Whether he’s painting in the UK or Downunder, David Brickell loves being a tradie and the adventures it’s brought.
Painting – like all trades – continues to grow in its offerings to the Aussie market. David is no stranger to this – having been a painter for more than 20 years – and it’s something he’s relished.
David started life as a tradie in London, where he completed his apprenticeship around 2003. From there he grew to own his own painting business, doing plenty of residential and small commercial jobs across the Cockney Capital.
Familial obligations eventually drew him to Australia, where he picked right up where he left off in London.
Clean skies
Back Down Under; David started a new business – Clean Lines Painting and Decorating.
“We started off in just residential but we started moving over to more of the commercial and strata painting,” he said.
“We do a lot of shop fit outs as well as schools and maintenance jobs.”
Clean Lines is based in Croydon Hills in Melbourne’s north-east, but operates across the metro area.
David described his team’s work as “bespoke” in that a lot of the commercial work his team does is on the fancier side of retail including a number of stores in the Chadstone Shopping Centre.
“One residential (building) client we have had a commercial shop-fitting company as well,” David said.
“He asked me to do some commercial work – I had done a lot of it already in the UK so it wasn’t foreign to me.”
Smooth as sorbet
David and his team are always on the lookout for ways to expand their clientele. One such area Clean Lines found itself expanding into offering was Venetian Plastering.
For non-painters out there, Venetian Plastering uses a thin veneer of slaked lime putty which is mixed with dusty materials like marble or quartz.
“I’ve got three staff who come from a Venetian plastering background,” David said.
“We were picking up jobs that needed Venetian plastering, and they put their hands up to do it and we priced for it.
“Then it sort of built up from there.”
A fresh coat
When asked what differences there were between painting in the UK and painting in Australia, David was to-the-point.
“I mean, painting’s painting right?” he joked.
“I worked on a lot more heritage buildings in the UK, which makes sense with it being a helluva lot older than Australia.”
“In Australia, it’s much more about the newer builds, whereas in the UK there were more ornate and intricate detailing with gold leaves and the likes.”
Either way, David loved the variety and artistic licence he gets with painting, something that keeps him coming back day-after-day.
“Turning something from nothing to something spectacular, to be honest,” he said.
“Obviously, we’re a finishing trade, so coming in and making something look brilliant is very satisfying.
“The business has grown from just myself to employing a lot more people so it’s having that camaraderie as well.
“We’re never working on the same kind of projects for too long, unless it’s a big residential new build.
“The idea of having a variety between commercial and residential market is appealing for the guys. No two days are the same.”
A member of the Master Painters Association of Victoria/Tasmania (MPAV); David enjoys being a part of a community united by their passion for delivering great painting projects.
“It’s good to be part of an association that’s purely for painters,” David said.
“Their information is really up-to-date and good.
“Having those awards as well is really good – to be able to put forward jobs and be awarded for them is really nice to get that recognition from your fellow painters.
“If you ever need any help or have questions, they’re more than happy to help.”
David’s confidence in Clean Lines Painting isn’t just bravado either, with plenty of silverware to back up the businesses success.
The business received two awards from the MPAV for a New Commercial Under 100,000 and New Domestic over 30,000. Clean Lines Painting was also named the Maroondah City Council’s Construction, Trade and Related Supply Chain Award winners of 2023.
You can find out more about Clean Lines Painting and Decorating online at cleanlines.com.au/.