A good house painting job on the North Shore is mostly preparation: washing, scraping, sanding, filling and priming before any colour goes on. The finish coat is the part you see, but the work underneath decides whether it lasts for years or starts peeling early. North Shore House Painting quotes full repaints, outside, inside or both, for weatherboard, plaster and brick homes from Devonport to Albany. Below is what a professional repaint includes, how painters choose rollers, brushes or spray, and the questions worth asking before you sign a quote. For what it costs, see house painting prices.
Outside
Weatherboards, plaster and brick, window frames, doors, fascias, soffits, gutters and downpipes. Washed, prepared and finished with two coats.
Inside
Walls, ceilings, doors, skirtings and trims. Furniture covered, floors protected, cracks and nail holes filled before painting.
Around the house
Decks, fences and roofs, either on their own or quoted with the house so the whole place is done at once.
What a full repaint includes
A full repaint includes protecting gardens, floors and fittings, washing the surfaces, scraping and sanding loose paint, filling cracks and holes, spot priming bare timber or new filler, then two finish coats. Trims are usually a separate colour in a gloss or semi-gloss finish. A clean-up and walk-round at the end, with touch-ups, completes the job.
- Protect and wash. Drop sheets, covers on plants and paths, then a wash to remove dirt, salt and mould.
- Prepare. Scrape, sand, fill and fix. Bare timber and filler are primed.
- Two coats. Walls first, then windows, doors and trims in their own colour.
- Check and clean. A walk-round together, touch-ups, and everything put back.
Gutters and downpipes are usually part of an exterior repaint. They are cleaned, sanded and painted in the trim colour or a colour of their own. Check that your quote lists them, along with fascias and soffits, because they are easy to leave out.
Common painting mistakes
The most common mistakes are painting over dirt, chalky or flaking paint, skipping primer on bare timber, painting in direct midday sun or before rain, and putting on one thick coat instead of two proper ones. Each one leads to peeling, blistering or patchy colour within a few years. All of them come down to rushing the preparation.
- No wash. New paint sticks to the dirt, not the house.
- No primer. Resene's systems for exterior timber start with a primer or sealer on bare wood.
- Wrong weather. Resene advises against painting in hot direct sun, which dries paint too fast.
- One heavy coat. Two coats at the right thickness last longer and cover evenly.
- Power sanding lead paint. BRANZ advises against power sanding, water blasting and open flames on lead paint.
Rollers, brushes and sprayers
Most professional painters roll large areas such as walls, ceilings and many types of cladding, and brush the edges, trims, window frames and weatherboard laps. Some spray large plain areas, eaves and new interiors, then roll over the sprayed paint while it is still wet. The choice is made surface by surface, not by habit.
On weatherboards, a brush or roller works paint into the lap edges where water gets in. On a lived-in interior, rolling is usually quicker than masking a whole room for spraying. On an empty new build or long plain fence, a sprayer can save days.
The paint New Zealand painters use
Most New Zealand house painters use paint from the large local brands, chosen for the surface: a primer or sealer, then a finish made for timber, plaster, masonry or metal. The brand matters less than using one complete paint system from the same maker, applied as the maker's data sheet says. Your quote should name the products for each surface.
Ask for the product names in writing, the sheen level for walls and trims, and the number of coats. A quote that just says "two coats of paint" makes it hard to compare with a quote that names the system.
What to ask a painter before you book
Ask what preparation is included, which products and how many coats, how rot and repairs found during the job are priced, how gutters, fascias and windows are handled, how lead paint is tested and managed, how payments are staged, and whether GST is included. A painter who answers clearly and in writing is easier to work with.
Ask before you accept
- What preparation is in the price?
- Which paint system, and how many coats?
- How is extra rot priced?
- Is scaffolding included?
- Is GST included?
Watch out for
- A price with no preparation listed
- "Paint" with no product named
- A large deposit before any work starts
- No start or finish dates
- No written quote at all
Lead paint on older North Shore homes
Lead paint matters on North Shore homes built before the 1980s. Health New Zealand advises presuming paint on houses from that era contains lead until a test shows otherwise. That includes many villas and bungalows in Devonport, Northcote Point and Birkenhead. Lead paint is safe while it is sound and painted over. The risk is the dust and flakes from preparation.
BRANZ advises against power sanding, dry abrasive blasting, water blasting and open flames on lead paint. A careful painter tests first, uses wet scraping and sanding, contains the debris and cleans up thoroughly. Tell the painter the age of the house when you ask for a quote.
FAQs
How long does a house repaint take?
Most single-storey exteriors take one to three weeks, depending on preparation, repairs and weather. Two-storey homes and heritage villas take longer because of scaffolding and detailed trims. A typical interior takes about a week. Your painter gives you a start date and an estimated finish in the quote.
Do I need to be home while the house is painted?
For an exterior repaint, usually not. The painter needs access to every side, power and water, and to know about gates, pets and alarms. For interiors, someone usually needs to let the painter in each day, and rooms are done in turn so you can keep living in the house.
How often should a house be repainted?
Many exteriors are repainted every seven to ten years or so, sooner on the sea side of coastal homes and on surfaces in full sun. Interiors last longer, often ten years or more, except in busy hallways and kitchens. Washing the outside of the house every year or two helps the paint last.
Can you paint just part of the house?
Yes. Many owners repaint only the worst side, the trims and windows, or one storey. Matching faded old paint exactly is hard, so painters usually stop at a corner or natural break. Ask for each part priced separately if you want to spread the work over two seasons.