Soft Washing in Paddington

Which part of Paddington you are in decides what is on the wall. Oxford Street runs along the ridge between the city and Bondi Junction, and Transport for NSW calls it the primary bus corridor between the two. Woollahra's planning chapter also records increasing traffic there. Along its north side, almost 1.5km of shopfronts from Boundary Street to Queen Street carry original above-awning elevations and decorative parapets in stone, brick and stucco, all of which sit in line for soot film and road grime.

Off the main road, shade and tight frontages take over. A typical house has a recessed ground-floor verandah under an upper balcony, while others have only a small setback or no front garden at all. Those recesses dry slowly, and in tree-lined streets like Paddington Street the canopy can reach across front gardens as well. That gives mould and mildew a better chance.

The back is a different building. Council contrasts the decorative terrace front with a simple, utilitarian rear, and because of the slope those rears are often highly visible from public areas. Finishes also vary through the suburb. Face brick with tuck pointing and roughcast render appears on Edwardian and late Federation buildings, while some single-storey cottages are timber weatherboard. Sandstone may appear as a base course below the brick, which is worth pointing out when you ask for a quote.

The planning controls leave a tired facade with few shortcuts. North of Oxford Street, render must not be stripped unless the wall is re-rendered straight away, and original unpainted brick or sandstone must not be rendered or painted in a way that does not suit the building's style. A soft wash sidesteps both issues, because it cleans the surface that is already there. In October 2026 we cleaned the front of a terrace in Paddington.

Repainting brings its own process in this part of the suburb. Woollahra asks for a colour board when a new exterior colour or a changed paint scheme is proposed, so it pays to find out whether the wall actually needs paint. Removing mould, soot and grime first shows the true state of the existing coat, and if repainting does go ahead, the painter starts on a clean surface.

Terraces are also read as groups. A washed front in a matching row makes the difference easy to see from across the street. Oxford Street owners get a similar lift on the level above the awning, which is the part hardest to reach from the footpath.

Products are biodegradable and safe around gardens, pets and children, a real consideration when the front garden is small. Eaves and fascias are covered, and before-and-after photos give owners, landlords and committees a simple record.