Over roughly three weeks in March 2026, our rope-access crews completed a full wash, repair and repaint of the north elevation of Messina Apartments — a residential tower in the heart of Milton, just west of Brisbane’s CBD. The entire job was delivered by IRATA-certified abseilers, with no scaffolding and minimal disruption to residents.
The brief
The building’s body corporate needed the weathered northern facade brought back to life and protected against Brisbane’s harsh sun and storms. Like most rendered high-rises of its age, the elevation showed hairline cracks, hydrostatic blistering, rust spotting and tired, chalking paint — along with sections of render and window sealant that needed attention before any new coating could go on.
Why rope access
Rather than wrap the building in scaffolding — slow, costly and intrusive for residents — our team accessed every part of the facade on ropes. Rope access let us move quickly across the elevation, work around occupied apartments, and keep the timeline tight, while our in-house WHS team managed exclusion zones, signage and safety on the ground.
Repairs & preparation
Great paint is only as good as the surface beneath it. Before a single coat went on, the crew carried out a thorough prep and rectification stage:
- ✓High-pressure cleaned the entire elevation to strip dirt, salts and chalking
- ✓Cut out and repaired hairline cracks, hydrostatic blisters and rust spots
- ✓Re-rendered and re-textured damaged sections to blend invisibly into the wall
- ✓Replaced perished frame-to-wall caulking around windows
- ✓Repaired and re-patched render to the Lot 504 balcony
Each repair was floated and re-textured by hand, so the finished surface reads as one continuous, uniform facade rather than a patchwork of fixes.
A Dulux Acratex membrane system
The northern facade was finished with two coats of the Dulux Acratex membrane system, applied in strict accordance with the Dulux specification — a high-pressure clean, spot-priming of bare areas, then two full coats. Acratex is a flexible, high-build membrane that bridges fine cracks and protects render against water, UV and structural movement, all backed by a Dulux warranty.
The result
The outcome is a clean, uniform, fully protected north elevation — repaired, recoated and ready to stand up to the Queensland weather for years to come. The whole project was completed in around three weeks, without a stick of scaffolding, and with residents able to come and go throughout.
Thinking about a repaint for your building?
If your strata, body corporate or commercial building needs a high-access repaint or rectification, we’d love to help — including a free Building Health Diagnosis and a clear, fixed-price quote across Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and South East Queensland.
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