Commercial / Heritage
Heritage. Restoration with respect for the original spec.
Heritage work is a conversation with a building that already has a record. The colour was chosen once, by someone else, for reasons that may or may not be written down. The substrate has been painted, stripped, repainted, and weathered over decades. The job is not to refresh it. The job is to read what is there, match what should remain, and finish in a way that the next contractor in twenty years will thank us for.
That requires patience, sampling, and a willingness to slow down when the building asks us to.
Sector
What we do in heritage
Heritage repaint and restoration.
Listed and unlisted heritage buildings, public works, civic buildings, churches, halls, and villas of significance. We work to heritage consent conditions where they apply and document the work to the standard the consent expects.
Sampling and colour matching to historic record.
Paint sampling on the substrate to identify previous colour layers. Cross-reference with historic photography, archive records, and any specifier-approved colour standard. We propose the match in writing, with a physical sample on a discrete area of the building.
Reversible techniques where possible.
Heritage practice favours coatings and methods that can be removed or worked over without further damaging the original substrate. Where the spec allows it, we choose systems that respect that principle.
Substrate-appropriate preparation.
Old timber, plaster, render, and joinery each need a different prep. Aggressive sanding on hundred-year-old detail is the wrong answer. We hand-prepare where the work warrants it and use the least invasive method that still gives the coating system a sound surface to bond to.
Sector
How we work in heritage
Heritage consent compliance.
Where the building sits within a heritage overlay, we work to the conditions of the consent and document the work accordingly. Coat-by-coat photography. Material specifications retained in the site pack. Variations approved before they happen, with the heritage advisor in the loop.
Sampling first.
Colour, finish, and substrate samples on site before any committed work. The heritage architect, the asset owner, or the trust signs off the sample before the system rolls out across the building.
Trade record.
Each heritage project leaves a written record of materials, colours, dates, and conditions. The next painter in twenty years should be able to open the file and see what we used and why.
Restraint.
We do not over-restore. A heritage building is allowed to look like a heritage building. The job is to keep it standing and looking right, not to make it look new.
Selected work
Featured projects
A full exterior repaint using the Dulux Atex masonry system in Canterbury Clay across the columns, balustrade, stair structure, and plinth. The eight lamp stands were finished in Resene New Denim Blue to a three-coat system. The red cedar ceiling, with its starburst detail, was oiled rather than painted.
All white concrete and plaster surfaces repainted in Resene Thorndon Cream, covering the wingwall cappings and end bollards, white plaster trims, the main archway, and the bowl above. The steel gates were finished in black. The gold elements were left untouched.
Coverage
Nationwide, travelling from seven bases.
Regional BaseWe Work Here Too
Tell us about the building, the consent status, and the scope. We will arrange a site walk and send a written quote with a proposed system.