Find a trusted painter in Newcastle

Salt, sun and humidity on Newcastle paintwork

Exterior paint near the coast has a harder life. At Merewether, Bar Beach, Stockton and the beaches south to Swansea, salt settles on walls and trims, the sun breaks down the finish, and you start to see chalky residue, blistering and rust spots weeping from nail heads on weatherboards. The paint itself is only part of the answer. Washing the salt off, punching and filling nail heads, and priming bare timber are what make a coastal repaint last.

Humidity matters inside too. Bathrooms and laundries with weak exhaust fans tend to grow mould on the ceiling over summer, and painting over it without treatment just buys a few months. Ask about an anti-mould paint and whether the fan needs upgrading at the same time. For outdoor work, a good painter watches the forecast closely, because fresh paint and a summer storm don’t mix.

Homes close to the rail line and the port, around Mayfield, Islington, Tighes Hill and Carrington, can collect dark dust on walls, sills and gutters. That has to come off before any new paint goes on, or it won’t bond properly.

Fibro, lead and old timber

A lot of Newcastle’s post-war housing is fibro, and fibro made before the late 1980s may contain asbestos. NSW work health and safety rules ban high-pressure water blasting of asbestos materials, so painters use a gentler wash and careful hand prep instead. Homes built before 1970 may also have lead in the old paint layers, which means no dry sanding and proper clean-up at the end. A painter who knows older housing will raise both before quoting.

Timber miners’ cottages and weatherboard homes usually need the most prep: scraping loose paint, replacing the odd rotten board, filling, sanding and spot priming. It’s slow work, and it’s where a cheap quote often cuts corners.

If your home sits in one of Newcastle’s heritage conservation areas, such as Cooks Hill or The Hill, check with the City of Newcastle before changing the exterior colour scheme. Repainting in the existing colours is usually straightforward, but a new scheme on a heritage-listed home can need approval.

Painting licences in NSW

Painting contractors are licensed by Building Commission NSW, and you need a licensed painter once a residential job is worth more than $5,000. The exception is a contract to paint only the inside of your home, which doesn’t need a licence unless it’s part of a wider renovation. Search the painter on the Verify NSW licence check and check the name and licence class match the quote.

There’s more on the lookup in our NSW licensing guide.

Newcastle painting prices

Painters here typically charge $65 to $100 an hour or $550 to $850 a day, but most quote per job. Repainting a single room is about $400 to $1,000, a two-bedroom unit $2,000 to $5,000 and a three-bedroom interior $3,500 to $8,000. Weatherboard and double-storey exteriors cost the most because of prep and scaffolding.

See the painter price guide for more typical prices.

How needatradie finds your painter

Tell us about the house, what needs painting and your suburb, and we’ll match you with one local painter whose insurance and reviews we’ve checked, along with their licence where the job needs one. No cost to you, and no queue of painters calling.

Got a property elsewhere? Our painters page covers the other cities, and Newcastle’s full trade list has everyone else you might need. When you’re set, get a free quote.