Capturing a heritage painting masterclass

Master painter ben Cunningham shares his knowledge on painting heritage windows as part of the National Trust’s program to retain traditional skills and regenerate the State’s heritage buildings.

The National Trust’s Australian Artisan Trades Academy (AATA) provides practical learning opportunities in the applied use of the traditional trades and skills required to maintain and preserve our heritage buildings.

As part of the Trust’s building regeneration program, the Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum received funding from the SA Heritage Grants Program to carry out urgent restoration work on windows in the main building, originally the Highercome Hotel, built in 1853. Master painter Ben Cunningham, from Watermark Painters, was engaged to remove layers of paint, and to replace old putty and areas of rotting timber.

AATA project manager, Ali De Backer, seized the opportunity to interview Ben onsite as he worked, capturing his considerable knowledge in a twopart video now available for viewing on Youtube as part of the Trust’s commitment to documenting trades involved in conservation and restoration processes, and producing learning resources that people can access in years to come.

Ben noted that the windows on the southern side of the building were in the worst condition, due to the prevailing wind and rain and their exposed nature. “We want them to function as windows,” he explained. “What’s happened with a lot of properties of this vintage is that they have been painted poorly, so essentially layers and layers of paint was probably what they thought was going to protect it. It did in a way but the problem with more paint is that it actually fills all the edges up, which means everything gets thicker. We’ve got examples on this place of between eight to 12 coats of paint.”

This had created what Ben calls fat edges, so the windows no longer opened. However, after working on the Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum for several weeks the original windows are now all repaired, operable and painted inside and out.

Ben’s Top Tips

• Good preparation is key for any paint job.

• If multiple windows have to be removed for repairs, number them so they go back in the right spot.

• Safety first — removing old paint requires lead encapsulation and using dustless sanding systems.

• Semi -gloss paint cleans well and shows fewer imperfections than high-gloss paint.

Ben reiterated the importance of lead awareness in older buildings, not just for listed properties but any properties built before 1975. He encourages homeowners to consider using a master painter, to reduce the risks of exposure to lead and working at heights.