Painting Blog
Practical guidance on painting in the St. Louis County climate and housing stock — timing, prep, cabinets, HOA bids, and notes on specific cities we serve.
Exterior
Fascia and Soffit: The Rot You Can't See
Fascia and soffit are the parts of a house that fail first and get looked at last — and paint can only do so much once rot has started.
Locations
Repainting Your Ballwin Subdivision Home
Ballwin's subdivisions were largely built out at once — which means a lot of neighboring houses share the exact same failure points.
Locations
Painting a 1970s Creve Coeur Ranch
A 1970s ranch and a 2020 custom build can share a Creve Coeur property line — and have almost nothing else in common as painting projects.
Locations
What Webster Groves Trim Work Actually Takes
A Webster Groves bid that treats the house as wall area alone is a bid that's about to run short on trim.
Locations
Chesterfield Exteriors: Big Houses, Real Prep
A Chesterfield exterior bid built from the driveway is a bid that's about to be wrong. Two-story elevations need to be measured, not estimated.
Cabinets
Cabinet Refinishing: What the Week Looks Like
Cabinet refinishing is one of the few kitchen projects where the visual change is dramatic and the disruption is measured in days.
Interior
Why Your Drywall Patch Still Shows
Almost nobody calls about drywall because of the hole. They call because the patch that was supposed to disappear is still catching the light.
Locations
Wildwood's Shaded Elevations and Mildew
Shade isn't neutral for exterior paint. In Wildwood's wooded lots, it's often the single biggest factor in how long a coating actually lasts.
Commercial
Painting Your Business Without Closing
For a business, the real cost of a repaint isn't the invoice — it's the hours the space can't be used. That's the number that decides everything.
Cabinets
Refinish or Replace? A Kitchen Cabinet Guide
Refinish, reface, or replace — three words that get used interchangeably even though they solve completely different problems.
Locations
Painting Kirkwood's Historic Homes
A Victorian near the Kirkwood train station and a 1960s ranch off Big Bend are two different painting jobs — and treating them the same does one of them badly.
Exterior
Why Freeze-Thaw Destroys Exterior Paint Here
Exterior paint failures in St. Louis County almost always start at a joint or a seam — rarely in the middle of a clean wall. Freeze-thaw is why.
HOA
How HOA Boards Should Compare Paint Bids
When one HOA painting bid comes in far below the others, the difference is almost never efficiency. It's prep that isn't in the scope.
Compliance
Lead Paint Rules for Pre-1978 Homes
If your home was built before 1978, federal law puts real requirements on any paid contractor disturbing painted surfaces — and the threshold is lower than most people think.
Exterior
When to Paint Your House Exterior in Missouri
Missouri's exterior paint window isn't about the calendar date — it's about two conditions holding together long enough for a coat to cure.
Interior
Eggshell vs Satin: Picking a Sheen by Room
Sheen isn't a style preference — it changes how a wall hides flaws, how easily it cleans, and how long it looks fresh in a high-traffic room.
Interior
How Often Should You Repaint Each Room?
There's no single repaint number for a house — kitchens, hallways, and bedrooms all wear at different speeds, for different reasons.