Special Finishes Riverstone

A fresh coat of paint makes a room feel clean. A special finish makes it feel like yours. Whether it's a bold feature wall in the living room, a soft painted design in a child's bedroom, a timber staircase brought back to life or a hard wearing coating on a surface that takes a beating, the right finish turns an ordinary space into one people notice.

Colours Painting and Decorating Services is based in Riverstone and works across Sydney's Hills district. Alongside interior and exterior painting and wallpapering, Charlie does special effects wall painting, spray painting and timber finishes, and he helps you choose colours and effects that suit your home. This page explains the special finishes we offer, how to pick the right one, and what to expect when we do the job.

What counts as a special finish?

A special finish is anything beyond a plain, flat coat of paint. It might be about colour, like a feature wall in a strong shade or a colour matched to a fabric or tile. It might be about texture or pattern, like a painted design or mural. Or it might be about the surface itself, like timber that's stained and varnished so the grain shows through, or a specialty coating chosen because a surface needs to stand up to heavy use.

What these jobs have in common is that they take more care than a standard repaint. Preparation has to be spot on, because any flaw in the wall shows up more under a deep colour or a sheen. The products have to suit the surface. And the application needs a steady hand and a bit of patience, because a special finish is usually the first thing people look at when they walk into the room.

The special finishes we offer

Every home is different, so we'll talk through what suits yours before anything is decided. These are the finishes Hills district homeowners ask us about most.

• Feature walls: one wall in a stronger colour or effect to anchor a living room, bedroom or entry.
• Painting designs and murals: simple painted patterns, stripes or designs that add personality, popular in kids' rooms, playrooms and home offices.
• Colour matching: matching paint to an existing colour, a cushion, a tile or a sample you love, so new work blends in or ties a room together.
• Timber finishes: staining and varnishing doors, stairs, handrails, trims and furniture so the timber looks rich and is protected.
• Specialty coatings: tougher coatings for surfaces that take more wear than a normal wall.
• Spray finishes: a smooth, even spray painted finish for items and surfaces where brush marks would show.

Choosing the right finish for your room

The best special finish is one that suits the room, the light and the way you live. A deep feature colour can look dramatic in a room with lots of natural light and feel heavy in a dim hallway. A gloss or satin sheen shows off timber and smooth walls, but it also highlights any bumps underneath. A busy pattern can bring a small room to life or make it feel cramped.

Charlie helps you work through these choices before any paint is bought. He'll look at which way the room faces, how much sun it gets at different times of day, the floor colour and the furniture you're keeping, then suggest options that suit. If you have a picture or a sample of something you like, that's a great place to start.

• Look at colour samples on the actual wall, in morning and afternoon light, before deciding.
• Pick the feature wall people see first when they walk in, usually the one opposite the doorway.
• Keep one strong element per room: a bold wall or a busy pattern, not both.
• Think about wear: kids' rooms, hallways and stairs need a finish that cleans easily.
• For timber, decide whether you want the grain to show (stain and varnish) or a solid colour (paint).

Special finishes in Hills district homes

The homes we work in across the Hills district each suit special finishes in their own way. In the newer estates around Kellyville, Rouse Hill and Box Hill, many houses were finished with plain neutral walls throughout. A feature wall or a painted design in the living area or main bedroom is one of the easiest ways to make a project home feel personal without repainting every room.

In more established suburbs like Baulkham Hills and Castle Hill, we often see original timber staircases, doors and trims that have been painted over or have lost their finish. Stripping back, staining and varnishing can bring out the character of the timber again. On the acreage properties around Dural and Glenhaven, bigger rooms and higher ceilings give more room for bold colour and larger feature walls.

Wherever you are, the goal is the same: a finish that suits the house and the people living in it, done neatly enough that it looks like it was always meant to be there.

How we approach a special finish job

Special finishes reward careful preparation, so that's where most of our time goes. We fill and sand the wall until it's smooth, repair any damaged gyprock or plaster, and make sure the surface is clean and sound before we start. For timber, we sand back old coatings and prepare the grain so stain and varnish go on evenly.

We protect floors and furniture, then apply the finish in the right number of coats for the product and the look you want. We only use Dulux and Taubmans paint. When the job is done, we walk through it with you so you're happy with how it looks before we pack up and clean up.

• Talk through the look you want and the room it's going in.
• Choose colours, sheen and effect together, with samples where needed.
• Prepare the surface properly: filling, sanding, repairs and priming.
• Apply the finish carefully, coat by coat.
• Walk through the finished job together and tidy up.

Looking after your special finish

A special finish will look good for a long time if it's looked after. Wipe painted feature walls gently with a soft damp cloth rather than scrubbing, and avoid harsh cleaners that can dull the sheen. For stained and varnished timber, a soft cloth and a mild cleaner keep it looking its best, and a fresh coat of varnish down the track brings back the shine on high traffic areas like stair treads and handrails.

If a special finish ever gets damaged, it's usually best to touch it up properly rather than patching it yourself, because effects and deep colours are hard to blend. Keeping a note of the colours and products used makes that much easier, and we can give you those details when the job is finished.

Related services

• our interior painting service
• wallpapering
• more about spray painting
• wood painting for your home
• see our house painting work

Where we do special finishes

• Special finishes in Baulkham Hills
• Special finishes in Castle Hill
• Special finishes in Dural
• All the areas we serve

Frequently asked questions

Have a room that needs something special? Call Charlie on 0456 090 014 to talk about your job.