coat of sealer and two coats of Dulux “Black”.

For this particular project, “Dulux Professional; Exterior Low Sheen” was used as this particular product has proven to be long wearing and durable in Australia’s often harsh weather conditions. Dulux Professional is a 100% flexible acrylic latex paint and provides good coverage on rough surfaces.

If you are looking to freshen up your house, Please feel free to give Nick a call on 0432 796 654 or just fill out a Quote Form  for a free quote.

Wow it sure feels like the middle of summer at the moment in Queensland even though it is still spring, I think we will be in for a long hot one this year! Before we know it, Christmas will be here and the kids will be out of school, every weekend will be filled with all different kinds of celebrations and gatherings. Everyone loves to refresh and unwind with some nibbles and a nice cold drink in the afternoon with some friends or family on a balmy summer evening, But is the idea of inviting a group of people to your house daunting and overwhelming because you know that it really could use a well deserved face lift?

There is no easier way to lift the entire feel of your home and create an instant delightful enviroment to be in by giving the walls a lick of paint. Surrounding yourself in certain colours can really have the power to heal your spirit. After a year that often for some may have been tough, it can be really nice to end it with a change of environment, and make your home feel relaxing and enjoyable.

In a world that moves faster than we can often struggle to keep up with, it is important to take some time for yourself and your loved ones, to slow down, sit back and relax.

Choosing paint colours that can boost your mood is often a great way to help with this and let’s be honest, allot of us need it by the end of a hard week of working late, running errands, dropping off the kids, picking them up, cooking, cleaning,  and anything else that your daily routine may involve.

Why don’t you give yourself a great new start to a new year by creating an enjoyable space to be in, really take the time to give yourself something back. Hire a professional house painter to do all the hard work for you and sit back, relax, maybe get yourself a nice cold drink, and UNWIND!

I hope everyone stays happy and safe leading up to the Holiday season.

Most people put allot of time and effort into choosing the perfect paint colour for their house, it is a big decision as often we will be looking at it for the next 10 or so years! But what allot of people dont really think about is the type of finish they would like to use. This is also a very important part of the decision making process as different finishes of paint can each have completely different outcomes. There are five main selections to choose from: Flat, Low Sheen, Satin, Semi Gloss and Gloss.

Flat:

Flat paint has a matte finish and is particularly great for concealing any minor imperfections or bumps on a wall as it does not reflect any light. Usually used on ceilings as they are rarely perfect, also, as it has no light reflection, the eye is not drawn to it, after all who wants all the attention drawn to the ceiling? Walls are definitely usually where you want the eye to be drawn to, and usually this is where the most effort has been put into colour selection. Flat paint generally doesnt hold up very well to cleaning, while you can still wipe off any grubby prints, it may leave a slight mark.

Low Sheen:

Usually used on walls as it reflects little light, therefore is still provides a little leeway for everyday knocks and bumps. Low sheen paint has the most variety in paint selcetion when it comes to different qualities for different purposes. For example: Dulux Wash and Wear is specifically designed to easily cleaned and wipe-able, therefore great for families who like to make lots of mess with sticky little fingers! Whereas Dulux ‘Kitchen and Bathroom’ while still designed to be easily cleaned, is also designed to hinder the growth of mould spores in places most susceptible to it. If you have a fairly dark bathroom with little air flow then this would be perfect, as this kind of environment is perfect for bacteria and mould growth!

Satin:

Satin finish has a smooth velvety finish with slightly more gloss than the low sheen. Most commonly used on doors and frames, some people can still choose for it to be used on walls as it provides even more of a cleanable surface or even light scrubbing. Again, bathrooms, kitchens or kids bedroom walls. a satin finish will show up more imperfections in the walls as low sheen though, so any knocks, bumps and holes will be highlighted by that extra light reflection!

Semi Gloss:

Semi Gloss should always be recommended by any professional painter to be used on bathroom ceilings. Generally bathrooms are a little too small to be worried about minor imperfections catching the light, and more concerned about the dreaded mould and ease of cleaning.  As you may have realised the far, the more sheen in the paint, the easier it is to clean. Also used on Doors and Frames, to highlight the area and make it stand out from the walls.

Full Gloss:

Most commonly used on Doors, Frames and Skirtings and Trims. Gloss will make any surface ‘pop’, due to its high level of sheen, it reflects allot of light, therefore will highlight any detail in the surface to be painted. All surfaces need to be meticulously prepared as first of all, any imperfection will stand out, and also if not prepared correctly, the paint could just peel right off.

Painting is something that will change the entire finish of a renovation or can be used to add a little life to a somewhat tired feeling home.

Allot of people like to save a little bit of money anywhere they can by choosing to ‘DIY’ allot of aspects of renovating and maintenance work on their homes including the Painting work. Besides, they make it look easy on TV right? The question I always seem to be asking is why would you pay to get a quality finish building work or plastering, when the actual finish of the job may be compromised? I am not saying that the average person can’t finish a job and make it look lovely, I’m also not saying that the people who do it on TV on shows like ‘The Block’ and ‘House Rules’ don’t achieve quality finishes, but it’s the time (including the time invested in learning the trade which is generally 4+years) and expertise that goes into everything from preparation work to the end result that gets the best quality finish when completed by a professional painter. And lets admit it, for the time it actually takes to complete a job, I’m not sure which is worth more; your spare time (which would be taken up by painting) and energy, or the amount it costs just to get a professional in? Often people don’t realise that it may not be as much as what they think, so before ever attempting something yourself, and investing in everything that goes with it (which is sometimes just as much by the time you buy all the tools and supplies plus the hire of any equipment that may be needed eg. extension ladders and tressles) always get at least a couple of quotes just to find out.

If you do decide to get someone in, it can be a hard job to try to choose the right Professional Painter to complete your job. Why not ask someone if they have a recommendation because this is usually who we trust the most- our friends and family. Nothing beats a good recommendation from someone else who has already experienced the ins and outs of the job. If you dont know anyone who has recently had the job done, then the next best thing is to read the reviews of others who have had the experience.

If you do decide to complete the job yourself, then always remember that the most important part of any job is safety first. Look at the site and make sure you are well aware of any hazards and never attempt to work at a height if you dont have have the correct safety equipment. Next, make sure you spend the most amount of time and effort on your preparation work, and you can be assured that you will achieve the best result. Don’t be afraid to ask for professional advise when it comes to using specific undercoat paints and finish coat paints for your particular needs, as this can make all the difference!