Lavaud Street

This Lavaud Street property required extensive remedial work before painting could commence. The home, built in the 1960s, featured a mix of weatherboard and fibre-cement cladding that had experienced water ingress issues and subsequent paint failure. Our initial assessment identified several areas requiring carpentry repairs and wood treatment before any painting work could begin.

Homes from this era often have hidden surprises once you start looking closely, and this one was no exception. Water had been tracking behind the cladding at two window junctions, causing the weatherboards beneath the sills to soften. We flagged this to the homeowners immediately and paused our timeline to allow their carpenter to replace the affected boards and rebed the window flashings correctly. It's not the news anyone wants, but painting over an unresolved water problem only locks the damage in.

Working closely with the homeowners, we coordinated with their carpenter to address structural issues, then proceeded with comprehensive surface preparation. This included treating all bare timber with wood preservative, filling and sanding numerous surface imperfections, and applying specialist primers to ensure optimal paint adhesion. The fibre-cement sections required a different approach — lightly sanded and primed with an alkali-resistant sealer before topcoat to prevent adhesion issues common with cement-based substrates.

The entire exterior received three full coats of Resene Lumbersider tinted to a warm neutral palette that complements the neighbourhood's character while providing a fresh, contemporary appearance. Lumbersider was the right choice for a mixed-cladding property like this — its flexible formulation handles minor substrate movement without cracking, which matters on a 1960s home that has had decades of thermal cycling.

The project took longer than a standard exterior painting job due to the remedial work required, but the result is a home that's not only beautiful but structurally sound. The homeowners appreciated our thorough approach and attention to detail, particularly our communication throughout the project. For more information on what such projects typically cost, see our comprehensive guide on painting costs in New Zealand.