TMT Painting is a painter based at 14 South Street in Petone, Lower Hutt, with a perfect 5.0 Google rating and a website at tmtpainting.co.nz. Painting looks simple, but the gap between a job that lasts five years and one that lasts fifteen is mostly preparation: washing, sanding, filling and priming before the first tin is opened. That matters doubly in coastal Petone, where salt air and driving rain find every unpainted crack on weatherboard villas. When comparing quotes, ask what preparation is included and how many coats are specified, since a cheap quote often turns out to be a thin one. Timing matters too: exterior paint needs dry weather to cure, and a good painter will happily postpone rather than work onto damp timber. For weatherboard homes and shopfronts around the Hutt Valley, this South Street local is one to shortlist.