Painter in Blackburn, VIC
Blackburn, under the trees
Blackburn is known for its trees, and painting here is shaped by them. Many houses sit on bush blocks under tall eucalypts, from the streets around Blackburn Lake Sanctuary to those near the South Parade shops and the station. The work is a mix of mid century houses being repainted, decks and timber cladding being recoated, and interiors in older homes that owners are keeping rather than knocking down.
Under that canopy, shade and leaf litter decide the day as much as the weather. Leaves fall on wet paint, south sides stay damp well into the afternoon, and gutters fill fast. Driveways are often gravel or winding through garden, so the vehicle stays at the top and the gear is carried down. Trees are not cut back to make room for ladders without you checking first, because council rules can protect them.
Many houses are mid century, with timber or brick walls, big windows, exposed rafters, timber decks and cedar or other timber cladding that was oiled or stained rather than painted. Under the trees, mould and mildew grow on south walls, eaves and decks, so surfaces are washed and treated before anything is coated. Timber that has been oiled for years needs the right primer if it is going to be painted, and some owners choose to keep it stained instead.
What we do here most
What Blackburn keeps needing
Almost every job here starts with the shade, the damp and the leaves, because the coating only lasts if the surface under it is clean and dry.
Decks and fences
A deck under eucalypts going grey and slippery
Decks here sit in shade and catch leaves all year, so they grey, grow mould and turn slippery after rain. The boards are cleaned and treated, left to dry properly, and recoated with an oil or stain made for decks. The gaps between boards are cleared so water drains and the timber can dry between showers.
Exterior painting
Mildew on the shaded south side of the house
The side of the house that never sees the sun often carries black spots of mildew on the paint and the eaves. Painting straight over it fails, so the walls are washed and treated first and left to dry. The new coats are a paint suited to damp, shaded walls, and the gutters above are checked at the same time.
Painting and restoration
Timber cladding on a mid century house
Mid century houses here often have timber cladding that has weathered unevenly, darker under the eaves and bleached where the sun reaches. The boards are cleaned and repaired, then either restained to keep the grain or primed and painted, which is your choice once the condition is clear. Exposed rafter ends get the same treatment so they do not rot.
Interior painting
Big windows and timber trims in an older home
Inside, many of these houses have long runs of window frames, timber trims and boards or panels around the fireplace. The timber is cleaned and sanded, the walls and ceilings are painted, and the trims are finished in a coating that suits what was on them before. Rooms are done one at a time so the house stays liveable.
If it is urgent
If water comes through a ceiling in Blackburn
- 1Look at the gutter above the stain from the ground, because gutters here fill with leaves and overflow into the roof in heavy rain. Put a bucket under any drip and switch off the power at the board for any light fitting near the water.
- 2Do not climb up to clear gutters in the rain or the wind, when branches can come down. Leave a wet ceiling sheet alone and do not paint over the stain until it has dried out.
- 3When you call, tell us which room, whether there are big trees over that part of the roof, and whether the gutters have been cleared since. Say how far the house sits from the street and whether the driveway takes a vehicle.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Which parts of Melbourne do you work in?
Melbourne's eastern and inner south-eastern suburbs, from Box Hill, Blackburn and Doncaster through Balwyn, Kew and Camberwell to Richmond, Toorak, Malvern, Prahran and Caulfield. All 25 suburbs are listed on the service areas page. If yours is not there, ask anyway, because the list is where the work goes most often rather than a fence.
Do you do plastering as well as painting?
Yes. Cracks, holes, water damaged patches and loose ceiling sheets are repaired and sanded before the paint goes on, so the repair and the painting are planned as one job rather than two trades working around each other. Most repaints in older houses need some of this, and it goes on the quote as its own line.
Can you fix rotten timber or a sticking door while you are here?
Yes, carpentry and fixing is one of the services, and it usually goes alongside the painting. Rotten weatherboards, soft window sills, loose skirting, sticking doors and broken fence palings are the common ones. Mention them when you call so they are in the quote rather than found on the day.
Do you do insurance repair work?
Yes. Painting and plaster repairs after a leak, a storm or an impact are one of the services. If you have a claim number or an assessor's report, send it with your enquiry and the quote is written against the same items, which makes the two easy to compare.
Do you give a written quote before starting?
Yes. You get it in writing before any paint is bought, listing the rooms or walls, the repairs, the preparation and the number of coats. If something changes once work starts, such as rot under a window sill, it is written down and you decide before it is done.
What do you need from me to quote?
Which rooms or which sides of the house, roughly how big they are, and a few photos taken in daylight. Point out anything flaking, cracked or stained, because preparation changes a quote more than size does. For outside work, say whether the house is single or double storey.
Can you help us choose colours?
We can talk through what tends to work on the house you have and how a colour behaves on that surface in that light. A sample patch on the actual wall is the most reliable way to decide, and it is worth doing before a full tin is bought. The final choice is always yours.
Do I need to move the furniture out first?
No, though clearing small and fragile things off shelves and walls helps. Larger furniture is moved to the middle of the room and covered, and floors are covered before anything is opened. Tell us about anything that cannot be moved, such as a piano or built in shelving.
What hours do you work?
Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm. If you live in an apartment or a townhouse with set hours for trades, tell us when you call and the work days are planned inside them.
How long does a room or a house take?
It depends on the preparation more than the painting, so the honest answer comes with the quote rather than before it. A bedroom with sound walls is a different job from one with cracked plaster and a stained ceiling. Outside work also depends on the weather, because paint needs dry surfaces and mild days to go on well.
What happens if it rains during an outside job?
Work on the outside stops while the surfaces are wet, because paint put over damp timber or render does not hold. The day is moved rather than pushed through, and inside work can sometimes fill the gap. We let you know as soon as a day has to move.
Is old paint on an older house a problem?
It can be. Paint on houses built before the 1970s may contain lead, and that changes how it should be prepared, because dry sanding it spreads the dust. Tell us roughly when the house was built and we will talk it through before anything is quoted.
Everything we do here
Services in Blackburn, VIC
These are the eleven things we do across Melbourne, done here to suit shaded bush blocks, timber houses and decks under the trees.
Also nearby
We work in these suburbs too
Local, and on the phone
Painting work in Blackburn
Call or email and tell us how much shade the house gets and whether the timber outside is painted or stained. That decides the cleaning and the coating before anything else is quoted.
0431 639 501Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm
Not urgent? Send us the job instead