House Painters in Sebastopol

Sebastopol is the damp side of the county. Fog drifts in from the coast most summer mornings, winters are wet, and many houses sit under redwoods, oaks and old apple trees that keep the siding shaded for most of the day. Between the Laguna de Santa Rosa to the east and the hills to the west, the moisture rarely lets up. Paint here doesn't usually fail from sun. It fails from water. Mildew grows on the north and shaded walls, moss creeps onto lower trim and steps, and wood that never fully dries starts to soften behind the paint. The housing is varied too: farmhouses from the town's orchard days, shingle and board-and-batten cottages, and newer homes on the edges of town.

Our crews work across Sebastopol and the rural roads around it. For exterior painting in this climate, the most important steps happen before any color goes on: killing mildew, letting the wood dry and checking for rot. We also watch the forecast closely, because a wet week can push the start date back, and waiting beats painting damp wood. Inside work and cabinets are part of what we do as well. To get on the schedule for a walkthrough, give us a ring or send the details through the form.

Mildew, Moss and Damp Wood

Painting over mildew is the most common mistake we see on west county houses. It looks fine for a few months, then dark spots bleed right back through, because the mildew is still alive underneath. First the mildew gets treated with a solution that actually kills the spores, then it's rinsed away, and the siding waits out a stretch of dry weather until it tests dry. We check siding, sills and trim with a probe, since soft wood has to be repaired or replaced before painting or it will rot from inside. Cedar shingles and board-and-batten siding have lots of edges and gaps that hold water, so they get primed carefully on every exposed surface. Paints with mildew-resistant additives help on shaded walls, and trimming back branches that touch the house lets air and light in so the problem doesn't come right back. Homes down in Petaluma face their own fog, though with more wind to dry things out.

Farmhouses, Cottages and Inside Work

Older farmhouses here often have several generations of paint, original wood windows and porches that have been repaired many times. They take patient prep and plenty of hand brushing. Wood windows get their glazing checked first, since cracked putty lets water straight into the sash. We'll go over which areas need repair and which just need paint before we start. Small cottages are quicker jobs, but their trim and window detail still need care. Inside, damp houses have their own issues: water stains on ceilings under old roof leaks, mildew in bathrooms without good ventilation, and condensation marks around single-pane windows. Those spots get cleaned and sealed with a stain-blocking primer before the finish coat, and bathrooms get a moisture-resistant paint. Our interior painting page explains how those jobs run. Every job, inside or out, comes with a written estimate first.