What most homeowners don’t realize is that the painting process isn’t the main cause of the delay. That is most likely 30% of what makes a professional paint job last.
The remaining 70%? Preparation is everything.
I’ll tell you what happened if you sail by a house whose paint job is peeling, bubbling, or just plain trashy after only a few years. The preparation steps were skipped by someone.
Perhaps they were rushing. Maybe they believed it would have no effect. Paint prep shortcuts aren’t really shortcuts at all, as I discovered the hard way. This method causes some damage temporarily before it breaks down.
Being professional house painters in Perth for the last decade, we have seen what happens when preparing gets done and what happens when it doesn’t. The contrast is truly night and day.
Why Preparation Actually Matters (More Than You’d Think)
Let’s be straight about this. Preparation isn’t the fun part. Washing walls and filling cracks are not things that people get excited about. But what really happens when you forget it?
Paint doesn’t adhere well to dirty or damaged surfaces. That’s just physics. You are essentially asking paint to adhere to dust or grease or crumbling plaster instead of the wall itself.” Wait for six months, and the paint will be flaking off in chunks.
The condition is exacerbated by the climate of Perth. We have UV levels that will strip car paint, salt air blowing in from Fremantle, and temperature swings that see surfaces expand and contract like they’re doing respiratory exercises. Any chinks in your paint system? Perth’s weather will find it.
The prep is what the paint sticks to. It’s what keeps moisture from getting behind your paint. It’s what saves you from all those frustrating situations that tempt you to chuck your brushes and quit forever.
Surface Assessment: Where Professionals Start
Before we even think about buying paint, there’s detective work to do. What are we actually dealing with here?
Professional painters don’t just rock up and start slapping paint around. First thing? We’re checking what’s already on those walls.
Different surfaces need different approaches.
Old oil-based paint over plaster requires different prep than modern acrylics on plasterboard—and yes, you can paint oil-based on top of water-based, but only with proper preparation. Weatherboard is a whole other kettle of fish compared to brick rendering. You know, those textured 1980s finishes? A special kind of challenge.
We want damage—evidence of water leaks, cracks that suggest structural stuff is wrong with the place, and mold in the residence because there’s no ventilation system to speak of. Next up is testing the old paint. Does it peel off easily?
That’s suspect prep on the part of earlier painters. Is it sticky when you run your hand over it? UV damage, particularly on west elevations in Perth.
Every other aspect is set at this evaluation stage. Blitz through it and you’ll blow right past issues that will rear up later.
The Professional Preparation Process: Step by Step
Right, here’s how the actual prep work breaks down when it’s done properly. And yeah, it takes time. That’s the point.
Cleaning (The Bit Everyone Wants to Skip)
Walls get dirty. Even inside. Grease film in kitchens that you don’t always see. Mysterious sticky patches on your kids’ rooms. Bathrooms have soap scum.
We begin with a thorough wash-down with sugar soap solution. Not a wipe in all 24 hours, but rather a proper clean that had cleared away all the grime and grease with which I’d been battling. On our external surfaces, particularly those near the coast, we’re more often using a pressure washer to get salt deposits and dirt off.
Some surfaces need degreasing agents. Kitchens, definitely. Garage walls that cars are driven in and parked within. Commercial kitchens are a beast of their own—years of cooking grease baked into walls.
Then everything must dry out thoroughly before you can proceed. Painting over damp surfaces? That’s just begging for adhesion problems and potential mold behind your shiny new paint.
Repairs (The Bit That Actually Matters Most)
This is the magic. Or that is, where we prevent future problems from occurring.
- Cracks: Filled with trade-grade flexible filler that flexes and moves (with our local Perth temperature fluctuations) in them; if not, they will crack again.
- Holes: Layered and left to dry between coats. Rushing causes dents under your paint.
- Plaster damage: Cut out to solid material and replace. Half-loose plaster gets removed completely.
- Rotting weatherboards: Replaced, not painted over. Paint won’t fix water-damaged wood.
- Render cracks: Raked out and filled, sometimes secured with mesh depending on the cause.
And we will fix failures before they become critical conditions rather than you calling us back six months later. It’s the distinction between a paint job that withstands two years’ wear and one that lasts ten.
Sanding (The Dusty, Annoying Bit Nobody Enjoys)
After repairs comes sanding. Everything must be smoothed down so that under the paint is flat, with no ridges or rough patches.
We sanded and filled the areas to make them smooth and consistent with the rest of the surfaces. We sand old paint that’s chipped or rough. We use sandpaper on glossy surfaces to provide something for new paint to grab onto—it doesn’t hold well on shiny.
Different grits for different jobs. Begin coarse if there’s a lot of levelling to be done, and finish fine for a polished surface. The dust? Yeah, it gets everywhere. This is why we mask off and try to use a dust extraction hose whenever possible.
This is the step that distinguishes amateurs from professionals more than any other. Anyone can apply paint. Not everybody has the patience to sand an entire room of repairs smooth correctly.
Priming (The Step DIYers Always Skip)
This is where many do-it-yourself jobs go wrong. They think primer is an option, or they use cheap primer, or they don’t prime at all.
Primer’s playing four different roles all at once—bridging the gap between porous and nonporous surfaces, ensuring uniform adhesion, preventing stains from showing through, and surfacing any remaining imperfections before your topcoat goes on.
