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when is paint not paint?


From Habitat magazine - issue 09

Just when you thought paint was just for… well, painting, we’ve come across some innovative uses for it and the vessels it comes in.

As children we’re told it’s bad behaviour to scribble on walls with pens. Just when we’ve learnt to control those creative flourishes, a product comes along to satisfy the passion of the wild child in us all. If you’re at a presentation at JTB Architects in Nelson, don’t be surprised when, instead of taking a small piece of paper to politely explain a point, someone will grab a pen and spontaneously start scrawling all over the meeting room walls.

Alternative paint uses

If you’re feeling inspired, it’s much easier to explain things by drawing large plans on the walls, says Phil Sewell (pictured above). “You can lay them out really big and clearly.”

When JTB Architects were redesigning the meeting room recently, Resene representative Phil Thompson suggested painting all four walls with Resene Aquapoxy in Resene Black White. The product effectively turns the walls into a large whiteboard surface, which can be drawn on with ordinary whiteboard marker pens. Marks can simply be removed with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner.

Crackle effectCrackle effect
Lizard trapsLizard Traps
Resene productsBucket bokashi

Crackle effect

A combination of Resene paints can be used effectively to create an interesting aged, crackle effect on timber. At the Old Church in a vineyard in Taradale, Hawkes Bay (right), posts which had once been varnished were stripped then finished in Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat. They were then painted in Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Fossil, followed by Resene Crackle Effect. A final coat of Resene Enamacryl Metallic tinted to Resene Spark was applied.

The Resene Crackle Effect creates an aged appearance with thin cracks running haphazardly across the surface. The web of cracks let the Resene Fossil tone show through and the metallic coat adds a shimmering two-tone effect.

Well projected

Resene Hi-Glo tinted Resene Aluminium is an exterior paint. But used inside as a theatre screen it provides a backdrop that provides much sharper definition for images than a roll-down or similar screen. It’s all because of the small metallic flakes in the paint, which reflect the projected light in a much crisper fashion. To ensure the surface is as smooth as possible, the paint should be applied by a professional spray painter.

Lizard traps

Who would have thought paint cans could be useful for bio-diversity? Empty Resene paint cans were donated to the Department of Conservation to help with their lizard preservation actitivities.

The department monitors lizards to identify their species, sizes, population and health. But to monitor a lizard, you have to catch it first! That’s where the Resene paint cans come in handy. They are dug flush into the ground and sardines or pears put inside for bait with a layer of leaves over the top for cover. Sticks are placed across the top of the can, leaving a gap just big enough for a lizard, and finally the lid is put on top and held down with a rock to stop cats and rats getting in.

DOC workers monitor the cans every day for about five days. Recently, they monitored one of the last surviving mainland populations of moko skinks, on Coromandel Peninsula.

In the s…t

Just as humans are lured to the brightness of white paint, so gannets are drawn to the brilliant hue of… their own guano. The Mana Island gannet colony had lost its gloss lately. Gannet sculptures inhabiting the colony had been out in the weather and had become dull and shabby. And the guano that usually covers their home had been overtaken by grass, weeds and taupata, discouraging other self-respecting gannets flying by from stopping for a closer look.

It was time to redecorate and Resene was keen to help. Resene Sureseal pigmented sealer proved ideal for the weathered surfaces. This was followed by a coat of white Resene Lumbersider which emulates the guano. As the paintwork progresses, real life gannets have been sighted in the area, checking out the quality of the work. When the project is completed, it’s hoped some birds may stop in for a closer inspection, and even decide to stay... more.

Bucket bokashi

Some schools have found new ways to recycle Resene paint buckets. The Resene paint buckets and lids are ideal for bokashi – a method of intensive composting of organic material that uses fermentation to produce compost. It’s best done in an airtight container out of the sun. Once aged, the bokashi treated waste can be used as fertiliser. While buckets of food scraps may suggest potent odours, bokashi is easy on the nose due to the effective micro-organisms added. It’s easy to do and teaches children a process they can translate into their own homes.


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Printed copies of habitat highlights are available from late March 2024 at Resene ColorShops and resellers, while stocks last. You can view back issues of habitat magazine online.

If you have an idea, project or story that you think would suit habitat, we’d love to hear from you. Please drop us an email with your details and include photos if submitting a project.

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