Dupaint is a Dulux Accredited heritage painting company that has restored and repainted Victorian terraces, Federation homes and period properties across Sydney since 1998. We specialise in heritage house painting, lead-safe surface preparation, period-accurate colour matching and breathable coating systems, for homeowners, strata and commercial owners across the Inner West, Eastern Suburbs, North Shore and Sydney CBD. Every heritage project is carried out under Painting & Decorating Licence 278000C, covered by $20 million public liability insurance and backed by our 5-year workmanship warranty.
Dupaint brings 25+ years of hands-on experience with Sydney’s period housing stock and the specific credentials heritage work demands. Heritage painting is unforgiving, the wrong product on a lime-rendered façade or a careless sand-back on pre-1970 paint can cause lasting damage, so the painter’s track record and qualifications matter more here than on any modern build.
Heritage homes need conservation-led methods, gentle surface preparation, breathable coatings, period-accurate colours and lead-safe handling, because original lime renders, soft timbers and pre-1970 lead paint behave very differently to modern substrates.
Sydney’s heritage stock is largely Victorian terraces (Paddington, Glebe, Surry Hills, Redfern), Federation homes (Haberfield, Hunters Hill, Annandale) and sandstone and weatherboard cottages. Many were built with solid masonry and lime-based renders that need to “breathe”. A modern plastic-film acrylic sealed over solid masonry can trap moisture behind the coating, leading to blistering, peeling and salt damage (efflorescence). On those substrates a breathable mineral or lime-wash system is the correct specification, not the standard acrylic used on a modern brick-veneer home.
Usually not for like-for-like repainting of already-painted surfaces, but you may need a heritage exemption or development consent if the property is a listed heritage item or sits in a Heritage Conservation Area and you are changing the colour scheme.
For items on the State Heritage Register, repainting already-painted fabric is generally covered by a standard exemption under the NSW Heritage Act 1977 (section 57), provided you don’t strip sound earlier paint layers and you apply an isolating layer over significant fabric. For local heritage items and properties within a Heritage Conservation Area, approval is governed by Clause 5.10 of your council’s Local Environmental Plan (LEP). The City of Sydney, for example, does not require notification to repaint the already-painted areas of a building that is not a heritage item, but a written local heritage exemption is required for listed items or colour changes within a conservation area (such as the Haberfield Heritage Conservation Area under the Inner West Council DCP). Internal repainting is generally exempt except on State Heritage items.
Expert Tip from Maz: Changing a heritage colour scheme without checking your LEP first can result in a council order to repaint at your own cost. We check your property’s heritage status and confirm the approval pathway before any colour change.
Any Sydney home painted before 1970 should be assumed to contain lead paint and handled under the Australian Standard AS/NZS 4361.2:2017, which means no dry sanding or power-sanding, full dust containment, and clearance cleaning afterwards.
Lead in Australian house paint was progressively restricted by the NHMRC, capped at 1% by 1970, 0.5% in 1990, 0.25% in 1992 and 0.1% in 1997 and only banned outright in 2010. An estimated 3.7 million Australian homes built before 1970 contain lead paint, some with lead content as high as 50%. For any pre-1997 home the safe assumption is that lead is present. We follow the approach in the Australian Government’s Lead Alert: The Six Step Guide to Painting Your Home and AS/NZS 4361.2:2017, assessing the surface, using wet preparation methods, containing and bagging waste, keeping residents and neighbours clear of dust, and cleaning down on completion.
Expert Tip from Maz: Dry-sanding or power-sanding old paint on a pre-1970 home is the single most dangerous mistake on a heritage job. It produces fine lead dust that is a serious health hazard, particularly for young children and pets. This is work for a painter trained in lead-safe practice, not a weekend DIY job.
| Heritage substrate | Recommended system | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solid masonry / original lime render | Breathable mineral or lime-wash coating | Lets trapped moisture escape; prevents blistering and salt damage |
| Sound rendered or weatherboard exterior | Premium acrylic (e.g. Dulux Weathershield) | Flexible, weather-resistant film for Sydney’s sun and coastal exposure |
| Timber windows, doors & joinery | Oil- or water-based enamel / heritage trim system | Hard-wearing finish for high-touch, high-detail period elements |
| Decorative plaster, ceilings & cornices | Low-sheen interior heritage colours | Protects fine detail without glare on ornate fabric |
Here is exactly what happens when you engage Dupaint for a heritage project, so there are no surprises:
As a Sydney guide, interior repaints run roughly $20–$45 per square metre and exterior repaints roughly $25–$60 per square metre, with heritage projects typically sitting at the upper end because of hand preparation, lead-safe handling and detailed period work.
Heritage costs more than a standard repaint for three concrete reasons:
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