Sydney Painting

Grease, oil, or other contaminants will prevent paint from bonding well to a surface. Even the sebum from human skin will cause painting problems. In some cases the painting over grease or oil will simply result in an uneven looking paintjob. In other cases the oil or grease will completely prevent the paint from bonding to the surface. The paint will form bubbles or simply peel away.

House Interior painting

Most internal walls need moderate cleaning over the entire surface before painting. Grease is most likely to exist at arm height, where people touch the walls, and it is more common in houses with children. But the entire wall surface should be neatly cleaned as grease is often hard to see.

Sugar soap or Trisodium Phosphate are the two most common cleaning solutions. These are mildly alkaline solutions (base, the opposite of acid) made form powder that will remove grease and oil that routine domestic cleaning products tend to leave behind. For most walls this is quite sufficient.

Walls should be dusted / vacuumed before being cleaned with sugar soap / trisodium.

Other Wall Painting.

If the interior walls are near any cooking facilities they will be exposed to fairly heavy grease and oil. This will accumulate over the years, often making the uncleaned surface impossible to paint. Walls near fireplaces, some heating appliances, many bathrooms, or rooms with crayon marks will cause similar problems. They may need thorough cleaning, at least in some areas.

Some stronger solvents for problems grease areas.

Citrus cleaners like De-solv–it. This appears quite safe and works well for 99% of wall stains. Acetone – probably the strongest solvent. Used in nail polish. Make sure the room is ventilated and avoid breathing acetone. Turpentine – the basis for oil paint. This may remove paint as well as oil and grease. Hand sanitizer will remove some wall marks, though the other cleaning methods above are probably more reliable.

Door frame and Skirting board painting services Sydney

Door frames and window sills often have a lot of contact with human skin or other sources of grease. Even a thorough cleaning may prove insufficient to remove the grease and oil. Occasionally the surface must be sanded back and given an undercoat before painting.

Commercial painting Sydney

Talk to your painters about surface preparation before painting. We all want the best results from painting.

Of course paint colour can change the whole look of a room. So we choose to paint the room’s walls for the look we want, perhaps considering other decoration that will go in the room latter on. But part of the look created by different colour paint is the perceived size of a room. We usually want a room to feel more open and larger, though occasionally we might want a bedroom or study to have a warm and cosy feel. Else, a room might already feel big, so adding or subtracting to the perceived size is not a priority; we can choose colours for other reasons.

Generally cool light tones and shades will make a small room feel bigger, or at least more ‘open’. This is because the light tones make use of the natural light. Adding more light in the form of lamps or windows adds to this effect. Using one colour for the whole room also helps as the edges of the room are less noticeable, giving a ‘continuous’ feel to the surroundings.

A room will feel smaller if it is cluttered with detail. If it is literally cluttered with furniture it will literally have less space. But if the walls are cluttered with small decorations then the room will feel like it has less space, though this is just an illusion. This can also be seen with detailed wallpaper

An exception to the notion that details make rooms look smaller is the use of a full wall decoration. If an entire wall has an outdoor landscape scene of any large picture that suggests space then the room will feel larger as if it joins the outside scenery. A large mirror on the wall has a similar effect.

Long rooms

A room that is disproportionality long might look more appealing if the far walls are closer. This is not changing the perceived size of the room so much as changing its perceived proportions. Is the far apart walls are painted a dark toned colour and the closer walls painted a lighter tone colour the room will seem to be less long and better proportioned.

High ceilings

A low ceiling can make a room feel cramped. This effect is so profound that people have been found to think differently in a low ceiling room; people literally are more open minded when there are higher ceilings.

Painting the ceiling the same colours as the walls will partially hide the edges, making the room seem higher. A mirror or image of a blue sky with clouds can be very effective for raising the perceived roof if these suit the desired decor of the room.

House Painting Sydney

Talk to our painters. We can get the best look and optimise the space of your home.

House Painting Sydney

We tend to paint out homes in pleasant but neutral colours. Yet we can expect restaurants, hotels and tou

st destinations to be coloured very differently. But there is no rule saying that we cannot use some of these colour schemes in our own homes. The may have a great effect on our lifestyle.

Some restaurant décor is based on red because this lifts our appetite. A house room with deep red walls can work well with white or cream fabrics, or décor that does not try to be bolder than the wall colour.

Bright yellow works well for breakfast rooms or sunrooms. It puts us in a good mood, rather like the sunrise.

