A painted roof looks new for a decade — or peels in two summers. The difference is everything that happens before the paint: pressure cleaning, cracked-tile replacement, repointing and the right primer. Our licensed roofers do the roof work first — repairs, rebedding, repointing — then our qualified painters come in and do what they do best. Roofer first, painter second: that order is the whole job.
Roof painting that lasts is a system, not a coat — and the sequence matters. Our painters go up first with the pressure washer, stripping every tile back to a clean, sound surface: gunk, moss, lichen and chalking all gone. Then our licensed roofers do the roof work on that clean surface — cracked tile replacement, ridge capping rebedding, and repointing with proper weep holes. That fresh pointing then needs to dry before any paint goes near it — so the painters come back on a later day for primer and a minimum two to three coats of membrane. Wash, point, dry, paint: it makes a properly done roof a 2–3 day job at best. Anyone quoting wash, repoint and paint in a single day is either skipping the roof work or painting over wet pointing — which is why the cheap quotes are cheap.
Here's the part of roof painting nobody puts in their ads: if the ridge or barge capping needs repointing — and on most Sydney roofs due for painting, it does — that is licensed roofing work, not painting work. Repointing done properly means assessing the bedding underneath, rebedding where it has failed, and applying flexible pointing in controlled beads that seal and hold the capping. Done by someone who doesn't know the trade, it means compound smeared over the top of failed bedding — it looks "done" from the street for a season, then cracks, lifts and lets water straight into the roof. Here's a detail that separates the trades: properly finished ridge pointing includes weep holes — small breather gaps that let moisture escape from under the capping. Seal a ridge airtight, the way it looks "neatest," and condensation and wind-driven water have nowhere to go: the ridge leaks from the inside. Roofers know this. Painters, almost universally, don't.
The photos below were supplied to us from a job where a roof painter attempted the repointing themselves. To be clear: this is not our work — it's a real example of what we're regularly called out to strip back and redo.
This is why our painting crew is actually two trades. Our licensed roofers do the roof work first — repairs, ridge capping rebedding and repointing with proper weep holes — and then our qualified painters, who just paint, put the membrane over sound work. Each trade does its own job. If a painting quote doesn't itemise the pointing, ask who's doing it and what licence they hold. You can verify any NSW contractor licence free at verify.licence.nsw.gov.au.
For a typical Sydney home, professional roof painting lands between $3,500 and $9,000 depending on roof size, pitch, access and how much repair and repointing the preparation stage needs. As a guide: a single-storey 3-bed with a sound roof sits toward the lower half; two-storey homes, steep pitches and roofs needing rebedding push toward the top. A full roof restoration — painting plus the complete repair, rebed and repoint package — typically runs $4,000–$12,000 and is the better buy when the roof needs more than cosmetics.
Every job is quoted fixed and in writing after a free inspection with photos — the price quoted is the price paid.
If your roof is structurally sound and the tiles are just faded or chalky, painting is the right-sized job. If bedding has cracked, tiles have gone porous or valleys are rusting, painting over it wastes money — that roof needs restoration first. And if tiles are delaminating across the roof, no coating saves it: see our honest roof replacement framework. The free inspection tells you which of the three you actually have, with photos.
Faded or chalking Colorbond and metal roofs repaint well with the right preparation: wash-down, rust treatment on screws and sheet edges, etch primer, then roof-grade membrane. It is a fraction of re-roofing cost and buys years — but rust that has perforated sheets needs metal roof repairs before any paint goes on.
Modern roof membranes come in the full contemporary range — charcoals, greys, Colorbond-matched tones and heat-reflective formulations that measurably drop summer roof-space temperatures. We bring colour cards to the inspection.
Both, in the right order. Our licensed roofers handle all roof work first: repairs, rebedding, and repointing with proper weep holes so the ridge can breathe. Then our qualified painters, who specialise in painting only, apply the membrane system. Roofer first, painter second.
Typically 2–3 days at best, because the sequence has a drying stage in it: our painters pressure wash first, our licensed roofers then rebed and repoint with weep holes, the fresh pointing must dry, and the painters return to prime and coat. One-day quotes only work by painting over wet pointing or skipping the roof work.
Most Sydney homes fall between $3,500 and $9,000 depending on size, pitch, access and preparation needed. Painting with full restoration work (rebedding, repointing, tile repairs) runs $4,000–$12,000. Fixed written quote after a free inspection.
A properly prepared two-to-three coat membrane system typically performs 10–15 years. Preparation is everything — coatings applied over dirty, chalky or unstable surfaces fail in a couple of years.
Yes — wash-down, rust treatment, etch primer and roof-grade membrane. Sheets rusted through need repair or replacement first, which we will show you in the inspection photos.
Painting suits a structurally sound roof that has faded. If bedding or tiles have failed, restoration is the right job; if the roof is at end of life, we will tell you straight and quote the honest option. The free inspection settles it with photos.
Yes — heat-reflective membrane options are available and can noticeably reduce roof-space temperatures in summer. Ask at the inspection and we will quote both ways.
Related: roof restoration Sydney · roof replacement · metal roof repairs · tile roof repairs
Small roof problems become expensive water damage fast. Get a licensed roofer on the roof this week — free inspection, photo report and a fixed written quote with no obligation.
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