Exterior Painting and Siding Prep

Have ready

Move patio furniture, grills, and planters away from the walls, and trim shrubs back so a ladder can stand against the house. Close the windows and cover the inside of any open screen. Three checks come before paint is opened. The siding gets a moisture reading, because boards still wet from washing or rain will not hold paint. The bottom course, the corners, and the trim at every penetration are probed for soft wood. Caulk joints and flashing at windows, doors, and the meter are inspected.

• Wash and scrape
• Spot prime bare wood
• Coastal-grade exterior coating
• Flash and trim detail

The visit

A exterior painting and siding prep visit starts by naming the failure, not by selling the fix. We check what the problem touched, protect the floors and the rooms below, and leave a written scope. The work is done in one sequence by the same company, so the trade that caused the damage is the trade that closes it.

What fails first on the Shore is what we look at: salt-rotted fasteners, water finding the soft spot, and the 'quick fix' that never dealt with the cause. For exterior painting and siding prep, the tell is usually visible on the first visit, and we say what it means in plain English.

Permit

Repainting a house exterior in New Jersey does not normally require a permit, and no inspection is tied to the paint itself. Work crosses into permitted territory when it becomes a repair, such as replacing rotted sheathing or reframing a window. If the scope stays as washing, scraping, priming, and coating, there is no permit filing involved.

On the Shore

Wind-driven rain and salt spray hit the same walls here, and the south and west faces take the worst sun. Siding that stays damp, especially on the north side, fails from behind, which is why paint peels on walls that look sound from the ladder. Caulk joints open as the siding moves, so joints are replaced rather than painted over.

When we leave

Finished walls are inspected in daylight rather than at the ladder, since thin spots and lap marks only read from a distance. Bare wood and rusted nail heads are checked once more before the job is called complete. Window and door edges are cut in and looked at, and caulk is run under the trim so water has nowhere to sit. You get a care note about the recoat window and clear gutters.

Built with

Exterior acrylic coatings are used because they let siding dry from the inside out instead of trapping moisture behind a hard film. Bare wood gets a spot primer and bare metal gets a rust primer. Exterior-grade acrylic caulk is used at joints and corners, with backer rod in deep gaps so the caulk is not stretched thin. Brushes and rollers are chosen by texture so finish does not sit heavy in the grain.