The right colour blue on the walls can look like the beach, or the sky. This works well with light, neutral furnishings. Else, there’s no reason to stick with one colour; sky blue and sand yellow work well together.

Else, simply painting a room in colours that remind you of a positive personal experience from your own past can be effective. This can give you a positive feeling, though the effect will probably not carry over to anybody else.

Painting Services Sydney

There are no rules for decorating, only the expectation that the various elements will all make sense together.

House Painting Sydney

We tend to paint out homes in pleasant but neutral colours. Yet we can expect restaurants, hotels and tourist destinations to be coloured very differently. But there is no rule saying that we cannot use some of these colour schemes in our own homes. The may have a great effect on our lifestyle.

Some restaurant décor is based on red because this lifts our appetite. A house room with deep red walls can work well with white or cream fabrics, or décor that does not try to be bolder than the wall colour.

Bright yellow works well for breakfast rooms or sunrooms. It puts us in a good mood, rather like the sunrise.

The right colour blue on the walls can look like the beach, or the sky. This works well with light, neutral furnishings. Else, there’s no reason to stick with one colour; sky blue and sand yellow work well together.

Else, simply painting a room in colours that remind you of a positive personal experience from your own past can be effective. This can give you a positive feeling, though the effect will probably not carry over to anybody else.

There are no rules for decorating, only the expectation that the various elements will all make sense together.

It is easy to get behind on the general maintenance of the house. But the external upkeep of the house, including the painting, is not something you would want neglect. Damaged wood and gaps in sealant can lead to serious problems.

Do a general inspection of the house’s exterior. Look for areas where the paint is flaking off or peeling away. More importantly, look for damaged wood, or any area where the paint has lifted from the surface – this is evidence of moisture problems. Any rotten wood needs to be replaced, and the cause of the rot should be addressed.

Also look at the sealant or caulking, where the windows and door frames connect to the general woodwork. Any breaks in this are easy to fix with additional sealant, but the cause of any issues must be found - there is the possibility of moisture causing damage.

Use a small screwdriver or similar implement to test sealant, caulk and wood. If the screwdriver can be easily inserted into the surface then there is a problem, and the materials need replacement.

Minor repairs

After removing the cause of any moisture problems you can look at fixing or replacing any compromised surfaces.

Apply sealant / caulk to any gaps around windows, door frames or where stone / cement connects to woodwork.Sand down any suspect paint surface. Apply primer to any surfaces that are bare.Replace any boards that suffered rot. It is usually better to replace the board that to try repairing it. Then apply primer to the new board.

Proper surface preparation allows the professional painters to get the best painting results.

It is important to keep you house in good condition if you want it to last. Paint is the final touch on a well maintained house exterior.

On the verge of the Summer hot weather it is a good time consider some outdoor renovations. Paint or stain your gard

en furniture and decking so it will be ready for the sunny weather ahead.

Before painting or staining the wooden decks and furniture should be inspected for damaged wood or protruding nails and screws. These are a safety issue and should be fixed before attempting anything else.

Screws need to be tightened or replaced, nails hammered into place. Holes and cracks in wood can usually benefit from wood filler. Rotten wood boards must be replaced.

A good surface sanding of wooden structures might make all the difference, especially if you want to change the colour.

There are several stain options for wood:

Semi-transparent allow the grain to shine through, so wood still look organic.

Solid colour will still show the wood texture but not the wood grain. With the right colour to match the garden this can be very effective. White and pascal colours are popular.

The solid colours have an advantage in protecting the timber from UV rays. This can help the paint and wood last up to 4 years before recoating is necessary.

Two coats of paint or stain are recommended.

Water-based stains are virtually odour free, especially outdoors, and make for easy clean up with plain soap and water.

House Painting Sydney

In addition to house interiors and exteriors there are other aspects of the home that can be painted. Wooden decking, gazeboes, stairs, pool decking, railings, barbeque settings and other wooden structures all benefit from stains or painting.

Paint is designed to cure at a moderate rate in order to for a durable surface finish.

Unfortunately there can be problems in hot weather as the paint will cure (dry) too rapidly. This can lead to peeling, flaking paintwork.

Below 30 degrees Celsius there should be no issue with external painting. Above about 33 degrees there can be issues.

