Interior and exterior painting in Prince George's County, MD 20781

Why paint fails on so many Prince George's County homes

The county's mix of old streetcar towns and mid-century subdivisions produces a handful of repeat problems.

• Alligatored trim on older bungalows

  In Mount Rainier, Brentwood and Hyattsville, decades of oil paint under newer latex have cracked into a scaly pattern. It has to come down to a sound layer, and that work falls under lead-safe painting rules.

• Chalking aluminum siding

  Plenty of 1950s and 1960s homes wear aluminum siding that leaves white powder on your hand. We wash and use a bonding primer so new paint grips instead of sliding off the chalk.

• Rusting downspouts and railings

  Steel railings on split-level stoops and front steps rust at the welds and posts. Painting over rust only buys a season, so we grind, convert and prime first.

• Damp basement walls

  Many split-levels and ramblers have block foundation walls that wick moisture. Regular wall paint blisters there, so we use masonry coatings rated for below-grade rooms.

• Worn rental interiors

  Near the University of Maryland, units turn over every year. Scuffed flat paint, patched holes and mismatched touch-ups add up, which is why we repaint whole rooms instead of spotting.

Old streetcar towns and Levitt-era subdivisions

The inner ring of the county grew along the old streetcar and rail lines out of DC. Mount Rainier, Brentwood, Hyattsville, Riverdale Park and University Park are full of early 1900s bungalows, foursquares and Victorians with deep front porches, wood clapboard and original windows. Many of these houses carry lead paint somewhere, and their porches take a beating from the weather.

Greenbelt was built in the late 1930s as a planned New Deal town, and its original row homes are block and frame construction managed as a housing cooperative. Bowie grew in the 1960s when Levitt and Sons built Belair at Bowie, so much of the city is ranchers, Cape Cods and Colonials from that period, many now with vinyl or aluminum siding and wood trim.

South and east of the Beltway, communities such as Upper Marlboro, Largo, Clinton and Fort Washington hold newer subdivisions with larger brick-front Colonials, decks and two-story foyers. The county seat sits in Upper Marlboro, but the painting needs there have more in common with newer suburbs than with the old towns near the District line.

Access, co-ops and rules to check before we start

Prince George's County is easier to stage in than DC, but there are still a few things to sort out first.

• Most single-family homes have driveway or curb space, so we can usually park a work van and stage ladders on site.
• Greenbelt Homes Inc. members generally need approval from the co-op before exterior changes, so check with them first.
• Hyattsville and some other older towns have National Register historic districts; county or local review generally applies only to designated properties, so check with the county historic preservation staff.
• HOAs in Bowie, Largo and Upper Marlboro subdivisions often control exterior colors and need a request before a change.
• Apartment and condo buildings near College Park and New Carrollton generally ask for proof of insurance and set work hours.
• We pick up the phone 24/7 to book visits, and the painting runs during normal working hours.

How an exterior repaint on a county split-level goes

Split-levels and ramblers are among the most common houses we paint in the county, and the work follows a steady order.

1. Coat 01

   Walk the outside

   We check siding type, soft trim, failing caulk and any rust on railings. Most detached exteriors here fall between $5,600 and $14,800, with siding material and trim condition moving the number most.

2. Coat 02

   Wash the surfaces

   Siding, trim and soffits get pressure washing at a pressure the material can take. Aluminum gets a gentler wash to clear chalk without denting panels.

3. Coat 03

   Repair and recaulk

   Soft wood at sills and fascia is cut out or consolidated. Open joints at corners, windows and trim are raked out and resealed with a paintable sealant.

4. Coat 04

   Prime what needs it

   Bare wood, patched areas and chalky aluminum get primer. Rusty railings are ground down and primed with a rust-inhibiting product before the finish.

5. Coat 05

   Two finish coats

   Siding and trim get two coats of exterior acrylic, brushed at the trim and rolled or sprayed on broad siding areas, depending on how close the neighbors and plantings are.

6. Coat 06

   Final walk

   We walk the house with you, touch up anything missed and clear the site. You get the color names and sheens written down for future touch-ups.

Cities in the county with their own pages

We cover the entire county. For more detail on specific towns, see our pages for Hyattsville, College Park and Bowie. Each one describes the local housing and the jobs we do most often there.

If you live in Greenbelt, Laurel, Cheverly, Upper Marlboro or Fort Washington, the same walkthrough process applies. Exterior work runs roughly April through October, and we keep interior work moving through the winter.

Most requested here

• Interior House Painting

  Walls, ceilings and trim in occupied homes, with furniture moved, floors covered and rooms back in use each night.

• Exterior House Painting

  Siding, trim, soffits and porches scraped, primed and painted on a schedule built around DC weather.

• Siding Painting

  Wood, fiber cement and aluminum siding painted with the primer each material needs to hold paint.

• Rental Turnover Painting

  Fast between-tenant repaints with patching and touch-up so units list again without delay.

• Porch Painting

  Porch floors, steps, columns and haint-blue ceilings painted with floor-rated enamels that handle traffic.

• Iron Railing & Fence Painting

  Rust ground off, converted and primed before stoop railings and iron fences get a durable enamel coat.

• Basement Painting

  Masonry walls, floors and English basement units painted with coatings made for damp, below-grade rooms.

• Lead-Safe Painting

  Containment, wet scraping and HEPA cleanup when older paint is disturbed in homes built before 1978.

Close by

ZIP codes we cover here: 20781, 20740, 20715. We also paint in these neighboring areas.

• Montgomery County, MD
• Takoma Park, MD
• Hyattsville, MD
• College Park, MD
• Bowie, MD

Questions from Prince George's County homeowners