How to prepare to paint an old Queenslander house

The best things about an old Queenslander House is the charm.  There are some design elements that characterise these homes and make them beautiful, but there are also some design elements that make painting it tricky.

It’s not enough to just slap some paint on it and hope for the best.  There are a few things to consider that will turn an old Queenslander looking like a stylish and vibrant house on the street.

The first thing to consider when painting your house

The older buildings were built with different materials when compared to modern buildings.  This must be taken into consideration before painting.

A lot of the old Queenslanders in Brisbane suburbs such as Camp HillAnnerleyAshgrove and Balmoral have strips of timber known as VJ panelling. When painting these walls of an old house, the first step is to go through and wash the walls down.

Preparing to paint your house

Over time an older house will bear the brunt of weather and lifestyle. This just means it needs to be thoroughly inspected to identify what we need to do.

We inspect for any defects, such as dints, chips in the walls, nails that might be hanging out that need to be knocked in.

Once we are happy with that, we sand any surfaces that need paint to ensure we are following correct procedures.

Helping the paint last longer on your house

The old Queenslanders were built with VJ panels, which means there are gaps that need to be filled.

This part of the painting job can be quite a time-consuming process and can get quite messy. It’s important that professionals come in and treat it right and use the right products.

To prepare for painting VJ panels, we use a product called M20 Polyfilla gap filler through Dulux. It’s quite flexible and great to work with.

Timber is always moving. So it’s important to have a product that is going to flex with that to avoid the paint cracking open.

The final result of painting a Queenslander

Old Queenslander Houses in their own right look great.  But with a good paint job, they really pop on the street.

By understanding the specific steps required to enhance a Queenslander house, you can rest assured that your investment will last 10 – 15 years. Ask us for a free quote and we will tell you the cost to paint your house at the best possible price.

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