Exterior Painting in Somerville, MA

How this plays out in Somerville

Most of what we paint in Somerville is three-deckers packed shoulder to shoulder. Three-deckers and two-families from the 1890s through the 1920s, packed tight with minimal side yards, plus Victorian single-families on Spring Hill and Prospect Hill. Somerville buildings sit within a few feet of each other. Ladder and staging placement on a three-storey exterior is planned, not assumed, and often negotiated with a neighbour.

What actually happens on site

Full pressure wash, scrape back anything loose, feather the edges, replace rotted wood, caulk every gap, prime bare surfaces, then two coats.

Wash, then let it dry — 48 hours minimum, longer on north elevations that never see sun. Then scrape everything lifting, feather the edges with 80 grit so the transition doesn't telegraph through the finish, spot prime bare wood the same day it's exposed, and caulk after priming rather than before so the caulk bonds to primer instead of raw grain.

Where these jobs go wrong

Nearly every failed exterior we're called to repaint failed for the same reason: someone coated over chalky, damp or mildewed siding. Paint doesn't stick to dirt, and no product on the shelf fixes bad prep.

What the quote covers

• Line-by-line scope — prep, materials and labour costed separately
• A real start date and duration, held to
• Licence #193121 and certificate of insurance in writing
• Two-year workmanship warranty

Products are Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams. Worth reading before you hire anyone: EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule National Weather Service Boston forecast