Painters Inc

Painters Inc. Ltd have extensive experience in painting monolithic/texture cladding, concrete block or cement rendered homes.   

Some of the issues we see regularly are the following:

• Fine cracks through the monolithic or textured cladding.
• Rust staining from exposed nail
• Mould and mildew and lichen
• Compressed joins
• Larger cracks around joins
• Efflorescence
• Difficult access

Some of the older concrete block homes and pebblecrete claddings may have signs of efflorescence. This is where moisture moves through the concrete and brings salts through to the inside leaving a powdery film on the inside. There can also be some cracking in the concrete. We often suggest an acrylic weathertight membrane such asResene X-200 to help solve this problem.

The more modern plaster rendered monolithic or textured claddings often present with fine cracks in the cladding or larger cracks around the joins in the sheeting behind the cladding. We also recommend an weathertight paint for these substrates which help to fill the cracks smaller than 1mm (larger cracks are filled) and move with the substrate. A paint system will not solve leaky home problems or issues relating to the building design.  We also find there are often rust issues where rust bleed from galvanised nails comes through the textured cladding. We have come up with a system to solve the rust issues where this is happening.

Many homes with cedar weatherboards in Wellington are either stained or painted and have been left unprotected for too long. Painters Inc. can recommend the best solution for protecting the timber of your home. When the stain has faded significantly the cedar is no longer protected from the weather. If the cedar has been left to weather without any kind of protective coating then the timber is often very dry and also may be cupping or splitting. Applying a stain is often a short term solution as, to be effective, it needs to be done every two to five years. An alternative can be to paint the timber instead. Painters Inc. are happy to provide advice as to a long lasting maintenance solution for your property.

Common Issues with Cedar Weatherboards

Is your house showing signs of the following? Cupping, mould, greying or silvering, mitre joins splaying, boards splitting.

These are signs that the weatherboards on your home require some maintenance.  Many people have been advised to let their cedar weatherboards weather. Unfortunately, due to the quality of the cedar used in these homes, this has meant their cladding is now in very poor condition with severe mould infestation, cupping boards and splitting boards which allow water ingress.  In some cases, it’s too late to paint or stain and the only solution is to replace the weatherboards.

Staining or Painting Cedar?

We strongly recommend that you maintain your cedar weatherboards either by staining or painting.

STAINING CEDAR WEATHERBOARDS

Usually, the house has been designed to have a stained look. Unfortunately, in order for the stain to do its job of protecting the property, most stains require reapplication every two years. If you have a property that requires scaffolding this can be a large expense every couple of years.  

PAINTING CEDAR WEATHERBOARDS

Paint has quite a different look to stain and for some people, it’s not an option. However, a paint system will last significantly longer than a stain system and will protect the timber better over the long term. Cedar houses which have not been painted before requiring very little preparation beyond getting rid of any ingrown mould and mildew and some light sanding. A good quality paint such as Resene’s Lumbersider looks fantastic on these houses and you should get around 10 years out of the paint system if you look after it.  

Wellington houses are subject to quite severe weather, especially wind. Over time, if you don’t look after the paint system it will start to fail. Your house should be repainted approximately every ten years. Don’t leave it too late.

Painters Inc. will give you a full specification outlining what will be required and what products we would use. It may be the paint system is in such poor condition it requires stripping back to bare timber. This is often the case with the joinery, especially window sills with a dark trim colour. If the condition of the weatherboards isn’t too bad then it will probably mean the house needs a good wash down, sand and a repaint. We’ll give you a good rundown in our job specification on the condition of all the main substrates of the house and what we think should be done.

Weatherboards houses can take a lot of time in preparation for painting.  If your house hasn’t been painted for a long time and is showing signs of crocodilling – where the first coat of an old enamel paint is starting to embrittle and the top coat is starting to wrinkle and crack –  then stripping will be required.

Dark colours on weatherboard houses and timber joinery, especially where they have been previously painted white, should be avoided.  Painting your house a dark colour when it has been a light colour can cause the new paint system to bubble and in extreme cases the timber may shrink and gaps open up.  This is because the timber, which has residual moisture, is heating up more than it has in the past.  This draws the moisture out of the timber and causes the paint to bubble, if you pop them you may find water dribbles out.  Light colours reflect heat and preserve the paint system for much longer.  

