What's the best exterior paint for a coastal home?

Salt, moisture and sun wear coastal paint out faster

Coastal paint ages faster because salt and damp air attack it every day. Dulux's technical advice on colour fading says the mix of salt and moisture in the air is corrosive, and that constant exposure makes paint show wear, like fading, sooner than you'd expect.

Then there's the sun. Dulux explains that sunlight can cause some of the chemicals in paint to form fine particles. That leaves a dusty film on the wall, called chalking, and it can be very noticeable on dark colours. Wipe a tired wall with a damp cloth. If the paint is breaking down, Dulux says there may be a powdery residue on the cloth, though some of what comes off can just be dirt or salt.

Salt doesn't stay on the beachfront either. Salt drift carries well past the dunes, and render on canal-front homes holds it against the wall because the water's so close. Those are the walls where we add a sealer coat and a heavier system.

For how these forces add up over the years, read how long exterior paint lasts in Queensland. If your paint is already lifting, why exterior paint peels walks through the causes.

What to look for in a coastal exterior paint

A good coastal exterior paint has a maker's guarantee, sun protection and a clear prep spec for salty spots. Here's the checklist we'd run over any tin before it goes on a house near the water.

• A guarantee against peeling, flaking and blistering. Read the fine print. Dulux and Taubmans both tie theirs to a sound, properly prepared surface, and both offer to replace the paint. Taubmans spells out that labour isn't covered.
• Self-priming, with limits. Both makers say their paint primes itself on most surfaces. Dulux still says galvanised iron and Zincalume within 1 km of the sea gets a coat of metal primer first.
• Sun protection. Taubmans says All Weather has a total UV blockout to protect the paint and the surface under it.
• A dark colour option. Dulux makes Weathershield ColourGuard for dark colours, with pigments that reflect some of the sun's heat.
• A washing plan you'll actually keep. Dulux recommends washing Weathershield every 6 months in coastal areas, compared with once a year on sheltered inland homes.
• A spec per wall. A coast-facing wall usually needs a heavier system than a protected one, so they shouldn't be priced as the same job.

Dulux Weathershield vs Taubmans All Weather: close on paper, so prep decides it

Dulux Weathershield Low Sheen and Taubmans All Weather Low Sheen line up closely on the makers' own data. Both cover about the same area per litre, both recoat in 2 hours and both carry a guarantee against peeling, flaking and blistering. The differences are in the details, so here they are side by side.

Neither one wins outright. We use both as the base for our exterior house painting, and we adjust the system by surface and exposure, wall by wall. The paint is only as good as the surface it's stuck to, which is why the prep section below matters more than this table.

Sheen, colour and coastal heat

For a hot, sunny coast, a lighter colour is the safer pick, and low sheen is the usual finish for walls. Dulux says outside walls are normally done in matt or low sheen, with doors, windows and trims in gloss or semi gloss. Taubmans' data sheet says low sheen is easy to clean and hides surface flaws better than gloss.

According to Dulux, darker colours tend to soak up more heat and UV, which puts the paint under more stress and breaks it down quicker. Dulux also says paint on a dark wall in full sun can get hot enough to bubble and blister. Its advice is to choose lighter colours where you can.

If your heart's set on a dark house, it can still work. Dulux makes Weathershield ColourGuard with reflective pigments so the coating heats up less, and says the colour lasts up to twice as long as a traditional tinted premium paint. Dark colours do need extra coats, and our instant estimate adds 15% to 30% for them.

For help picking a scheme that suits the light up here, see choosing exterior house colours.

Prep matters more than the brand on a coastal house

Good prep is what makes either paint last. Both makers tie their guarantee to a properly prepared surface, so skipping steps can cost you the guarantee as well as the finish. These steps come from the Dulux and Taubmans product instructions.

1. Test the old paint. Dulux says to cut an X, press tape across it and rip it off fast. If paint comes off with the tape, the loose paint has to come off before you recoat.
2. Wash it down with sugar soap so the surface is clean and free of dirt and dust.
3. Scrape off loose and flaking paint, then fill cracks and holes with an exterior filler.
4. Sand flat. Greyed timber gets sanded back to the original timber, according to both makers.
5. On bare brick and masonry, remove any white salts. Dulux suggests its etch cleaner or a 5% white vinegar mix, then hose off and let it dry.
6. Let new render and masonry cure for 28 days before painting.
7. Prime bare galvanised iron and Zincalume within 1 km of the sea with a metal primer.
8. Pick the day. Skip very humid days or when rain's forecast, since rain or dew on wet paint can damage it. In the heat of the day, paint the shady side.
9. Put on enough paint. Dulux says paint applied thinner than recommended can age faster and let more UV through.

Our standard repaint is proper prep and two coats. On site that means wash, scrape, sand, fill, seal and undercoat, then the system that wall was specced for. Most full exteriors take us five to ten working days, depending on access. Rendered homes have their own quirks, covered in painting rendered walls.

Second storeys, roof edges and eaves above ladder height are a job for a painter with the right access gear. If the work's up there, stop the DIY plan and get it looked at.

What a coastal repaint costs on the Sunshine Coast

Our instant estimate puts a standard repaint of a single-storey rendered home in good condition at $7,000 to $14,000. These are guide ranges from our instant estimate, not quotes, and they include GST.

The firm price comes after a free site visit. We walk the house first and price the walls that need the heavier system, instead of charging the whole place for the worst wall. That matters near the water at Sunshine Beach or Noosa, where a coast-facing wall usually needs a heavier system than a protected one. For architect-designed or premium coastal homes, see our high end project painting.

We're a Dulux Accredited Painter and Taubmans Endorsed, QBCC licensed, and we've been painting on the Sunshine Coast since 1985.