Kamo company wins national award for Tutukaka's Oceans Resort Hotel paint job

Master Painters Association award winners Peter and Tania McNabb. Photo / John Stone

There is much more to a good paint job than just brushing on the colour — there is perfectionist preparation of the surface and often a lot of opinion sharing.

Peter McNabb, from McNabb Decorators Kamo, cheerfully admits he gave the designer a few choice opinions when his and wife Tania's company got the contract to paint the Oceans Resort Hotel building at Tutukaka in 2016.

That multi-coloured, challenging, rewarding job has just generated another pay-off for the McNabbs' second-generation family business, a Master Painters NZ Association Award of Excellence.

McNabb Decorators received the trophy for the Rework Exterior - Contemporary category at the annual awards in Queenstown.

Although the company was proud of the result of the difficult Oceans paint job, the McNabbs had to be persuaded to enter the awards by others involved in the exterior make-over, Tania McNabb said.

''It's the first time we've put an entry in and we're so pleased we did.''

The Rework Exterior - Contemporary judging process involved companies submitting photos, then the judges travelling all over New Zealand for a close-up inspection.

Peter McNabb said that as well as their dedicated staff's contribution, the couple were ''sharing the glory'' with Whangarei designer Richard Cranenburgh from On the Edge Design, and Trevor Griffiths from Griffiths & Associates who awarded McNabb Decorating the contract.

Peter McNabb described Cranenburgh as ''a great guy'' whose colour design for the job needed time to come to terms with.

He also speaks highly of the product used on the Oceans contract, and modern advances in paint.

''They don't fade, they're better suited to the environment. The technology is just miles ahead these days.''

As for getting the best finish, every painter knows it depends as much on the preparation of what's underneath as the paint job, he said.