How Often Should You Repaint Your Home?

There's no single answer

How often you should repaint depends on the surface, the room, the quality of the last job, and the weather it copes with. The intervals below are sensible guides, but the real test is always the condition in front of you, not the calendar.

Interior repaint intervals

Different rooms wear at very different rates.

• Ceilings: the longest-lasting surface, often a decade or more, since nothing touches them
• Living areas and bedrooms: roughly every 5 to 7 years for a fresh look, longer if they're low-traffic
• Hallways and kids' rooms: every 3 to 5 years, thanks to scuffs, marks and fingerprints
• Kitchens and bathrooms: every 3 to 4 years, where steam, grease and moisture take a toll
• Trims, doors and skirtings: these show wear fast and often want a refresh sooner than the walls

Colour choice matters too. Deep, bold colours tend to fade and show wear faster than soft neutrals.

Exterior repaint intervals

Outside, it's all about exposure. As a rough guide:

• Rendered and masonry walls: often 7 to 10 years with a quality coating
• Timber weatherboards: every 5 to 8 years, as timber moves and the sun is harsh on it
• Timber window frames and doors: the first to go, sometimes every 3 to 5 years
• North and west-facing walls: wear faster than shaded sides because they cop the most sun

Signs it's time, regardless of age

Don't wait for a milestone if you can see any of these:

• Fading, chalking or a colour that looks flat and tired
• Cracking, flaking or bubbling paint
• Gaps opening at joints and around window frames
• Stains, mould or water marks bleeding through
• Filler and patches showing through as dull spots
• Timber greying or feeling rough where the coating has worn off

Peeling and cracking outside are the ones to jump on. Once the coating lets water in, the timber or render underneath starts to suffer and the repair gets bigger and pricier.

What makes paint last longer

You can stretch the interval with a few things:

• Good prep. Clean, sound, properly primed surfaces hold paint far longer.
• Quality paint. Premium products fade less and wash better.
• The right product for the spot. Washable finishes in high-traffic areas, moisture-resistant paints in wet rooms, exterior-grade coatings outside.
• Maintenance. A yearly wash-down and quick touch-ups on chips stop small problems becoming full repaints.

The Melbourne factor

Melbourne throws a bit of everything at a paint job. Strong UV in summer fades and chalks exterior colours, especially on north and west walls, while cold, damp winters test any surface where moisture can get in. The famous four-seasons-in-a-day swings make timber expand and contract, which is hard on weatherboards and window frames. Homes near the bay also deal with salt air, which is tougher on coatings again. All of this pushes exterior intervals towards the shorter end of the ranges above.

If you're not sure whether your place needs a full repaint or just some touch-ups and maintenance, MB Handymen & Carpentry can take a look, tell you honestly where it's at, and handle the prep, repairs and painting together in the one job.