Check the paint manufacturing guide. Some paint will be acceptable in hot weather.Use the hotter parts of the day for preparation rather than actual painting. Hot weather is good for power washing.Paint in the cooler part of the afternoon, so paint can dry overnight.Remember that house surfaces will still be hot even as the temperature is decreasing.There will almost always be one side (or wall) of the house in the shade. This is usually the coolest surface and the easiest to paint.External shutters and doors can be removed before painting. Use the hotter part of the day for painting these items by moving them indoors (e.g.: in a garage or basement).Sometimes it is simply better to wait for more moderate weather.

Sydney Painting

Most house interiors have at least one railing, usually on a staircase. Some homes have several. These railings are painted a little differently to the rest of the house interior.

House Interior Painting

Internal walls often use eggshell or matt paint. This provides a peasant neutral look that reflects minimal light without shine. Matt and eggshell paint covers any slight imperfections on a flat surface and modern eggshell is reasonably good for resisting stains.

Balustrades and railings are different to walls. They are subjected to a lot of physical handling from the people in the house, especially when located on stairways. Ideally the paint should accommodate this exposure to grease and contaminants.

Glossy paint is ideal for railings and other surfaces that are subjected to a lot of grease and grime. The glossy surface is easier to clean than most paints, so staining is usually not an issue. And the only real disadvantage of glossy paint, the fact that it tends to show the imperfections of a flat surface, is not an issue on railings and balustrades as there are no flat surfaces being painted.

Railings and balustrades are usually wood or metal. These materials require a different primer. Once given the proper surface preparation with the right primer is it not too difficult to achieve good, long lasting results with railing. The paint must be applied with fine brushes rather than a roller, so the process is time consuming; occasionally a railing can be removed and spray painted elsewhere. But the results are worthwhile and long lasting.

We should make a distinction between concave and convex corners. The corner where the wall meets the ceiling is an example of concave. Most walls in a room also meet in this concave fashion. The edge of a table is an example of a convey corner. These two types of corner must be painted differently.

A concave corner is not too much of a problem when painting. It might be hard to reach with a roller, so a small to medium brush must be used in the tight corner space. As long as there are no obvious lines where the roller paint and brush paint meet this can look perfectly fine.

A convex corner can cause problems when painting. The edge where the two surfaces meet cannot be too sharp because paint will not bond well to such a thin edge; nor will the undercoat. Instead this sharp edge must be softened. Often this can be so subtle as to be unnoticeable, and simply achieve with some sandpaper. Alternatively the corner may be deliberately rounded. This rounding must be very even or the result will look poor. A router can be used for rounding the edges of some items, though any edges on a wall will require a dedicated round sanding block.

Some house interiors are designed and built with curved corners and cornicing’s. This looks especially stylish and makes painting edges a little easier.

Sydney Painting

Corner preparation is one of many aspects of properly preparing a houses’ interior for painting.

The garage door often suffers more weather damage than most parts of a house exterior. This may be for a combination of reasons, being as it is expected to withstand the sunshine both in an open and closed angle, and at least is occasionally expected to keep out rain when open. Just the fact that a door is a moving part subjects it to more stress than most solid walls. The wear on a garage door may be more noticeable with a brick or stone house because the rest of the building surface suffers very little damage.

Is a garage door re-paintable?

Of course a wooden garage door can be restored, though it is a little bit more finicky that any most paintable surfaces as garages tend to have at least some raised decorative surfaces.

Often the surface of a wooden garage door is subject to peeling and blistering after year in the sun. Unlike other part of a house it cannot easily be shaded because the outside area must be left clear for vehicle access. So the garage door may be the most damaged painted building surface, and require significant striping and resurfacing for optimal results.

A wooden garage door will require:

Masking tape, if the raised decorative surface of the door uses a different colour.Sanding equipmentPutty or fillerDrop clothsRagsSealerRollers and broad brushesFine paintbrushes for raised surfaces.

Metal garage doors are quite different to wooden mechanisms. Often the metal doors retract on rollers, so the door spends some time away from the weather elements; the door will not really be required to provide horizontal shelter from rain. Metal also ages quite differently over time. As such, the surface is far less prone to blistering and cracking paint.

Of course even the best quality metal doors will eventually show signs of wear. Owners who want to restore the original look of roller doors might need to consider replacing the whole system. The original painted finish on the metal roller doors is thermally bonded to the metal. This is not something that can be reproduced through conventional painting techniques.

Is Primer Necessary?

The short answer is yes. The bare walls of Gyprock, the most common interior surface, will soak up paint. You will need at least the first layer of paint to be primer. Repaints will not really require this.

