house Exterior Painter in Bellingham, WA for Residential Homes and Older Houses.

Prep is the majority of the job — usually more time than the actual painting. We pressure wash the entire exterior, scrape all loose and failing paint to a firm edge, sand rough transitions smooth, caulk siding joints and window frames, spot-prime every bare wood and repaired surface, and address any dry rot before a single topcoat goes on. What we find during prep is documented and discussed with you before work proceeds. No surprises mid-job.

It depends on the substrate. Cedar and redwood get an oil-based or shellac-based primer to block tannin bleed — water-based primers on bare cedar will cause brown staining through the topcoat within months. Standard bare wood and repaired areas get a high-quality exterior alkyd or acrylic primer rated for the exposure. New or raw wood that's never been painted gets a full prime coat, not just spot priming. The primer is where adhesion starts — skipping it or using the wrong one is a guaranteed early failure.

Two-story homes require ladders, extensions, and sometimes staging depending on roof pitch and access. We factor setup and staging time into the estimate — it's not an add-on surprise after the job starts. Safety is non-negotiable on elevated work. If a section of the home requires unusual access — steep pitch, limited yard space, proximity to power lines — we identify that during the walkthrough and price it honestly.

Yes — and it has to be done before paint goes on. Painting over soft, failing, or rotted wood is one of the most common shortcuts that causes exterior paint to fail early. We identify dry rot and deteriorated wood during the walkthrough and scope the repairs in your written estimate. Depending on severity, repairs range from consolidant and filler on minor rot to partial board replacement on heavily damaged sections. We won't paint over something that's going to cause a problem in two years.

Bellingham gets a combination of conditions that accelerates paint failure faster than most climates — high annual rainfall, sustained humidity through fall and winter, UV exposure in summer, and freeze-thaw cycles in shoulder seasons. Moisture is the main enemy: it gets behind paint that wasn't properly primed, causes wood to expand and contract, and accelerates peeling at any point where adhesion is weak. A paint job done with proper prep and the right coatings for the Pacific Northwest will last significantly longer than one done to a national-average standard.

Older homes — pre-1960s Craftsmans, Victorians, and early bungalows common in Bellingham neighborhoods like Roosevelt, Sehome, and Fairhaven — have more surface complexity, more layers of old paint, and more substrate problems than modern construction. Detailed trim profiles take more time to prep and paint properly. Multiple layers of old paint mean more scraping before you reach a firm edge. Older wood siding moves more with moisture. And homes built before 1978 may have lead paint, which requires EPA RRP certified handling. We work on older homes regularly — they reward patience and penalize shortcuts faster than any other type of project.

Before any spraying or coating we mask and cover everything in the work zone — decking gets plastic sheeting or canvas, planting beds and shrubs get covered, and any furniture or fixtures near the house get moved or protected. Overspray is real and we take it seriously. At the end of every day the site is cleaned up and covers are removed. If something is too close to the house to protect adequately, we'll tell you before we start — not after something gets damaged.

Ellwanger Painting is fully licensed, bonded, and insured in Washington State. If something is damaged due to our work or negligence, we take responsibility and handle it — that's what insurance is for. We don't cut corners on coverage to save money, and we don't ask homeowners to absorb damage caused by our crew. If you want to verify our license and insurance status before hiring us, our WA Contractor License ELLWAPL779QL is publicly verifiable through the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

For a typical Bellingham exterior repaint in reasonable condition, a fair range is $6–$9+ per footprint square foot of the home. Homes with significant prep needs — heavy scraping, dry rot repair, multiple stories, or detailed trim work — will land at the higher end or above that range. The most important thing when comparing bids is the scope behind the number: what prep is included, what primer system is specified, how many coats are applied, and what the warranty covers. Read more about ourExterior Painting Prices

Yes — and it has to be done before paint goes on. We identify dry rot and deteriorated wood during the walkthrough and scope the repairs in your written estimate. Depending on severity, repairs range from consolidant and filler on minor rot to partial board replacement on heavily damaged sections.

