What's included
- Stucco, with hairline cracks patched before paint
- Wood, fiber cement, aluminum and vinyl siding
- Trim, fascia, soffits and eaves
- Front doors, garage doors and shutters
- Pressure washing before prep
- Scraping, sanding and priming of bare or peeling wood
- Caulking at trim, windows and joints
- Brick and masonry painting when it is the right call
- Metal railings, gates and exterior steel doors
- Deck, fence and pergola staining
How we do it
Estimate and scope
Joe walks the whole exterior with you, notes the problem areas, and gives you a written price with the prep spelled out.
Wash
Pressure wash to get dirt, chalking and loose paint off. Paint does not stick to dust.
Scrape and sand
Every peeling or flaking spot gets scraped back to sound paint and feathered so the edge disappears.
Repair and caulk
Stucco cracks patched. Old, split caulk cut out and replaced at trim, windows and joints. Soft wood flagged for you before we go further.
Prime
Bare wood, patches and chalky surfaces get primer. Skipping this is how exteriors peel in two years.
Two coats of 100 percent acrylic
Sprayed and back-rolled or brushed, depending on the surface. Two coats, not one heavy one.
Walkthrough
You walk the house with Joe before we leave. Touch-ups happen then, not after a phone call next month.
What affects the price
A two-story home with a steep lot takes more ladder and lift time than a single-story rambler on a flat yard.
Stucco, wood siding, fiber cement and brick each prep and cover differently. Wood with heavy peeling is the most labor.
Chalking, peeling, failed caulk and cracked stucco all add prep hours. The prep is usually most of the price, and it is the part worth paying for.
A body color and a trim color is standard. Shutters, doors and accent colors add time.
Exterior season on the valley floor runs roughly April through October. Early and late season dates are usually easier to get.
Every estimate is written and itemized so you can see where the money goes. Pricing is done in person because photos hide the prep.
Good to know
The sun does most of the damage
At 4,300 feet the UV is strong. South and west facing walls fade and chalk first, and that is where we spend the most prep time.
Freeze and thaw opens every joint
Winter cycles crack caulk and hairline stucco. We cut out failed caulk instead of smearing new over old, and we patch stucco with a flexible product that moves with the wall.
We follow the shade
In July we start early and move around the house with the shade so the paint does not flash on a hot wall.
Paint we use
Contractor-grade 100 percent acrylic from Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore, spec'd to the surface. We will tell you which product is going on which part of the house.
Exterior Painting questions
When is the best time to paint an exterior in Utah?
On the valley floor, roughly April through October, once nights stay above the minimum the paint calls for. In Park City and the higher benches the window is shorter, usually June into September.
How long will an exterior paint job last?
With real prep and two coats of a quality acrylic, a stucco or siding repaint typically goes 10 to 15 years. Trim and sun-facing walls show wear first. A job with no prep can fail in two.
Can you paint brick?
Yes, and we will talk you through it first. Painted brick looks great and is permanent in the sense that you will repaint it, not strip it. For some homes a masonry stain is the better call.
Do we need to be home?
Only for the estimate and the final walkthrough. We need outside water and the sprinklers off for the duration.
Will you work with our HOA?
Yes. We can help you get a color approved and we paint exactly to the approved sample.
What about rotten wood?
We fix minor soft spots and fascia ends as part of the job. If something needs a carpenter, we tell you before we paint over it.