Some paint has primer as part of the formula. These do work well on most surfaces, but they cost more than regular paint and often necessitate two coats. It is actually more economical to use primer and a good quality regular paint.

Different surfaces will require different primers.

Primer is unlikely to lower the result of your paintwork.

Two Coats of Paint or One?

This is an old habit that still persists. Older styles of paint often looked better with two coats. The technology has improved since then; new paint looks just as good with one coat.

Ceiling paint suffers minimal damage as is it well out of reach, so there is often little need to paint it. But if you want to change the colour the there is no reason not to make a change.

Children’s rooms can work well with patterned ceilings. An azure (sky blue) can make a ceiling look further away, and hence make the room look bigger.

It is easier than ever to find the right shade to match the old wall colour, even if the old wall paint has faded. Computers do a fine job of this.

Many of them try. But there are modern paints that are fairly easy to clean.

The right house interior painting can change the space you live in. Find the right option before you start, and have the best looking paint job possible.

Styles of décor change over time as culture and technology change. Some ideas come and go, others prove to be more permanent.

An older style of décor, perhaps rather European in origin, was to have immaculate decoration in every part of the room – banisters, staircases and furniture was elaborately carved, and walls were covered with fine pictures and detail. This fashion is less popular today, initially changing when plain painted walls gave way to wallpaper. Wallpaper was detailed, and detailed decorations combined with detailed wallpaper was so overwhelmingly detailed that rooms felt cluttered. But as wallpaper has become less common it may be time to look at detailed decors again.

Fashionable plain walls in the house allows home owners to add decorate over this simple yet pleasing backdrop. Paintings, posters, shelves of display items and decals all work well without making a room feel too cluttered. Yet we should not think the look of the walls is unimportant. The right colour is imperative, setting the tone for the whole room. Certainly a bad paintjob will compromise the overall effect.

One partial exception to this plain background is textured or patterned paint. Painters sometimes use a Rag to give a wall or other surface two tone effect. Else, walls can feature printed patterns or silhouettes. Providing too much detail here, especially irregular detail, tends to look bad. But simple, open designs and neat patterns can work quite well.

Decals can be very effective on walls. And as decals can be customized there is no end of possibilities. Indeed, anybody with a computer and printer can produce their own original decals. Anything from simple silhouettes to photorealistic scenes can produce pleasing results. This decal application will tend to define a room’s look, so investing some time and effort is necessary in order to get the look you want.

Decals will require a room to have well painted walls.

Commercial Painters Sydney

Commercial painters can provide the neat, colour co-ordinated look for the walls of your home. Use this as a backdrop for the décor you have always wanted.

Bathroom Wall Painting Sydney

Bathrooms are different to most other house interior painting. The Bathroom will have moisture in the air, so the paint will have to be able to accommodate this.

Glossy Sydney Painting Bathrooms

While most house painting services Sydney wide will use matt or eggshell finish on the majority of interior walls they will usually approach the bathroom separately. Matt paint hides imperfections well, but is rather average when it comes to grease, moisture and stains. Glossy paint is better for resisting stains, with most grease simply wiping off. Eggshell finish paint is reasonably good here as well. Bathrooms are often painted with gloss to help prevent moisture and soap stain problems.

Tiles and Wall Painting

Bathroom surfaces use a lot of porcelain and tiles. The colour of these hard surfaces cannot be changed (short of actually replacing the tiles) so a suitable wall paint has to be chosen to match the tile colour scheme.

White tiles and porcelain are the easiest to design for. Almost any paint colour works with white tile trim.

Dark glossy paint can look good with white tiles. Imagine you bathroom with deep blue, red, purple walls and white tile trim.

Light colour paint can also work. A pascal paint with white trim is very peaceful.

Else, some bathrooms have tiles that look like wood or stone. If they are dark and textured tiles the can be offset nicely with crème or other pale colours. Lighter colour tiles can work well with neutral colours, with the paint work staying in the background. Fancy looking tiles should not be dominated by vivid colours.

Lighting and House Interior Painting.

Whatever the colour scheme a bathroom benefits from good lighting. Consider skylights, bright white lights, heating lights and dimmable red light for late night use (red light prevents insomnia).

House Painting Sydney

Talk to any commercial painters Sydney has, and they will tell you the importance of getting the right bathroom paint job.

A well-built bathroom should last for years. This is mostly a matter of good grouting and tile work, but it helps to complement this with a pleasant colour scheme.

