Island Bay's exposure off Cook Strait eats a standard paint job in half the time. The exterior painting spec Harbour Paint uses across Wellington's south coast.
Island Bay cops weather that most of Wellington never sees. It sits at the bottom of the south coast, facing straight out to Cook Strait, and when a southerly comes through there is nothing between the storm and your weatherboards. Salt, wind-driven rain, and UV all hit harder here than they do three suburbs inland. A paint job that lasts twelve years in Brooklyn might give you seven on the Parade.
What the south coast does to your paint
The damage shows up in a particular pattern. Salt settles on every exterior face and pulls moisture into the film. The southerly then drives rain horizontally into any join that was not sealed properly, and the constant wind flexes and dries the timber faster than a sheltered Wellington site. The result is early film breakdown, lifting around weatherboard ends, and rust blooming on any steel fixing that was not primed for the conditions.
The product we use on exposed Island Bay homes
So we change the spec. On an exposed Island Bay exterior we move off the standard Lumbersider system to Resene X-200, a self-priming high-build acrylic with elastomeric flex. It costs roughly 18% more per litre, but it builds a thicker film, holds its bond through salt exposure, and moves with the timber instead of cracking. Steel components (gutters, brackets, exposed nail heads) get a zinc-rich primer before topcoat, because standard primer will not hold off the rust on this kind of salt load.
Prep that stands up to salt
Prep changes as much as the product. After the water-blast we add a fresh-water rinse to lift the salt residue off the substrate, because topcoat over salt fails inside two winters no matter how good the paint is. The south and south-east faces get a sacrificial sanding pass to key the surface properly, and we take moisture readings before any primer goes on. Skip the rinse and you are painting over the exact thing that kills the job.
Warranty on a south-coast exterior
The warranty reality is honest rather than generous. Manufacturer cover on a south-coast exposure usually caps around 10 years, against 12 to 15 inland, and that reflects the environment, not the quality of the paint. Our 7-year workmanship guarantee is the same wherever your house is.
Getting an exterior painting quote in Island Bay
If you are in Island Bay, Houghton Bay, or anywhere along Wellington's south coast and a painter quotes you a standard exterior with no mention of salt, ask why. The product that works on a sheltered Karori bungalow is the wrong product for a house that takes the full southerly.
Harbour Paint has spent seventeen years painting exteriors across Wellington and its south coast suburbs, and we will tell you straight what your house actually needs. Call us on 04 555 0188, or request a fixed-price quote through our contact page.