What an Exterior Repaint Involves, Stage by Stage

If you have not had a house repainted before, it is hard to know what is normal. This is what a full exterior repaint usually looks like from the outside, and what is happening at each stage.

Times vary with the size of the house, the condition of the existing paint and the weather. A straightforward single-storey weatherboard house might be a week. A two-storey home needing significant repair can run to three or four, spread across a longer window because of rain and wind.

Stage one: inspection and specification

Before any price is worked out, someone should walk the whole property, including the elevations that are awkward to reach. They are looking at the state of the existing coating, whether it is flaking, chalking or simply faded, the condition of the timber, the sealant lines, the window joinery and any signs of moisture getting in.

What comes out of this is a specification: which surfaces are being painted, what preparation each needs, which products are being used and how many coats. That document is what you compare against other quotes, and what the job is measured against at the end.

Stage two: setting up

Scaffolding goes up where it is needed, which on most two-storey Wellington homes is at least one or two elevations. Drop sheets and masking protect paths, decks, gardens and joinery. Outdoor furniture and anything against the walls gets moved clear.

This is the point to agree where the crew will park, which outdoor tap they can use, whether there is a gate that must stay shut for a dog, and what time they will start. Getting that settled on day one avoids most of the friction later.

Stage three: washing

The whole exterior is washed to remove dirt, salt, chalked paint, mould and lichen. On shaded and south-facing walls this often needs a treatment rather than just water, because lichen left in place will grow back through new paint.

The house then needs to dry properly. Depending on the weather this can be a day or more, and it is not a stage worth compressing. Paint applied over a damp or dirty surface will not bond, whatever else is done well.

Stage four: preparation and repair

This is the longest stage on most older homes and the one that decides how long the result lasts. It covers scraping back loose and flaking paint, sanding, filling, replacing failed sealant, repairing or replacing rotten timber, and re-puttying window joinery where needed.

It is also where surprises appear. Rot behind a downpipe or under a sill is common and is not always visible at quoting stage. A good contractor will show you what they have found, explain the options and price the extra work before doing it. There is more on this in our note on surface preparation and why it decides how long paint lasts.

Stage five: priming and sealing

Bare timber, filled areas, repaired sections and any previously unpainted surface get primed or sealed. Different substrates need different primers, and this is one of the places a cheap quote often economises.

Stage six: the coats

Then the finish coats go on, usually two, working in a sensible order so that each elevation can be completed while the weather holds. Trim, joinery, doors, spouting and downpipes are usually cut in separately and can take as long as the broad wall areas.

Wind is the main constraint here. Spraying stops in a decent breeze, and surfaces need to be dry with enough of a window before dew or rain. This is why a Wellington exterior job is quoted across a period rather than a fixed run of days.

Stage seven: reinstating and final inspection

Masking comes off, scaffolding comes down, furniture goes back, and the site is cleaned up. Then walk the property with the painter, in good light, and look at it properly. Cut lines, coverage on the difficult corners, the underside of sills, the back of downpipes.

Anything that is not right should go on a list and be fixed before the final payment. This is a normal part of the job and not an awkward conversation.

What is expected of you

Not much, but a few things help. Move vehicles off the drive, trim back plants growing against the cladding, keep windows shut on painting days, and let the crew know about pets, alarms and anyone working nights.

Planning a repaint

If you would like a written specification for your place, get in touch. You can also read more about how we approach exterior house painting in Wellington.