Corrimal Painters Who Know the Old Coke Works Suburb

Corrimal painting, with a coke works chimney on the skyline

You can pick out Corrimal from a distance by the brick chimney west of the railway station. The coke works it belonged to opened in 1912 and closed in 2014, and the suburb is now watching that site turn into a new neighbourhood. WM Painting & Decorating is licensed and insured, with over 10 years of painting and decorating experience, and we plan Corrimal jobs around the age of the house, how close it sits to the escarpment or the beach, and the building work going on nearby.

The sections below cover the redevelopment, older worker housing, heritage paperwork and the two very different weather conditions on either side of the Princes Highway. To book, call 0434 432 267 or use the contact page.

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Painting services around Corrimal

Interior Painting

Repaints for older cottages and post-war homes, plus fresh finishes for new apartments and townhouses.

Exterior Painting

Weather-ready exterior coatings for brick, timber, render and fibro, with extra prep on walls near the beach or the escarpment.

Commercial Painting

Shops on Corrimal Street and new retail and cafe space, painted around opening hours.

Roof Painting & Coatings

Roof recoats that deal with salt, moss and stained tiles or sheeting before a coating goes on.

Decorative Finishes

Feature walls, colour schemes and finishes for homes that have been renovated more than once.

The Works: a coke works becomes a neighbourhood

The Corrimal Coke Works ran for just over a century, using Bulli Seam coal to make coke for foundries and metal producers. Heritage assessments say it helped establish the suburb and employed local families across generations; the Engineers Australia heritage record sets out the plant’s history. Today Legacy Property’s masterplan, called The Works, covers about 18 hectares. It keeps the 1912 brick chimney, rebuilds a bank of the original C1 coke ovens and reuses the powerhouse. The first 179 apartments of Stage 1 have started construction, and a Heritage Plaza proposal with retail, cafes and shared workspaces was on exhibition with council until 18 March 2026, according to Region Illawarra.

This matters for painting in a few ways. Building sites mean dust, trucks and mortar splash, so we recommend timing an exterior repaint for after the heaviest works near you, or washing and priming thoroughly before topcoats. New apartments will need strata painting programmes in their turn, and new cafes will need shopfront and interior work. Our commercial painting page explains how we work around trading.

Worker cottages and post-war streets near the station

Housing near the station tends to be modest cottages and later brick and fibro homes, the sort of streets a works like that supports. Many have been extended, re-roofed and repainted by several owners. That history is worth remembering when you plan a repaint, because the layers underneath rarely match the colour on top.

We check old paint for flaking and chalking, test whether it will hold a new coat, and treat any bare timber or rusted fixings before priming. On older eaves and fascias we look for water damage first, since new paint over wet rot only hides the problem for a season. Where the house dates from before 1970, we assume lead may be present and follow the NSW EPA’s LeadSmart renovating advice: wet scraping, no heat guns, tidy waste handling, and children kept clear. Our interior painting work in older homes follows the same dust control.

Interim heritage orders and checking your own address

In 2019 Wollongong City Council placed an Interim Heritage Order on the coke works site under the NSW Heritage Act 1977 after a demolition approval was issued, and asked the Heritage Council to consider the site for the State Heritage Register. We did not find a final outcome, so check the State register for its current status.

For an ordinary house, the question is simpler. If your property is a listed heritage item or sits in a conservation area, Wollongong generally requires a heritage exemption and an approved colour scheme before repainting, as the council’s Heritage Repainting and Colour Guidelines explain. Most Corrimal houses are not listed, but a quick check with council before you choose colours costs nothing. Our colour consultation service can help you narrow down a scheme that suits the era of the house.

East of the highway: salt, wind and Corrimal Beach

Streets closer to the beach get a milder version of the exposure on the south coast headlands. Salt-laden air settles on walls, window frames, gutters and metal fences, holds moisture against the surface and speeds up rust under paint. Painted timber and steel in these streets needs a fresh water wash to remove salt before any prep.

We spot treat rust, prime bare metal, use exterior coatings suited to the surface, and pay attention to the joints where water gets in: window heads, corners and the bottom edge of boards. Darker colours on sunny west walls cook the paint faster and show chalking sooner, so we talk through colour choices as well as products. If the roof is salt-stained or covered in moss, our roof painting and spraying page covers what a recoat involves.

