Painting
Now this is one is an absolute “must get lots of quotes”. We got ten, yes that’s right….why? Because there appeared to be a huge difference in pricing. Quotes we received ranged from $3,500 to close to $5,000 for the exact same paint and volume, go figure! Clearly we went with the cheapest quote as they are all identical paints.
We went with Haymes who has a very easy to use calculator to work out how much paint you will need. Why Haymes? Because we think that they make the best quality paint in Australia. Other brands such as Dulux, Taubmans, Wattyl, British Paints. Be your own judge and give them all a try.
Painting any house both external and internal is a massive job, far too large for most people and that’s why we have painters. Whenever we build, we make sure that the finishing materials are all completely painted so they only have to be touched up later. Yes this takes a lot of effort and time and you need a lot of space to store the materials why drying. Is it worth it? We think so. Our house has approx. 2,200 sqm of area to paint. When working out your square metres remember to include multiple coats and primers.
No painter will do that for less than $88,000 (that being $40/sqm which is the minimum anyone will charge).
Painting is not for everyone, especially when it involves preparation and when it’s a big job. we do our own, well mostly.
Our Colours
We have chosen the following colours which we reckon suit the style and era of our beautiful home:
- Exterior walls
Solashield Low Sheen White Dulux Highgate 10236.1 - Bay Window Roof/decorations, Gable Rolls / Window Hoods
Solashield Satin White Dulux Colourbond Basalt 46849.2 - Facias / Gutters
Solashield Satin White Dulux Lexicon Quarter 42743.1 - Kitchen/ Bathrooms
Kitchen/ Bathroom Interior Lexicon Quarter 42743.1 - Ceilings
Expression Ceiling White - Primer / Sealer / Undercoat
Prepcoat Ultracover - Interior trims
Ultratrim High Gloss White Dulux Lexicon Quarter 42743.1 - Front doors
Porters River Stone - External Stairs
Treads centre – Solashield Satin White Dulux Colourbond Basalt 46849.2
Treads edges – Solashield Low Sheen White Dulux Highgate 10236.1
Stringers – Solashield Low Sheen White Dulux Highgate 10236.1
Rails – Solashield Satin White Dulux Colourbond Basalt 46849.2
Dowels – Solashield Satin White Dulux Lexicon Quarter 42743.1
Posts – Solashield Satin White Dulux Lexicon Quarter 42743.1
The Best Quality Paint
We have done all our painting ourselves over the last 10+ years and have used all of the big brands such as Dulux (inlc. British Paints and Berger), Wattyl, Taubmans, Bristol, and Haymes. The quality differs big time. One of the worst we found was Berger external paints which we painted an entire Queenslander with and it just wasn’t right, watery and hence a poor cover). The best by far we find is Haymes, that’s paint like paint should be, perfect viscosity, perfect cover, beautiful to apply either with a brush or roller, it’s just perfect.
Buying Paint
Getting quotes is really worth it, we had to get lots of quotes to finally get the best price. There was over $1,000 difference in price or exactly t he same amount of paint, honestly, just unbelievable. So get as many quotes as you can be bothered sending out. Some might say that’s ridiculous but hey, we all have to work for our dollar.
Finishing Touches
The devil is in the detail… We decided to get a professional painter in to go around the entire house (inside only) and make sure that everything looks perfect, well worth the money.
Little Helpers
Some products really do make painting easier, here are a few examples:
- Metalshield RFU Etch Primer (Dulux); a high performance primer providing superior adhesion and outstanding protection to a wide range of metal surfaces
- Penetrol (a Flood Company product); apply it straight on to whatever surface or mix it in with your paint, read more details on the JPW Marine website
- ESP aka Easy Surface Prep (also a Flood Company product); another bonding agent
Brushes and Rollers etc
We have spoken to a few professional painters and they have recommended buying gear from the Painters Warehouse and we did. Fantastic quality products and cheap, highly recommended.