Heritage & Period-Home Repaints

Respecting the detail

The value of a period home is in its detail, and a repaint should protect that rather than obscure it. On the outside that means cutting in carefully around cast-iron lacework, render mouldings, bracketed eaves, parapets and leadlight surrounds; inside it means preserving cornices, ceiling roses, arches and joinery. We take the time to mask and hand cut-in this detail rather than rolling over it, and we are comfortable working to two and three-colour heritage schemes where the facade calls for it. The difference between a sympathetic period repaint and a careless one is almost entirely in this patient detail work.

Lead paint and safe preparation

Homes painted before the 1970s can contain lead-based paint, usually under later coats. It becomes relevant when old paint is disturbed — sanded, scraped or burnt — during preparation, which is exactly what a period repaint involves. We treat pre-1970s paintwork as potentially lead-containing and prepare it using safe methods: wet sanding to keep dust down, containing and cleaning up debris, and appropriate protection, consistent with the Australian Standard AS 4361.2 and general WorkSafe and EPA guidance. This is routine, careful work — and a good reason to be cautious of anyone dry-sanding an old facade without a thought.

Period colours

Colour makes or breaks a period repaint. Victorian, Edwardian and Deco homes each have palettes that suit their era, and heritage colour ranges exist precisely to help match them. We are happy to work to a scheme you have chosen, to a colour consultant's or the council's guidance, or to help you land on colours that suit the age and character of the house rather than fighting it.

Heritage overlays and council

Much of St Kilda, Elwood, Balaclava and Middle Park sits within the City of Port Phillip's heritage controls. Routine maintenance repainting in similar colours is usually straightforward, but a significant exterior colour change on some heritage-listed properties can require the council's consideration. We are painters, not planners, so our advice is to confirm your property's position with the City of Port Phillip before finalising an external scheme. We will then paint to whatever is approved.

Render, timber and masonry

Period homes mix roughcast and smooth render, face and painted brick, and a lot of decorative timber. Each needs the right treatment — breathable coatings on render, careful handling of previously painted brick, and thorough sealing of timber that the bay attacks first. We match the system to the surface so the repaint both looks right and lasts.