01
Weatherboard cottages
Loose paint scraped back, rusting nail heads punched and primed, rotten boards replaced before a coat goes on. The detail that decides whether it lasts.
Painters in
the northern suburbs.
Weatherboard cottages, Californian bungalows, postwar brick and new townhouses, often all on the one street.
Northern Suburbs
Four eras
on one street.
The north runs from the Victorian and Edwardian cottages of Brunswick, Northcote and Thornbury, through the bungalows of Coburg and Preston, to the postwar brick and newer townhouse developments of Reservoir, Pascoe Vale and Bundoora. Ivanhoe and Eaglemont add larger interwar and mid-century homes on the hills.
Weatherboard is the common thread in the older streets. Timber that has been repainted many times usually fails at the joints and the lower boards first, and rusting nail heads bleed through new paint unless they are punched, primed and filled. Most of the hours on these houses go into preparation, because a fresh coat over loose paint only hides the problem for a summer.
The newer townhouses are a different job. Many were finished quickly with a single builder’s coat and are ready for a proper repaint within a few years. Cracked render, open expressed joints and thin coverage on ceilings are the usual issues, and they cost less to fix early than late.
On these houses
What we watch for
in the north.
02
Townhouses after the builder’s coat
Single-coat finishes, cracked render and patchy ceilings. A proper three-coat repaint, done before the render problems spread.
03
Painted face brick
Postwar cream and red brick needs a breathable masonry paint. A film that traps moisture will blister and flake as the brick dries out behind it.
04
Larger homes on the hills
Interwar and mid-century houses on sloping blocks in Ivanhoe and Eaglemont. Tall elevations on the downhill side, so access is planned before the price is.
Suburbs
Where we go
in the north.
- Brunswick
- Coburg
- Pascoe Vale
- Essendon
- Northcote
- Thornbury
- Fairfield
- Preston
- Reservoir
- Ivanhoe
- Eaglemont
- Heidelberg
- Bundoora
Not listed? If it is in greater Melbourne, ask — these are examples, not a boundary.
What we do here
The full service,
across the north.
Interior painting
Whole homes, single rooms, new builds and specialist finishes. Minimum three coats, and the preparation that makes three coats worth applying.
Exterior painting
Weatherboard, render, brick, windows, gutters and fascias, specified for a Melbourne year rather than a Melbourne week.
Commercial & strata
Offices, retail, hospitality and common property. Staged around trading hours and left clean at the end of every shift.
Period homes
Victorian, Edwardian and interwar houses. Lead-safe preparation, period-appropriate colour, and detail cut by hand.
Elsewhere
The rest
of Melbourne.
Next step
Tell us about the job.
Send through a few photos and what you have in mind. We will come back within one business day with an honest read on the work, the timing and the range it sits in.