Back to bare
Preparing an aluminium exterior for painting is no fun, which is why Thomas and Christine have carefully prepared the surface of their home prior to painting to maximise the life of the paint film and minimise the need to repaint in the future.

The condition of the 30 year old Lockwood aluminium exterior necessitated stripping the surface back to bare metal by wirebrushing, making the project a much longer job but proving it can be done. Once wirebrushed, the exposed surface was primed with Resene Vinyl Etch Primer followed by Resene Quick Dry Acrylic Primer Undercoat and two coats of Resene Sonyx 101 semi-gloss acrylic tinted to Desert Sand. Touches of Resene Hi-Glo tinted to Permanent Green were added to the roof, gutters and wood trims to provide contrast against the Desert Sand walls.

House walls	Roof / gutters / wood trims
Resene Desert Sand	Resene Permanent Green

Thomas and Christine prepared themselves well for the task at hand, discussing the project for 12 months before starting it in late Spring. With a mammoth amount of surface preparation required before painting could start, it is not surprising the complete project took 6 months of evening and weekend work to complete.

Thomas and Christine warn that "Thorough preparation, especially on a job like this is absolutely essential as is the paint product. Because of these two factors we do not anticipate having to paint for 6-8 years!" With 6 months of solid DIY behind them, Thomas and Christine deserve to have at least the next 6-8 years off!

Thanks to Thomas and Christine Willock of Kerikeri.

Decorating inspiration gallery
Click on the links below to view more great home decorating ideas and colour schemes for home interiors and exteriors.

Index - Kitchens - Bathrooms - Bedrooms - Children's bedrooms - Hallways - Entranceways - Lounges - Dining rooms - Home exteriors - Other inspiring projects