The gallery's street-level space and stairway are receiving a make-over, which includes removing the carpet and sanding, polishing and finishing its kauri floors.
The search is on for some kauri to replace particle board which had been coving holes in the floor.
The R. A. Lawson-designed former bank building is one of the prominent heritage buildings in south Thames St and has a category 1 rating from Heritage NZ.
Because of that, Heritage NZ has been involved in the project.
Forrester Gallery director Jane Macknight said the project was well overdue because the existing carpet was at least 30 years old.
It began in 2005 with the restoration of the reception and shop area on the ground floor and the latest work was a continuation of that.
''It is also a preliminary step and consistent with current planning towards the cultural facilities redevelopment project,'' she said.
That project is investigating redevelopment of the gallery, North Otago Museum-Archives and Oamaru Public Library.
Curator Alice Lake-Hammond said the restoration of the flooring was a ''birthday present'' to the building.
''It's an exciting start to the summer for us. We're looking forward to showing off our new flooring and combining the reopening with the launch of our summer programme,'' she said.
This season, the gallery had ''The Wreck of Hope'', sculptural works by Dunedin artist Michele Beevors; ''Ben Ohau'', paintings by Ohau-based painter Belinda Weir; and ''Look Again'', a collaborative curation project between the Forrester and local schools featuring Colin Wheeler works from its permanent collection.
The gallery will be closed while the work is done and will reopen on Friday, December 12, at 10.30am.