West of the highway: runoff and shade under the escarpment

Houses on the western side of Corrimal sit closer to the Illawarra escarpment. Heavy rain runs off the slope, shaded walls dry slowly, and damp gets into sub-floors and the lower edges of cladding. The paint problems here are mould, peeling at the base of walls and blistering on south-facing timber.

We treat mould before painting, check that downpipes and drains move water away from the wall, and let timber dry before the first coat. On sloping blocks, access matters: steep side paths and uneven ground change how we set up ladders and scaffolding, and that affects the quote. We would rather tell you that when we inspect than add it later. For exteriors across Corrimal, see our exterior painting page.

Corrimal and the suburbs around it

We also work in Bulli, Thirroul and Helensburgh, and our Wollongong page covers the city and the suburbs between. See the full areas we serve list for more. If your job is in a unit block or a commercial building, tell us when you call so we can arrange access and any building manager sign-off.

Call 0434 432 267 and we will visit, inspect the surfaces and send a fixed written quote.

What Our Customers Say

    
 
 
         
   Lynn Thomson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Quality job would highly recommend
  
 
        
   Matthew Jones 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great all round performance from the crew. Great job quality, friendly and polite people to deal with , and very clean and tidy.
  
 
        
   Dylan Readman 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Was such an easy experience getting William to paint our  house
From start to finish the process was great!
We couldn’t recommend him more!
Thankyou!
  
 
        
   Lincoln Bell 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Couldn't recommend Will and his team enough. Quality was second to none, fair price and great communication.

If I could leave 6 stars I would!
  
 
        
   Aiden Menzies 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Appreciate William and the crew for coming out on short notice.

The high standard of work and communication was exactly what I was looking for after recently moving to the southern highlands.

Couldn’t recommend WMPainting & decorating enough for all your needs on your new or old homes

Thanks again Will
  
 
        
   Ian Town 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Will and his team painted the outside of our house in Bundanoon along with our fence and some interior touch-ups. We were very happy with the overall results. Will was easy to communicate with and we found his team friendly, punctual and most importantly, cleaned up well after themselves! Would definitely recommend to others.
  
 
        
   Fiona Saunders 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I had will and his team paint my unit in Wollongong and I am very happy with there services
  
 
        
   M Griffin 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Good painter, nice service
  
 
        
   Taylah Chapman 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Done photography with the team, great to work with
  
 
        
   Beth Morris 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional conduct, on time, yet friendly.
Fantastic paint job, we are very happy with the results! We will be using Will and Chris again!!

How We Work

Consultation and Color Selection: We help you choose the perfect colors and finishes.
Surface Preparation: We ensure surfaces are well-prepared for painting.
Clean and Efficient Process: Our team works neatly and swiftly to minimise disruption.
Professional Painting: Experienced painters deliver high-quality results.

Choosing a season for your Corrimal repaint

Spring and autumn suit most exterior jobs between the escarpment and the coast. Summer heat can dry paint too fast on west walls, and winter rain slows drying on shaded ones. If building works are active next door, we can talk through timing so fresh paint does not collect dust. Tell us if you have a sale or tenancy date and we will plan around it.

Corrimal painting FAQ

Is the old Corrimal Coke Works site heritage listed?

Council placed an Interim Heritage Order on it in 2019 and asked for State Heritage Register consideration. We could not find the final outcome, so check the State register. The redevelopment plans keep the 1912 chimney.

Does building work nearby affect when I should repaint?

It can. Dust, mortar splash and truck traffic are rough on fresh paint. We can wash and prime now and apply topcoats later, or time the whole job for after the heaviest works.

Do I need council approval to repaint my Corrimal house?

Only if it is a listed heritage item or in a conservation area. Wollongong asks for a heritage exemption and approved colours in those cases. Check with council for your address.

Is salt a problem for homes near Corrimal Beach?

Yes, on exposed walls, metal fences and window frames. We wash salt off with fresh water, treat rust, prime bare spots and choose coatings suited to the surface.

Do you work on unit blocks and shops in Corrimal?

Yes. We paint units, shops, cafes and offices, and plan the work around residents and trading hours. Call 0434 432 267 to discuss access and timing.

Request your Corrimal painting quote

Tell us about your Corrimal property. You get a free quote, a fixed price in writing and a clear plan for the job.

Let Our Paintbrush Do The Talking

At WM Painting, we use only the best equipment and materials to ensure the highest quality workmanship. Our team is committed to delivering excellence in all of our services, and we won’t be satisfied until you are.