Bristol Arms Hotel, Ultimo: Façade Repaint by Rope Access

The building

The Bristol Arms Hotel is a three-storey brick hotel on a corner in Ultimo. Painted render bands run between the brickwork, and the parapet carries gables, the hotel name and raised decorative crests, one of them dated.

The challenge

The painted render had faded and weathered, and the crests had lost their colour. Most of the work sat at parapet and upper-floor level, above a footpath and a busy street, on two street elevations.

Before and after

The two photos below were taken from slightly different positions on the street, so the framing is close but not identical. The new finish replaced the weathered yellow bands with a lighter cream tone, with the crests picked out in gold.

What we did

1. Rope access on the street elevations

Our technicians worked both street elevations on ropes rigged from roof level, so the upper floors and parapet could be painted without scaffolding over the footpath.

2. Painting the rendered surfaces

The render bands, window surrounds, gables and parapet were repainted drop by drop across the façade.

3. Detail work on the crests

The raised crests were painted by hand with a brush, so the gold sits only on the relief and the surrounding render stays clean.

Result

Both street elevations of the hotel are repainted, with the crests and parapet details finished to match. The before and after photos above show the change from street level.

Services used on this project

Façade painting · Rope access painting · Rope access in the Sydney CBD · Commercial building maintenance

More projects

• Dee Why: eight strata buildings washed, repaired and repainted
• Mosman: more than 130 timber windows restored and painted
• North Sydney: high-rise repaint by rope access
• TAFE Ultimo: façade repairs and painting over six months

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