How Often Should You Really Repaint Your Home in Wollongong?

It’s the question we get asked more than any other: how often should I repaint? After more than 35 years of combined experience painting homes around Wollongong and the Illawarra, here’s our honest answer — and it’s different for inside versus outside.

Inside, it’s really up to you. There’s no rule that says you must repaint your interior every so many years. As long as it still looks good and you’re happy with it, there’s no real reason to do it. Interiors mostly get repainted when life changes — you’re selling, you’re sick of the colour, the kids have grown up, or the walls have just taken a beating. Our one tip: when you do paint inside, use a high-quality wash-and-wear finish. You can wipe it down and marks come straight off, which means it stays looking new for far longer. That’s money well spent.

Outside is a different story. For exteriors, we recommend repainting every 7 to 10 years — and we say that for a specific reason. Once the sun and salt air get into your cladding and the coating starts to break down, it degrades. The problem is, once it drops to around 90%, it will never go back to 100% no matter how much prep work we do. The timber, render or cladding underneath has already taken the hit. So repainting on time isn’t just about looks — it’s about protecting what’s under the paint before the weather gets to it.

Here on the coast, that matters more than most places. The salt, the strong sun and the sea breeze are hard on exterior paint, and we see the difference between homes that get repainted on schedule and ones left too long.

A note on decks, fences and stained timber. Staining is its own job. We like to re-stain timber every year or two, and we always put on plenty of coats — usually three or four — so it’s properly soaked in and built to last. Skimp on coats and it’ll look tired again within a season.

If you’re not sure where your place is at, the easiest thing is to have someone take a proper look. A 10-minute walk-around will tell you whether you’ve got years left or whether the clock’s ticking.

Colourland Painting is a local, second-generation painting business serving Wollongong and the Illawarra, with over 35 years of combined experience in interior, exterior, roof and kitchen painting. Learn more at colourlandpainting.com.au.