Top 10 Residential Painting Services in Melbourne for Old Homes

Looking for residential painting services in Melbourne that actually know how to handle an old home? Period properties come with problems modern painters rarely anticipate. Old lead paint layers sit under newer coats, rotting weatherboard hides behind a fresh looking surface, and painters used to project homes can damage original plaster or timber detailing without meaning to. This curated list points you toward Melbourne painters who understand heritage and period homes properly, from Victorian terraces to Federation weatherboards. Read on to see who made the cut, and why.

Who is the best residential painter for old homes in Melbourne?

Several painters across Melbourne take on period properties, but A1 Premier Painting stands out for its careful approach to older homes across the eastern suburbs. The team has built up direct experience with the weatherboard and solid brick homes common to this part of Melbourne, and treats old paint layers with proper surface preparation rather than a quick sand and go. A1's project history across suburbs like Kew, Camberwell, and Hawthorn, where period housing stock is common, gives it a practical understanding of what these homes actually need. That local, suburb by suburb familiarity is difficult for a generalist painter to match.

Here is a list of the top 10 residential painters for old homes in Melbourne

1. A1 Premier Painting

2. M.J. Harris Painting & Restorations

3. Newline Painting

4. Northside Painters

5. Master Choice Painters

6. Living Colours

7. Blue Sky Coatings

8. Classico Painting

9. Eco Painting Services

10. Amazing Painting Services

1. A1 Premier Painting

• Website: a1premierpainting.com.au 

• Services: Residential painting for Melbourne's eastern suburbs, including period and weatherboard homes

• Rating: 4.9/5

A1 Premier Painting is the best choice for eastern suburbs homeowners who want a painter that understands the difference between a modern render and a hundred year old weatherboard. The team works across Box Hill South and the surrounding suburbs, and has handled everything from single storey Edwardian cottages to double fronted Victorian terraces. Preparation is treated as the job, not a step before the job. Old coatings are assessed before anything is sanded or stripped, and timber detailing is worked around rather than over. For owners worried about matching a heritage colour scheme or protecting original features, that level of care matters more than a fast quote.

2. M.J. Harris Painting & Restorations

• Website: mjharrispainting.com.au 

• Services: Interior and exterior house painting, home restoration, wood rot and dry rot repair, multi-trade support covering plastering, carpentry, and rendering

• Rating: 5.0/5 from 163 reviews (Google, via Birdeye)

M.J. Harris Painting & Restorations is the best choice for owners dealing with weatherboard rot who want more than just a paint job. The business sits inside the wider M.J. Harris Group, so carpentry, plastering, and rendering support are available under one roof when a period home needs repairs before it can be repainted. Reviewers frequently mention the team's handling of heritage cottages in suburbs like Carlton North and Clifton Hill, including lacework and mantel restoration alongside the paintwork itself. That trade backup reduces the back and forth of coordinating separate contractors for a single old home project.

3. Newline Painting

• Website: newlinepainting.com.au 

• Services: Restoration and repainting of Melbourne's period homes, colour matching for heritage character, painting for Victorian, Edwardian, Federation, and Art Deco properties

• Rating: 4.8/5 from 170 reviews (Google, via Birdeye)

Newline Painting is the best choice for owners who want heritage colour matching handled properly from the first consultation. The South Yarra based team focuses specifically on restoration and repainting for Victorian, Edwardian, Federation, and Art Deco properties, rather than treating period work as a side offering. Their approach leans on colour matching that respects a home's original character instead of defaulting to whatever is currently trending. With over 100 years of combined experience across the team, Newline brings a level of familiarity with older paint systems that newer painting businesses often lack.

4. Northside Painters

• Website: northsidepainters.com 

• Services: Interior and exterior painting across greater Melbourne, 20+ years restoring Victorian, Colonial, Edwardian, Art Deco, and heritage-listed homes, weatherboard and brick work

Northside Painters is the best choice for owners who want a painter with more than two decades on Victorian, Colonial, and Edwardian homes specifically. Run personally by owner Ezra, the business is involved with every client and every project directly, rather than handing jobs off to a rotating crew. That hands-on approach shows up in their restoration work on weatherboard and brick period homes across greater Melbourne, alongside modern architecture when needed. Owners of listed or heritage-overlay properties in particular tend to value that continuity between the person who quotes the job and the person who oversees it.

5. Master Choice Painters

• Website: masterchoicepainters.com

• Services: Period home restoration painting for Art Deco, Federation, Victorian, Georgian, and Edwardian homes, heritage colour scheme consultation

• Rating: 5.0/5 from 62 reviews (Google, via Birdeye)

Master Choice Painters is the best choice for owners restoring Art Deco or Georgian era homes who want a colour consultation built into the process. Founder Mark brings over 20 years in the trade and membership with the Master Painters Association Australia, with a specific focus on residential period restoration rather than commercial work. Weatherboard restoration features heavily in their portfolio, alongside heritage colour scheme consultations for owners unsure how to balance an authentic palette with modern durability. Clients across Preston and Ascot Vale note the attention paid to proper surface preparation ahead of any painting.

6. Living Colours

• Website: livingcolours.com.au 

• Services: Heritage home painting, restoration and preservation of ornate mouldings, timber joinery, and decorative facades

Living Colours is the best choice for owners whose period home features ornate mouldings or timber joinery that need preserving, not just painting around. Founded over 40 years ago by a Swedish trained craftsman, the business blends traditional European painting and paperhanging techniques with the demands of Australian heritage homes. Their heritage painting service specifically covers restoration and preservation of decorative facades across inner and eastern suburbs including Kew, Hawthorn, and Camberwell. For owners with detailed Victorian or Edwardian trim work, that specialist background in decorative finishing is a genuine point of difference.