Different situations need different primers. Water stains need stain-blocking primer. New plaster needs high-alkalinity primer. Exterior wood requires a tannin blocker and rot-preventative primer. Metal surfaces need rust-inhibiting primers.
We use primers with fungicide in them for external work and damp areas on Perth’s exposure side of people’s homes. South-facing walls that don’t get a huge amount of sun are a constant battle with mold.
We’re not skimping on coverage either. Patchy primer means patchy topcoat. Simple as that.
Masking and Protection (The Tedious Bit That Saves Your Stuff)
Before you can paint anything, all the things that should not be painted must be protected.
Drop sheets are laid down over floors and furniture. Not like those thin, plastic ones that you only have to look at in a funny way and they rip—real, heavy-duty drop sheets or canvas material that will actually catch drips or spills.
Masking tape goes onto anything that requires sharp edges. (windows, door frames, light fittings, and power points). We buy the right painter’s tape that leaves a clean line—not regular masking tape that will leave sticky garbage but doesn’t pull paint up when you try to remove it.
For outdoor work, this means protecting gardens, paths, vehicles, and patio furniture, which are all typically covered with tarps. Paint overspray spreads far more than you might imagine, particularly on windy days—which are common in Perth.
Common Preparation Mistakes We See
After a decade of tidying up other people’s messes,
Here is what most often goes haywire:
- Paint does not adhere to walls that are dirty or greasy; instead of sticking to the grime, the paint will come off when you attempt to clean the dirt and grease from your walls.
- Using the wrong filler: Yup, that quick-dry stuff from Bunnings will fix little nail holes, but it’s not built for jobs that require support or exterior weather. It will crack at the first shift in temperature.
- Not enough drying time: Running between stages (filler, primer, cleaning) results in costly failures down the road.
- Skipping primer: Primer is not optional. It’s what causes everything else to function well.
- Inadequate surface evaluation: Failing to determine whether water damage, asbestos, or other problems exist before you get started means finding trouble in the middle of your job.
Sure, these errors might save you an hour today, but they will cost you weeks of hassle down the line. Professional preparation will have to wait a little longer because you rush it, and we’ve got proof of what happens!
Perth-Specific Preparation Considerations
Perth’s climate creates specific challenges that affect how we prepare surfaces.
UV Damage
The sun here absolutely batters north- and west-facing walls. The Bureau of Meteorology regularly records extreme UV Index levels (11+) throughout Perth’s summer months. Paint chalks and fades faster than almost anywhere else. During the preparation phase, we often encounter deteriorated paint that requires complete removal instead of just a light sanding.
Salt Air Corrosion
Coastal properties cop it worst, but that easterly wind carries salt right across the metro. It corrodes metal fixtures, attacks renderings, and makes everything harder. We clean more thoroughly and use specific rust treatments and primers for coastal and near-coastal work.
Temperature Extremes
According to BOM climate data, Perth regularly swings from 40°C+ summers to single-digit winter mornings. Surfaces expand and contract constantly, causing cracks and paint failure if prep isn’t thorough.
We use flexible fillers and coating systems specifically designed for Australian exterior conditions to handle this movement.
Water Damage
Our intense winter storms need addressing before any painting happens. There’s no point painting over water stains or damp areas—the problem will just come back. We identify and fix water entry points first.
When to Call in Professionals
For some, that prep work is definitely DIY-able if you have the time and patience. This honestly isn’t so bad: washing walls, basic filling, a little light sanding—doable.
But here’s when you really need professionals:
- Large sections or full houses when the time commitment’s enormous
- Scaffolding or serious ladder work for higher elevations
- Broken or sagging surfaces in need of repair
- External work in Perth requires careful consideration of the products used due to the local conditions.
- Heritage properties with special techniques needed
- There are time constraints and standards that must be met for managing commercial properties.
Taking your professional preparation to the next level should involve choosing the right product for every situation.
It means experience to know not only which problems are “cosmetic” and which are structural. I mean access to proper equipment, rather than making do. And that someone else is having to do all the boring, dusty, irritating bits.
Our 10-year workmanship guarantee at Perth City Painters is a result of years of experience and knowing that preparation makes the difference in how long paint will last. We are willing to invest the time others won’t, as we have been standing behind our work for ten years. We cannot guarantee our work if we take shortcuts in preparation.
The Bottom Line
Painting preparation isn’t glamorous. It is time-consuming, sometimes boring, and occasionally frustrating. But it’s precisely what differentiates paint jobs that get you through a couple of years and those that will still look good in 10.
In the unforgiving climate of Perth, preparation is important also. The UV, the salt, the temperature swings—they’ll uncover any weakness in your paint system. So prep work is what protects your asset from all of that.
Whether you are handling this yourself or calling in professionals, don’t cut corners when it comes to the prep work. You will appreciate your decision years later when that paint job still looks great instead of peeling, bubbling, and appearing terrible.
Interested in what makes us prepare surfaces for Perth’s climate? Contact Perth City Painters today on 1800 234 100.
We are happy to discuss what your particular home or property needs and give you a comprehensive quote, including everything needed for long-lasting results. Because that, let’s be honest, is where the real work takes place.
