New Build Painters Melbourne

A typical painting sequence on a new build

Every program is different, but the order usually runs like this:

1. Protect and prepare. Floors, windows and fittings are masked, then plaster is sanded and dust is removed.
2. Seal. New plasterboard is porous and absorbs unevenly, so it gets a proper sealer or undercoat instead of a thinned topcoat.
3. First coats. Ceilings first, then walls, then trim, working top to bottom.
4. Final coats. Done after joinery and fit-off and before flooring protection comes up, so trades following behind don’t mark the finish.
5. Inspection. We check the work under strong side lighting, which reveals defects that normal room lighting hides, and touch up before handover.

Timber, render and wet areas

New timber doors and architraves need priming on every face, including edges, before they’re installed wherever the program allows. New render has to cure and dry to the manufacturer’s stated limit before coating, because painting too early leads to patchy colour and peeling. In bathrooms, laundries and other wet areas we specify moisture-resistant products and confirm sealing and waterproofing are finished by the relevant trades before we start.

Colour schedules and variations

The costliest change on a new build is a colour change after the first coats are on, because it means recoating. We lock a schedule early listing walls, ceilings, trim, doors, wet areas and feature colours, with the product, colour code and sheen for each. Any variation is discussed and priced in writing before the work is done, so the final invoice matches what was agreed.

Renovations: painting over existing surfaces

Renovation work usually mixes new and old surfaces, and the challenge is making them read as one. Patches are feathered so they disappear, sheen is matched to the existing paint, and old surfaces are checked before we coat them. In homes built before the 1970s, older paint layers may contain lead, which needs safe handling rather than dry sanding, so tell us the age of the house when you enquire.

What to have ready before we start

A few things make the difference between a smooth painting stage and a stalled one:

• A signed-off colour schedule, so nothing is decided mid-job.
• Plastering finished, sanded and dust-free, with any repairs completed.
• Power and good lighting connected. Working lights make defects visible before the client sees them.
• A clear run of the site, with other trades’ dates confirmed so we aren’t painting around work still to come.

Handover

Protecting the finish once other trades are back on site

Final coats rarely mark the true end of activity on a new build. Electricians return to fit switch plates and downlights, plumbers fit tapware, and flooring, cabinetry or blinds installers often follow the painters. Any one of those trades can mark a finished wall or ceiling if the site isn’t managed for it.

We mask and protect finished surfaces before other trades re-enter, and flag areas that need extra care — near light switches, around new joinery, and anywhere a ladder or trolley will pass. If your builder’s program has trades working simultaneously rather than in strict sequence, tell us at the quote stage so we can plan protection into the price rather than treating touch-ups as an afterthought.

Practical completion is also when small defects tend to surface: a scuff from a delivery, a scratch from an installed fitting, a spot missed under a fixture that’s since been removed. Our handover walk-through happens after the other trades have finished, not before, so we’re inspecting the surfaces you’ll actually be handing over — and any touch-ups from trade damage are dealt with in that same visit.