Homeowners often either want to make the most of their space, or make the space feel bigger. It is usually not difficult to achieve at least one of these. The right wall colour and layout can make a room look and feel very different.

Sydney Painting Ceilings

High ceiling are preferred by most people. They convey a sense of freedom and space. A ceiling that feels higher can help convey the same feeling of space, even as the actually space is slightly limited. A few tricks help here.

A light coloured ceiling is the most obvious trick. There are very few dark ceilings because light colours, usually white or crème, just feel more open. Some people find that sky blue is also effective here.

A mirror is an old trick for adding space, though this is difficult with a ceiling. But adding a mirror to one of the walls will make a low ceiling room feel bigger. Windows can also be effective.

Else, painting the walls and ceiling the same light colour can blur the line between height and width.

Wall Painting Sydney

Light and cool tones can make a room look and feel larger. This works best with natural lighting. As always windows, mirrors and even a skylight helps here. Else, electric lighting that mimics natural lighting is the next best option.

Long Room House Painting Sydney

Occasionally a room looks to long; the shape of the room does not fit our sense of proportion. There are several ways to deal with this. Some people add a cupboard or walk-in-pantry, effectively making that side of the room smaller. Else, Darker colours on the walls of the walls furthers apart, with a window, mirror or printed image on the other walls, can change the perceived dimensions of the room.

Commercial Painters Sydney

Talk to your Sydney painting specialists, and get the best look for your home interior.

In many trades and projects it is fair to say that proper preparation is important and a major factor in achieving the best end result. One major preparation factor in painting is using the right primer or undercoat.

Wall Painting Sydney

Drywall Primer

Probably the most common type used indoors, Drywall (AKA Gyprock) will act like a sponge and soak up most paints, giving a very poor result. Even worse, plaster joints in the wall will look different to the rest of the surface.

House Interior Painting

Metal primer

Of course these allow paint to bond to most metal surfaces, but they also provide some protection against corrosion.

Rust Primer

These primers provide extra protection against corrosion, and can be used with metals that have already experienced some rust.

Etch Primer

Some metals, particularly rust proof metal like aluminium and galvanized steel, are difficult to paint; most paints and primers will not bind to the surface. Etch primer is used for these. Though it tends to be for outdoor items.

Wood Primer

Indoor wooden structures, like railings, shelves, cupboard doors, skirting boards …etc. often need to be painted, or finished to preserve the natural wood appearance. If painted a primer in necessary, as most paint will not bond directly to the wood.

Wood can be painted the same colour as walls, but wooden trim often looks best when painted a darker, glossier version of the main wall colour.

Masonry Primer

Tiles and masonry have a very smooth surface. If you want to paint them a masonry primer will be necessary.

Commercial Painters Sydney

If you use one coat of Primer you can usually cover a whole surface with one coat of the final colour paint. This is much better than using two (or more) coats of the final colour, especially as primer is less expensive and faster drying.

Primer gives you a neat, neutral surface for painting your final colour. This means the final colour will look neat and bind well to the surface, giving a better looking and longer lasting result.

The interior walls of most houses use matt or eggshell paint. This type of paint finish hides imperfections quite well. It also tend to look good in many different kinds of light. The only disadvantage it once had was difficulty in cleaning, because gloss finish paints tended to be better in this regard. But modern eggshell finish paint is much easier to clean than older types of wall paint.

Kitchen Painting Services Sydney

Glossy finish painting has traditionally been preferred in kitchens; greasy stains from cooking are easier to remove form glossy finish paint. This is less of an issue today as eggshell finish paint is almost as easy to clean as full gloss paint. Still, some prefer the look of gloss paint, which may complement the shiny look of kitchen tiles and porcelain.

Wall Painting Sydney

Walls are often a uniform colour; many home owners choose plain walls and decorate with pictures or display shelves, feeling that vividly coloured walls don’t work as a pleasing background. But there are methods that take the painted walls a step up from plain colours.

Two Colours – Contrasting of complementary colours.

Light and dark – Paint the walls a pascal colour, with a darker glossy version of the same colour on the skirting boards and trim.

Brush Patterns – Paint the walls a dark colour, then dry brush a lighter colour over the top.

Rag or Sponge– a rag or sponge can be used to create patterns on a painted wall.

Painting Services Sydney

A good paint job can completely transform a room or house’s interior. There are countless options. Talk to your painter, and spend your life in a house that you enjoy the look of.