Most committees don’t think about repainting until the building already looks tired. By then the render’s flaking, owners are grumbling, and the job costs more because the damage has had time to spread. A repaint is one of the bigger spends a body corporate makes, so it pays to plan it instead of reacting to it. This one’s for the committee members and strata managers who’d rather get ahead of it.
When should a Brisbane building actually be repainted?
There’s no single number, but Brisbane’s climate is brutal on exterior coatings. Sun, humidity, storms and salt all chew through paint faster than the cooler southern cities. As a rough guide most exteriors here want attention somewhere in the seven to twelve year window, sooner on the sun-and-salt-exposed faces. The honest test is the building itself. Chalky, fading paint, hairline cracking, mould that keeps coming back, or render lifting at the edges all say it’s time. Our guide on how often a strata building should be repainted goes deeper on the warning signs, and our strata painting service in Brisbane covers how we handle the job itself.
How the sinking fund fits in
In Queensland, bodies corporate are required to keep a sinking fund and to maintain a sinking fund forecast covering at least nine years, under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997. A major repaint should be sitting in that forecast well before it’s due. If it isn’t, that’s the first conversation to have, because funding a large repaint out of nowhere usually means a special levy, and special levies are how committees lose friends. Building the repaint into the forecast early spreads the cost and keeps owners calm.
Getting the job approved without a war
Repaints stall at the approval stage more than the painting stage. A few things smooth it. Get more than one quote so owners can see the decision was tested. Make sure each quote covers the same scope, because a cheap number that skips proper prep isn’t actually cheaper. And bring owners along early with clear information rather than springing a big number on them at the AGM. Our body corporate painting guide for strata managers covers the compliance and approval side in detail.
What a proper scope should include
A repaint isn’t just colour on walls. A scope worth signing should spell out surface prep, repairs to render and sealant, treatment of any mould or rust, the products being used and their expected life, plus how the crew will reach the high parts. For multi-unit sites that ties straight into unit complex painting, and the way we handle the whole strata side is on our strata and body corporate painting page.
- Surface prep and what’s being repaired before any paint goes on
- The exact products and how long they’re expected to last in Brisbane conditions
- Access method and how residents will be kept informed
- A clear timeline and what happens if weather delays it
Start the conversation early
If your building’s repaint is coming up in the next year or two, now’s the time to get a scope and a figure so you can plan the funding properly. Get in touch and we’ll do a site inspection and give your committee something concrete to work with. The earlier you start, the less it tends to cost. Our guide to strata painting maintenance for common property shows how to plan the work ahead, and our checklist of the paperwork a commercial painter should show you helps you vet the quotes. If residents will be living through the work, see how we approach painting an occupied building.
