Exteriors
What we paint and repair on an old house's outside
Everything on this list is priced as its own line in the written estimate.
Wood siding and clapboard
Scraped by hand, repaired where soft, primed bare and finished in two coats.
Windows, sills and trim
Glazing putty, sash cords and sills, repaired before they are painted.
Shutters and doors
Taken down, repaired, painted on the bench and hung back on their own hardware.
Porches and ceilings
Floors, rails, posts and the ceiling overhead, including the pale blue many Lowcountry porches keep.
Masonry and stucco
Cleaned, repointed by a mason where needed, and painted only where it was painted before.
Metal and ironwork
Gates, rails and brackets, scraped to sound metal, primed and finished.
Prep
Prep is most of the job
On an old house the paint is only as good as the wood under it.
This is the order we work in on every exterior. The estimate lists each step, so you can see what is included.
Our prep order
Wash, and let the wood dry
Scrape and hand-sand, with a HEPA vacuum
Probe sills, joints and porch floors for soft wood
Repair or replace, matching the old profile
Prime bare wood the same day
Caulk seams and set nail heads
Two finish coats, with the sheen in your proposal
Finishes
Sheens and finishes, in plain words
Your proposal names the product and the sheen for each surface. Ask us for the product data sheet.
Body
A flat or low-sheen finish on siding, so small flaws in old boards don't catch the light.
Trim
A semi-gloss that sheds water and wipes clean at sills, casings and rails.
Doors and shutters
A higher sheen, as the house wore it, unless your district asks for another.
Porch floors and ceilings
A floor enamel underfoot and a flat finish overhead.
Before you hire a painter for an old house
How long does a house take?
The written estimate gives a range of working days and what could move it. Wood repair, drying time and weather decide the pace, and we don't promise a start date until approval is in.
What does the warranty cover?
The written warranty states what it covers, for how long and what it excludes. Terms, limits and exclusions are in your written warranty.
What about humidity and rain?
Wet wood isn't painted. We follow each product's data sheet for temperature and humidity, and we move the crew when the day isn't right.
Do you work on houses that people are living in?
Yes. We cover plants and walkways, keep a path to your door and sweep up at the end of each day.
Walk the house with us
Tell us the street and what you can see from the sidewalk. We'll set a day to look at every elevation.