As the principal of perthcitypainters.com.au, I’ve been painting exteriors for about 16 years now, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Australia’s weather will absolutely destroy cheap paint faster than you can say “warranty claim.”
I thought I’d put together a list of exterior paints that I’ve actually used and seen hold up over time, not just the ones with the flashiest marketing.
The thing about exterior paint in Australia is that its not just about UV resistance, though that’s obviously huge. You’ve got salt air near the coast, massive temperature swings, hail storms, and then there’s the dust. If youre a painter you get it, the dust in some areas just seems to stick to everything.
Dulux WeatherShield
Dulux Weathersheild is my go to for most of my residential exterior work. I’ve been using Weathershield for maybe 8 years now and it performs well pretty much everytime. What i’m painting over obviously makes a difference, the smoother the surface the smoother the results. But the coverage of the paint is decent, normally two coats over a nice primer works nicely. I also find it holds its colour well on north facing walls.
I had a job in Townsville a couple years back where the client was worried about fading because they’d had issues with previous paint jobs. I went in with Weathershield in the colour Lexicon Quarter. I happened to be at the same property 18 months later, completing anotehr job for this home. I checked up on the previous job and it still looked great, no noticeable fading or chalking.
Price wise, you’re looking at around $65-75 a litre depending on the colour, which isn’t cheap but reasonable for a quality exterior paint.
Taubmans Endure
This paint uses some kind of advanced resin technology so it performs differently than regular acrylic. I first tried it maybe 5 years ago on a house that was right on the coast and was surprised by how well it handled the salt air.
This specific project I noticed how easy it was to clean. Client had kids who somehow managed to get sticky handprints all over the front door area and it just wiped off with a cloth. Most exterior paints you’d need to scrub.
Durability wise, I’d say its comparable to WeatherShield but maybe slightly better in really harsh conditions. It was a bit more expensive though.
Resene Lumbersider
I’ve been using this for weatherboard houses for years. Resene’s colour range is huge, with well over 1000 options. Lumbersider is specifically formulated for timber so it moves with the wood as it expands and contracts. That matters more than people realise on older homes. During the summer months your paint expands and contracts everyday with the heat.
I had a heritage house in Adelaide where the owner wanted to match the original 1920s colour scheme. Resene’s colour matching service was excellent. They actually analysed paint scrapes from the original timber and recreated the formula. That kind of service is hard to find.
The one downside is availability can be patchy outside major cities. Sometimes you’re waiting a week for special colours, which doesn’t always suit a tight schedule.
Haymes UltraPremium
This is top tier stuff. It’s more expensive than the others but the performance reflects that. I use it mainly for high end residential where clients want the best finish money can buy.
The self cleaning properties are genuine. Dirt and grime just don’t stick the same way. I used it on a white render house and after two years it still looked freshly painted. With most exterior paints, white shows everything within 12 months.
Worth mentioning that Haymes technical support is excellent. I had an application issue once related to temperature and humidity, called their helpline and got proper advice from someone who actually understood painting. That’s rarer than it should be.
Wattyl Solagard
This was my main exterior paint for years before I switched to Dulux. I still use it occasionally when clients want a specific colour that Wattyl does particularly well. The UV resistance is solid and it’s been around long enough that you know exactly what you’re getting.
Coverage can be a bit inconsistent depending on the batch. Some tins go further than others for reasons I’ve never quite worked out. Might be a quality control thing.
Berger Silk Finish
I’ve used this on a few commercial jobs. It’s tough stuff, designed for more demanding applications but works well for residential if you’re looking for durability. The finish is quite glossy which some clients love and others hate, so it’s worth having that conversation upfront.
Pricing is competitive and it’s readily available through most trade suppliers. Not the most exciting paint to work with but it does the job reliably.
British Paints 4 Seasons
The name says it all really, its designed to handle Australia’s extreme seasonal variations. I’ve had good results with it in areas that get really hot summers and cold winters.
One thing I noticed is that it seems to handle colour retention better than some cheaper options. Had a job where half the house was in shade and half got full sun all day, usually you’d see noticeable difference after a year or two, but this held up pretty evenly.
Other brands worth mentioning
There are plenty of other exterior paints out there.
Solver MaxiShield is reasonable for rental properties where budget is the main consideration, though coverage is ordinary and you’ll need two coats minimum, sometimes three.
Feast Watson does some solid specialty products for timber that are worth knowing about for the right job.
Supply problems that drive me crazy
One thing that really annoys me about exterior paints is getting them when you actually need them. Premium brands love to discontinue colours without warning, or require special orders for anything interesting.
Had a client last year who wanted this specific blue for there heritage cottage. Ordered it in March but it didn’t arrive until May, as you can probably guess the client wasn’t impressed with that delay and honestly neither was I.
Regular suppliers often don’t stock much beyond basic whites and creams. Speciality stores charge more for a larger range because they can.
Price reality check
Exterior paint costs serious money but the quality will match the price.
Budget around $70-90 per litre for decent stuff, more for the really premium brands. Clients always get sticker shock but what’s the alternative? Repaint every three years?
Had one client try to negotiate paint costs down by 40%. I told him what i tell most of my clients, i told him he could have cheap paint or long lasting results, not both.
He went with cheap option from Bunnings. Guess who called me 18 months later wanting a repaint quote?
What actually matters for longevity
Surface prep is everything. I don’t care how expensive the paint is. If the surface isn’t prepared properly it will fail. I probably spend more time scraping and filling than actually painting.
Weather conditions during application also do matter more than most people realise.
Painting in direct sun in the middle of summer or when it’s raining are both a big no no.
Two coats minimum, no exceptions. Manufacturers love to claim one coat coverage and I’ve never seen it work properly in real conditions.
And don’t skip the primer, even if the paint claims to be self priming.
Good primer is half the job done right.
My honest take after all these years
For properties by the water you simply can’t compromise on paint quality. Salt air will destroy cheap paint faster than most people would believe. Living near the water is a beautiful luxury, but one you will end up paying for.
Good prep, quality materials and the right application conditions.
Get those three things right and most decent paints will perform well.