Painters Inc. Ltd can paint the interior of your house, flat, apartment, office or industrial area very quickly and efficiently. We have the equipment to deal with difficult access issues such as stair cases and high ceilings. We take care to drop out carpets and protect furniture. Our team clean up at the end of the day so you have a workable home to relax in. Problems such as flaking ceilings and old wallpaper are common and we can advise you of the most cost effective solution to sort them out. You might be looking at stripping wallpaper and relining or putting up new wallpaper – we can help with that too.  For more details about our wallpapering services click here.

The most important aspect of interior painting is making sure the housekeeping is kept to a minimum. The less moving around of furniture and fittings there is the less time there is on the job which save us time and you money. It really helps us if you make sure all the small items are packed away before we get there and also take the curtains or blinds down. Our team is happy to move large pieces of furniture and take curtains and blinds down if required.

If you book an interior job between June and September we can offer a free Resene colour consultation.

If you would like to discuss your project with us please call 0800 765 137 or fill in our form.   

Interior Painting – What we need to know!

• Will you be staying in the house while we’re painting it – or is a holiday on the cards?
• Who lives there – are there small children or animals?
• What type of sheen level is required (small children require a more wipeable surface)?
• Are we painting wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms (these require special mould inhibiting paints and a pigmented sealer if there are unsealed surfaces)?
• How many coats are required, what’s the colour scheme – are we overcoating dark colours with light ones?
• Do you want the inside of cupboards painted?
• Do you want all the joinery painted – doors, windows, cupboard doors, skirting boards etc?
• Ceiling white or a tint?
• Is anyone sensitive to paint smells or VOCs in paint – we always use the most environmentally friendly paint possible to achieve the best outcome.

How we get the Best Results for your Interior Paint Project

1. Choosing the right colour for your interior.

From colour psychology, we know that the effects of colour are both subtle and significant.

Throughout our daily lives, we respond to colour and yet the importance of colour is often underestimated. Therefore, the colours in your home are important to you and your family.

So we work with you, and know the right professionals, to help you choose the perfect colours for your home.

2. Choosing the right paint.

The key to a good paint finish is knowing its history, prepping accordingly and then applying the right paint for the issue. Different paints are used for different surfaces such as interior walls, ceilings and in rooms that collect a lot of moisture. Our trained professionals are experts in choosing the right paint for any situation.

3. Always clean and efficient to protect your home.

We pride ourselves in being a fast and tidy team. Using drop sheets saves time and hassle cleaning up. We always clean up after the job and leave your home the way we found it. We’re in and out, in the shortest amount of time, without compromising quality.

Painters Inc. Ltd can supply wallpaper stripping and hanging services.  We find there are numerous properties with old tired wallpaper that requires stripping to update the look.  Some properties built during the 60s and 70s quite often were papered instead of plastering. This can mean that when the wallpaper is stripped a number of issues are revealed – the corners won’t be papertaped or plastered, the walls can be bowed, wallboard joins may not be plastered (although this is unusual).

It is quite a process making sure that walls are paint ready if you have stripped the wallpaper. It is also very important that the stripping is done well to make sure that only the wallpaper and its backing paper is removed and that the paper face of the wallboard isn’t damaged as this would require more extensive plaster repair. There are a number of options when dealing with old wallpaper:

• Strip the wallpaper, replaster and paint
• Strip the wallpaper, replaster and rehang wallpaper
• Strip the wallpaper, reline with lining paper, paint
• Paint over the wallpaper if it is in good sound condition – please note vinyl wallpaper needs to be sealed with a vinyl wallpaper sealer prior to overcoating with an acrylic paint.

If you have old wallpaper that is old fashioned or just old and are looking to update the look, contact us for a quote.

A Frequently Asked Question

Question: If I strip my wallpaper, can I paint directly onto the wall?

Answer: This is an interesting question. The answer depends on the condition of the wall, and whether it has been plastered to a Level 4 or higher finish.

Throughout New Zealand, older houses are generally papered. This is because the joins in the wallboard or gib were plastered to a low level when the house was built.

Usually, if you have old wallpaper, the walls are not good enough to paint onto directly.

So, you must be extra careful when dealing with older homes. There is a high risk that the joins will crack with general house movement or earthquakes. Something we know all too well in Wellington!

When our team begins a job, we strip the wallpaper and reline the walls with a lining paper. Then paint the wall or, alternatively, hang new decorative wallpaper.

Bonus – If the paper is in good condition another option is to paint over the top of the existing paper.