The craft
The details you never see, done properly.
Sharp tape lines, clean brushes, the right product for the right surface. Small habits, repeated on every job, are what a premium finish is made of.
Killara homes are large, old and well kept, and they reward painters who take preparation seriously. We have been doing exactly that across the Upper North Shore since 2007.
Award Painting has painted homes like these since 2007 under Licence 222321C with $20M public liability insurance. Every Killara quote follows a walkthrough, lists preparation, coats, repairs and access separately, and is fixed in writing.
A full exterior on a two-storey Killara home can run two to three weeks, so planning matters more than on a smaller job. We sequence the work by elevation and weather: washing and preparation first, shaded faces on dry days, sun-exposed western walls early in the morning in summer. Scaffold or planks go up where ladders would be unsafe, and the same painters stay from the first wash to the final coat.
Inside, large interiors are planned so the house stays liveable. Bedrooms are done in pairs, living areas over consecutive days, and kitchens and bathrooms around your routine. Every room is sheeted, furniture is wrapped, and the day ends with rooms walkable.
Killara’s older homes carry a lot of exterior timber: fascias, bargeboards, window frames, verandah posts and sometimes whole weatherboard gables. Paint fails first at end grain, joints and sills, and that is where the preparation hours go: scraping to a sound edge, feathering, oil-based spot priming and flexible fillers that move with the timber.
Rendered facades and bands crack at the corners of windows and along control joints. We rake out, fill with a flexible compound and coat in an elastomeric or premium acrylic system that bridges hairline movement. Face brick is left alone unless it has been painted before, in which case it is washed, primed and recoated in a breathable system.
Almost every Killara house built before 1970 carries lead-based paint somewhere in its layers. Our preparation treats it accordingly: no dry power sanding, wet methods only, drop sheets sealed at the edges, waste bagged and removed, and the site cleaned thoroughly before the family returns to the area. It is slower than a quick sand and it is the only responsible way to prepare an old house with children or pets around.
Killara is around 15 minutes from our base near Hornsby. We also paint in Gordon, Lindfield, Pymble and Chatswood.
The craft
Sharp tape lines, clean brushes, the right product for the right surface. Small habits, repeated on every job, are what a premium finish is made of.
Services in Killara
Interior, exterior, strata and commercial work, all quoted fixed after a walkthrough.
Render, weatherboard, brick and heritage timber, prepared for Sydney weather.
Read moreWalls, ceilings, trims and doors with full protection of floors and furniture.
Read moreA free colour consultation valued at $275 with every quote.
Read moreTimber decks cleaned, sanded and oiled or stained to last.
Read moreAirless and HVLP spraying for doors, cabinets, ceilings and large exteriors.
Read moreExteriors, driveways and paths washed before coating or on their own.
Read moreNearby suburbs we also paint
All 48 suburbs within 15 km of Hornsby are listed on our service areas page.
Questions
Anything else? Call us or send a message and we will give you a straight answer.
Every quote starts with a free walkthrough. We look at the condition of the existing paint, access, the number of colours and how much trim there is, then put a fixed price in writing with preparation, coats, repairs and access itemised. Preparation overruns are carried by us, not added to your bill.
Yes. Award Painting Pty Ltd holds NSW Painting and Decorating Contractors Licence 222321C and carries $20M public liability insurance. Both are shown on every quote and can be checked against the NSW Fair Trading licence register.
Full exterior repaints of large two-storey homes typically fall between $15,000 and $30,000 or more depending on timber condition, render repairs and access. Full interiors of 4 and 5 bedroom homes commonly range from $12,000 to $25,000. The walkthrough sets the exact figure, and our cost guide explains what moves the number.
Where ladders would be unsafe or would compromise the finish, yes. Gables, high eaves and anything above a sloping garden are usually done from scaffold, planks or a lift. Access is itemised in the quote so you can see what it costs and why.
A full interior of a 3 or 4 bedroom home usually takes 5 to 8 working days. A full exterior takes 1 to 3 weeks depending on size, access and how much timber needs preparation. You get a start date and a finish date in writing, and the same crew stays on the job from the first day to the last.
A colour consultation valued at $275 is included free with every quote. We look at the orientation of each wall, the roof and brick colours you are keeping, the street and the light under your trees, then test sample boards on the house rather than choosing from a chip.
Next step
Tell us about the job and we respond the same business day. Every quote starts with a walkthrough and includes a free colour consultation valued at $275. $0 call-out, no obligation.