Andrew’s craft is a coat of new paint
Lick of new paint immeasurably lifts the whole ambience and tone of almost any home or flat.
That’s why Andrew Abbott, one of Orange’s premier painters, love his job, and it’s also why he is so flat-out!
“I’ve been a painter for about 15-years and run my own business for eight, I’m that busy at the moment, people can’t go on holidays, can’t go overseas, they’re stuck in their home and they’re deciding to do something about it,” Andrew said.
With most of his work involving repainting established residential, and some commercial properties, getting the job done right is his first priority.
“I specialise in repaints of interiors and exteriors, extensions, and heritage work and, for that reason, I don’t do many new homes where it is often just ‘spray-on and move-on’,” he said.
He is also one of the few Dulux-accredited painters in town and exclusively uses their brand for all his paints. “I’ve always used Dulux paints, there’s so much testing and science behind it, I believe it’s the best on the market,” he said.
“There are only a few of us in town, and I believe that only about two-and-a-half per cent of all painters in Australia, are accredited,” he explained.
“They check your work, that you’re not cutting corners and are using the right systems. I was lucky, I was taught the right way, and, with painting, you get what you pay for,” Andrew said.
Looking to repaint your humble home? Andrew says, make sure of the colours and matches you want — before you commit!
“Definitely, we’ve had a few times where we’ve started on a place and the owners have said, ‘ohh, it’s too dark,’ and we’ve had to go back and start again.
“People like contrasts… I always recommend they use test pots and mix-and-match the different colours to see that they all go-together,” he said.
“A lot of old places are dark-coloured inside, and we can lift them with lighter colours which are more popular now.”
Andrew fell into being a house-painter by chance, but now loves the work.
“I first started out of school, I went to Orange High, and I just wanted an apprenticeship, anything really, but now I get quite a lot of satisfaction from my job,” Andrew said.
“It’s the pleasure of looking at an old run-down house and seeing it brought back to life, that is really rewarding,” he said.
As painters are often the last tradies to work on a new or renovated property, he said though that they often get left picking-up the pieces of other people’s work.
“If someone stuffs up or hits a wall, doesn’t finish the gyprocking or plastering properly, they always say, ‘don’t, worry, the painters will fix-it’,” Andrew laughs.
Email: andrew.abbott.painting@gmail.com
Mob. 0421 861 262