Siding
Clapboard, shingles and the trim around them
We paint the outside of wood houses, and we do it in the order that makes the paint last: wash, scrape, repair, prime, paint.
Clapboard
Scraped to firm edges, joints caulked, bare wood primed, then two coats. The lowest courses get the most attention.
Cedar shingles
Painted or stained, as you prefer. Shingles take more paint than boards, and we say so in the estimate.
Trim, corner boards and sills
The places where water gets in. Sills and cut ends are primed on every exposed face.
Doors and window frames
Exterior frames, casings and doors. Glass is cut in clean; sash that can't be saved is quoted for repair.
Porches and rails
Posts, rails, steps and ceilings, painted with a paint made for floors and steps where that's what they are.
Board replacement
Soft boards are replaced, not painted over. New boards are primed on all faces before they go up.
Prep
What prep means on a wood house
Most of a repaint's price, and most of its life, is in the work before the first coat. This is the list on every estimate.
Before the paint
Wash the siding and let it dry
Scrape loose paint back to firm edges, with a HEPA vacuum on older houses
Sand the edges so the new coat doesn't ridge
Probe sills and lowest boards; mark soft ones
Caulk open joints and seams that move
Prime every bare patch and nail head
How a repaint goes
Eight working days, give or take the weather
A two-story house, with the weather helping. Days are a range, and your estimate gives yours.
Step 1: Days 1 and 2
Plants covered, siding washed, and left to dry. Scaffold or ladders set.
Step 2: Days 3 and 4
Scraping, sanding, board repairs and caulk.
Step 3: Day 5
Prime every bare patch and the new boards.
Step 4: Days 6 and 7
First and second coats on the siding, then trim and doors.
Step 5: Day 8
Walk the house with Abby, touch up what you point to, clean up the ground.
What moves the price
Six things set the number on a repaint
Labor is most of a painting estimate. These are the things that change how much of it a house needs.
Wall area
More wall, more of everything. Shingles count for more than boards.
Height and access
Three stories means staging, not ladders.
Condition
Sound paint scrapes fast. Failed paint doesn't.
Boards to replace
We find the soft ones at the walk-through and count them in the estimate.
Coats and color
A big color change can need an extra coat.
Weather days
A rain day moves the schedule, not the price.
Questions
About a first repaint
What is on a written estimate?
The surfaces and areas, the repairs we expect, the number of coats, the products and sheens, how many colors, the clean-up, the schedule and the payment schedule. If a board turns out to be rotted behind the paint, we show you and write the change before we do it.
What isn't in an estimate?
Repairs we can't see until the paint is off, extra colors you add later, and work on roofs, gutters, window glass or decks unless the estimate lists them. Anything found is quoted in writing before we go ahead.
What about rotted boards?
We probe the suspect boards at the look-over and mark them in the report. A board that is soft all the way through is replaced, not painted over. The new board is primed on all faces before it goes up.
Which paint do you use, and who buys it?
We buy it. The estimate lists the product and the sheen, and we'll give you the product data sheet for either on request. We use premium exterior paints and a primer made for the surface.
Start with a walk around the house
Abby looks at the weather side, probes the lowest boards and writes what she finds. You get the estimate in writing.