Painter's work wins buckets of praise

WINNING STREAK: Performance Decorator Ltd owner Luke Mende with the Master Painter award he won for painting the exterior of the Wairarapa Times-Age building on Chapel St. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

Painting the exterior of the Wairarapa Times-Age building has earned Masterton painter Luke Mende an award which no other Wairarapa painter has won.

The owner of Performance Decorating Ltd was stoked to have been awarded the Master Painters Best Commercial Rework Exterior Character award in the Master Painter of the Year 2014 competition.

"I'm really happy," the 31-year-old said.

Mr Mende said the owner of the building, Dave Borman, wanted the colour to be in keeping with the art deco era it was built in.

The building was purpose-built for the newspaper in the 1930s.

He said he had to mix the colours himself because they weren't quite right and he was extremely impressed with the final product. "It's just so unique and visually affective ... we wanted to try and keep it art deco with the era it was built in."

The main base colour used was called Rob Roy but Mr Mende added another colour to make it a bit lighter.

The darker colour on letters and the trim of the building is called Armadillo.

The building was painted the old-fashioned way, with a brush, not sprayed on, taking staff two weeks to complete.

"There was a lot of traffic so spraying wasn't really an option ... Using a brush on concrete or brick, the paint gets into all the natural cracks and crevices of the building which leaves it looking great."

Mr Mende has owned his own business since his early 20s and says winning the award showed his business was going places.

"No other painters in the Wairarapa have won this award. This is a first."