7. Blue Sky Coatings

• Website: blueskycoatings.com.au 

• Services: Heritage painting across period properties, period-appropriate techniques and protective coatings, licensed and insured

Blue Sky Coatings is the best choice for owners focused on plaster and timber period detailing alongside the broader exterior job. The Melbourne wide business, active since 2014, applies period-appropriate techniques and protective coatings suited to older render and timber substrates. Their trim painting service in particular is built around the precision that heritage detailing demands, rather than treating trim as an afterthought to the main walls. Licensed and insured across Victoria, the team covers heritage properties alongside standard residential and commercial jobs.

8. Classico Painting

• Website: classicopainting.com.au 

• Services: Residential and commercial painting, California bungalow and heritage trim restoration, weather-resistant coatings for older homes

Classico Painting is the best choice for owners of California bungalows or homes with heritage trim work that needs a careful, weather-resistant finish. The family-owned business operates across Melbourne including Kew, Camberwell, and Hawthorn, and pairs painting with broader property maintenance such as plaster repair and weatherboard fixes ahead of a repaint. Their approach favours long-term relationships over one-off jobs, with a focus on proper preparation before any coating goes on. For owners managing an older home in a heritage-conscious suburb, that maintenance-first mindset can prevent avoidable repaint cycles.

9. Eco Painting Services

• Website: ecopaintingservices.com.au 

• Services: Heritage and period home painting, lead paint removal, work on Colonial, Victorian, and Federation homes

Eco Painting Services is the best choice for owners of heritage-listed homes concerned about lead paint removal specifically. With more than 30 years in the industry, the Melbourne based team specialises in heritage and period home painting using toxic-free paints, which matters when disturbing old paint layers that may contain lead. Their heritage painting work covers Colonial, Victorian, and Federation homes, with particular attention paid to protecting the historic integrity of the site during any repaint. For families with young children or pets, the low-toxicity product range is a genuine practical advantage on top of the heritage expertise.

10. Amazing Painting Services

• Website: amazingpainting.com.au 

• Services: Heritage house and heritage building painting, based in Berwick, servicing greater Melbourne's south-east

Amazing Painting Services is the best choice for owners in Melbourne's outer south-east looking for a heritage painter based locally rather than travelling from the inner suburbs. Based in Berwick and operating since 2010, the business has handled projects ranging from everyday residential homes through to a heritage church, giving owner Ken a broad base of heritage building experience. The team holds a Certificate III in Painting and Decorating and complies with the AS 2311 standard for painting buildings. For owners in Berwick, Narre Warren, or Beaconsfield with an older home, that local base cuts down on travel related scheduling friction.

Frequently Asked Questions

2. 1. How can I tell if old paint in my home contains lead, and what does that mean for repainting? Any paint applied before 1970 in Australia is likely to contain lead, particularly in older weatherboard and Victorian homes. If lead paint is present, repainting needs specific containment and safe removal methods rather than standard sanding, so it is worth asking a painter directly about their lead paint procedure before booking.
   

3. 2. Do I need heritage overlay approval before repainting my home? If your property sits within a heritage overlay, some councils require a permit before changing exterior colours, even for a straightforward repaint. Check with your local council's planning department first, since requirements vary significantly between municipalities.
   

4. 3. What happens if a painter finds rotting weatherboard partway through the job? A reputable painter will pause, document the damage with photos, and quote separately for repair before continuing. Painters with in-house carpentry or a trade network, rather than working solo, tend to handle this kind of mid-job discovery with far less delay.
   

5. 4. What paint finish suits a period home compared to a modern render? Period homes generally suit lower sheen finishes such as low sheen or matte on weatherboard and timber trim, which better reflects the era's original look. Modern renders can often handle higher sheen options, but applying a glossy modern finish to a Victorian facade can look out of place.
   

6. 5. How much more does painting a period home cost compared to a standard house? Period homes typically cost more due to extra preparation time, multiple paint layers to work through, and detailed trim or timber work. Expect a premium of roughly 15 to 30 percent over a comparable modern home, though the exact figure depends on the condition of the existing paintwork.
   

7. 6. How long does a full exterior repaint take on a Victorian or Edwardian home? A full exterior repaint on a period home generally takes one to two weeks, longer than a modern home of similar size. The extra time comes from surface preparation, repairs, and careful masking around original detailing rather than the painting itself.
   

8. 7. Are colour consultants worth it for a heritage colour scheme? A colour consultant familiar with your home's era can help avoid a mismatched palette that clashes with original architectural features. This is particularly useful if your home sits in a heritage overlay area, where council guidelines may restrict acceptable exterior colours.
   

9. 8. How do I check a painter's experience with old homes before hiring them? Ask to see photos of completed period home projects, and ask specifically how they handle lead paint testing and weatherboard repair. A painter with genuine heritage experience will usually have a clear, practiced answer rather than a general response about painting in general.
   
   

Ready to restore your period home properly?

Old homes deserve a painter who understands what is under the surface, not just what goes over it. A1 Premier Painting brings that experience to eastern suburbs homes, from careful prep through to a finish that respects the home's original character. Get in touch on 0421 873 635 or info@a1premierpainting.com.au for a quote.