Most single-family homes in Bellingham take 7-14 days depending on size, condition, working hours, and how much prep the surfaces require. Homes with significant scraping, rot repair, or detailed trim work take longer. We schedule around Bellingham's weather — we won't apply paint in conditions that compromise adhesion or cure time, so we build buffer days into every exterior project.

Yes. Ellwanger Painting is EPA RRP certified for lead-safe work on pre-1978 homes. This means proper containment of work areas, HEPA vacuuming, wet methods to control dust, and legal disposal of lead-containing debris. This certification is required by federal law for renovation work on pre-1978 homes — not every painter in Bellingham carries it. Our WA Contractor License is ELLWAPL779QL, publicly verifiable through the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.

Peeling and failing paint is the most common exterior condition we work with in Bellingham. We scrape all loose paint to a firm edge, feather and sand transitions smooth, spot-prime all bare wood with the right exterior primer for that substrate, and caulk any open joints before topcoats go on. Painting over failing paint without this prep is the single biggest reason exterior paint jobs fail early — we don't do it.

We use premium exterior coatings — primarily Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore product lines — selected for the specific substrate and climate exposure. Bellingham's combination of moisture, UV, and temperature swings demands a coating that flexes with the wood, resists moisture intrusion, and holds color under years of Northwest weather. Every bare or repaired surface gets the correct exterior primer before topcoats are applied.

Yes — cedar siding and wood shingles are common in Bellingham and a surface we work with regularly. Bare cedar requires an oil-based or shellac-based primer before topcoats to prevent tannin bleed and ensure proper adhesion. We choose primers and topcoats specifically for wood movement and moisture resistance in the Pacific Northwest climate. Skipping this step on cedar is a reliable way to end up with peeling paint within two years.

Yes. Every exterior painting project Ellwanger Painting completes in Bellingham is backed by a 5-year workmanship warranty on labor and materials. If the paint fails due to our prep or application, we come back and make it right. See our full exterior painting warranty details .

You don't need to be home for the work itself, but we ask that someone is available for the initial and final walkthrough. Day-to-day we just need access to the exterior of the house.

Yes. We can use the existing paint can label, a color chip, or take a sample to a Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore store for a spectrophotometer match. If the color has faded significantly, a fresh coat of the original color may look slightly different — we'll flag that before we start.

We move and protect anything within the work area — furniture, potted plants, grills, and any items near the house. We mask off decking, concrete, and landscaping before any spraying or coating goes on.

For wet or damp wood siding, oil-based or solvent-based caulks are the right choice. Unlike latex and acrylic caulks, oil-based formulas can penetrate and adhere to damp wood because the solvent base isn't repelled by surface moisture. The practical rule: if the wood is surface-damp but not actively shedding water, an oil-based caulk is workable. If the wood is visibly saturated, wait. We shoot for below 15% moisture content before caulking or painting. Make sure any oil-based caulk you choose is paintable — not all are.

Moisture rot follows water. The most common culprits on older Bellingham homes: leaking gutters and fascia boards butted tight against gutter corners; caulking vertical joints but leaving horizontal joints open (horizontal joints need to breathe so water drains out); missing or failed flashing at siding butt joints; siding that rests directly on a roof surface; tight corners without proper corner trim. Soffit rot on homes with wide 2-foot-plus soffits usually means water is getting in through the roof overhang assembly above and working its way down into the interior framing. By the time you see rot in the soffit face there's often more damage inside — that's a building envelope problem that needs to be addressed before any coating goes on.

It's about encapsulating the lead paint. The advantage of repainting — with proper scraping and sanding under EPA RRP protocols — is that it stops lead paint from falling into your yard and keeps it contained. Residing is sometimes the right call, but contractors who don't follow EPA rules when removing lead-painted siding create exactly the contamination problem you're trying to avoid. A full exterior repaint done right runs around $15,000 depending on size and condition. Residing with Hardie board and re-trimming windows and doors runs $20,000–$30,000. If $30,000 isn't an option, the realistic path is replacing the worst boards and repainting. Professional services are expensive — they're worth it, especially if you have kids. And after you research what's involved in repainting a lead house, price the tools, and start scraping, you're going to say forget it and hire a pro anyway.