Adelaide is blessed to still have many fine and remarkable heritage properties functioning as both private homes and public buildings. However, while living in a classic Victorian bluestone cottage or Edwardian sandstone mansion undoubtedly brings with it a great deal of pleasure, it can also present a range of challenges when it comes to maintenance and restoration.

Likewise, while historic public buildings add a sense of character to a neighbourhood and can be highly evocative of the past, upkeep and accessibility can be a somewhat difficult and time consuming process.

In particular, heritage painting of Adelaide historic properties requires very specific skills and expertise to meet the demands of both local authority and Heritage SA guidelines, as well as those laid down by the newly established Heritage Reform Advisory Panel.

Adelaide heritage painting and restorations

There are a number of important reasons why you need specialist Adelaide heritage painters to undertake restorations if you have an historic property.

First of all, repainting interior and exterior surfaces is not only important in terms of decoration, but it also helps to protect and preserve the fabric of the building. Therefore, it is essential that appropriate paint products are used in order to avoid having a negative impact on the substrate. In some cases, this can include using traditional lime wash or breathable paints, depending on the age and condition of the surface. However, not all Adelaide painters are experienced in working with these sorts of specialist materials, so it is important to know that anyone you hire to undertake house painting in an historic property has expertise in this niche field.

This is especially important when re-painting wooden surfaces in older buildings, such as doors, door frames, window frames and skirting boards. They require careful treatment, which includes selecting a suitable paint type for the age and condition of the underlying wood, and which is preceded by expert preparation and application of primer prior to painting.

Likewise, the restoration of metal work in historic properties also demands a unique approach and materials. Rejuvenating decorative lacework, balustrades, guttering and downpipes, for instance, may require higher levels of preparation than is required for contemporary steel and iron, such as being carefully stripped back before the application of new coats of acrylic or oil-based paints, or a polyurethane coating.

This is especially important if the ironwork is regularly exposed to the weather and elements, and so you should ensure that you engage specialist heritage house painters if you have significant metal work that is in need of restoring.

Heritage painting demands high quality workmanship

Painting heritage and historic properties also requires skilled, high quality workmanship, meticulous attention to detail, and experience of working with heritage paints.

In particular, working on historic homes and public buildings requires thorough understanding of the importance of heritage colour schemes. The unique qualities of 19th- and early 20th-century materials and colours and how they are used in combination needs to be respected during re-painting, in particular the use of complementary pairs of colours which is often at the heart of heritage colour schemes.

As there are specific guidelines in this area, as well as restrictions on the type of paints and colours that can be used, it important that this work is undertaken by painters with the requisite knowledge and expertise required to work on repainting classic buildings.

Restoring Adelaide’s civic and public heritage

Repainting and restoring public heritage buildings in Adelaide also presents a further range of unique challenges. Council offices, town halls, churches, schools and university buildings constructed during the Victorian and Edwardian eras require regular upkeep, but at times also need to undergo substantial, wholesale renovations.

This needs to be accomplished with as few disruptions to normal operating practices and procedures as possible, and so demands not only the same attention to detail required by any heritage painting project in Adelaide, but also fast turn arounds and safe working practices.

This can only be achieved as a result of extensive planning and preparation, and so needs an experienced team of commercial painters who are committed to delivering high standards of workmanship combined with minimising the impact on day-to-day business and the delivery of services.

Find out more about painting heritage buildings in Adelaide

At Jay Duggin Painting, we are specialist Adelaide heritage painters with an impressive track record in the repainting and restoration of historic private homes and public buildings. We have achieved outstanding results in a variety of heritage buildings in Adelaide, and delivered high quality work for councils, government, businesses, organisations and homeowners.

Contact us on 0411 354 511 or via email at info@jaydugginpainting.com.au to find out more or to arrange a free, no obligation quote.