Exterior House Painting
An exterior repaint is mostly preparation. The paint that goes on last gets the attention, but the washing, scraping, filling, repairing and priming underneath it are what decide whether the finish lasts three years or ten. Across Prahran and the inner south-east — Windsor, South Yarra, Armadale and St Kilda East — we repaint terraces, rendered facades and weatherboard homes with the prep done properly, the old paint handled safely, and a durable coating system chosen for Melbourne's sun, rain and swings in temperature.
What a full exterior repaint includes
A complete exterior repaint covers the walls, eaves and soffits, fascias and gutters, barge boards, windows and frames, doors, and any render, timber or cast-iron detail. The sequence is consistent: pressure or hand wash to remove dirt, chalk and mould; scrape and sand back failing and flaking paint; repair cracked render and replace or fill decayed timber; spot-prime bare and porous areas; then two topcoats of a quality exterior paint suited to the surface.
Why preparation drives the price and the result
The single biggest variable in an exterior repaint is condition. A sound facade that needs a wash and two coats is quick. A weathered period home with flaking paint, cracked render and rotten weatherboards needs days of preparation before a brush of colour goes on — and that is where the durability lives. A quote that looks cheap usually cut the prep, and the paint fails early to prove it.
Handling old paint safely
Most inner-south-east homes predate 1970, so lead-based paint in the older layers is the working assumption until ruled out. Dry sanding or aggressively scraping it releases hazardous dust across your garden and into the house. We prepare these surfaces under lead-paint safe-work guidance (AS 4361.2) and WorkSafe and EPA advice, containing dust and disposing of paint waste responsibly.
Surfaces and the right system
Render wants a breathable masonry paint so moisture can escape rather than push the coating off. Timber weatherboard wants the bare timber primed and sealed before topcoats. Metal gutters and fascias want the right primer to stop rust bleeding through. Matching the system to the surface is half of what makes a repaint last, and it is why we inspect before we quote.
Timing and weather
Exterior work needs dry, mild conditions — paint applied over damp surfaces or in the cold does not cure properly. In Melbourne that means planning around the weather, and it is one reason a realistic timeline beats an optimistic one.
What it costs
As a guide, a full exterior repaint of a single-storey weatherboard home typically runs about $10,000 to $18,000, while a prep-heavy period-home exterior can reach $25,000 to $55,000 or more. A site quote sets the real price, because condition and access vary so much from house to house.
Common Questions
How long does an exterior repaint last?
In Melbourne's climate, a well-prepared exterior repaint generally lasts around 7 to 10 years, though sun-facing and weather-facing walls degrade faster than sheltered ones, and timber tends to need attention sooner than render or brick. Good preparation is what gets you to the longer end.
Why is one quote so much cheaper than another?
Almost always because it cut the preparation. Washing, scraping, repairing render and timber and priming are where durability is won, and they are the easiest steps to skip to make a number look attractive. We quote the prep the surfaces actually need.
Do you handle old lead-based paint?
Yes, carefully. We treat pre-1970 homes as likely to have lead in the older layers and prepare surfaces under AS 4361.2 and WorkSafe and EPA guidance, containing dust and disposing of waste properly rather than dry sanding it loose.
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