Short answer
Most Takoma calls are for front porches: floors, ceilings, columns, railings and steps, often with the rest of the exterior trim. Many houses also need clapboard or shingle siding painted. A visit starts with a walkthrough of the porch and every side of the house, a lead test where we'll scrape, and a written price.
The porches and frame houses around Carroll Street and Blair Road
Takoma, DC sits on the Maryland line beside Takoma Park, MD, with the Takoma Metro station and the Red Line tracks running through it. The neighborhood began as a railroad suburb in the 1880s, and the houses near Carroll Street, Cedar Street and Blair Road show it: Queen Anne and Stick-style frame houses, Foursquares, and a long run of Craftsman bungalows from the early 1900s through the 1920s.
Almost every one of these houses has a front porch, and many have wraparounds. Porch floors are usually tongue-and-groove fir or pine, porch ceilings are beadboard, and columns range from turned posts to tapered Craftsman piers on brick bases. Siding is wood clapboard or wood shingle, and some houses still have original wood windows with old glass.
Much of the DC side lies inside the Takoma Park Historic District, so exterior work deserves a quick check before you start. Across the line, Takoma Park, MD has its own historic district and its own rules, which we cover on that page.
Paint problems on Takoma porches
Old porches carry more wear than any other painted surface on these houses. These are the problems we see most.
Floor paint worn through at the door
Foot traffic wears porch enamel down to bare wood in a path from the steps to the front door. Bare tongue-and-groove then soaks up rain and cups. We sand the path, prime it and use a floor-rated porch enamel.
Rot at the outer floor boards
The boards at the porch edge catch rain blowing in under the roof. Their ends rot first, along with the skirt board below. We replace short runs of matching flooring before painting rather than filling soft wood.
Peeling beadboard ceilings
Porch ceilings peel when moisture from the attic or a roof leak gets behind the paint. We check for the source, scrape, prime with an oil-based primer and repaint, often in a pale blue.
Column bases holding water
Hollow wood columns and posts sit on plinths that trap water, and rot climbs from the bottom. We check each base, rebuild or replace it, and leave a small gap for air under the column.
Alligatored layers on trim
A century of paint on brackets, spindles and fascia builds up and cracks in a scaly pattern. Spot scraping won't hold. Those areas need full removal using lead-safe methods before primer goes on.
Historic district review, parking and timing in Takoma
Here is what generally applies on the DC side. Requirements change, so check with the DC Historic Preservation Office for your address.
- Repainting already-painted wood, including in a new color, is generally not reviewed in DC historic districts.
- Painting brick or stone that has never been painted generally does need review, so check with the Historic Preservation Office first.
- Replacing porch elements like columns or railings with different designs may also need review, while like-for-like repair generally does not.
- Many Takoma streets near the Metro have tight parking, so we may ask DDOT for temporary no-parking signs in front of the house.
- Porch floor enamel needs warm, dry days to cure hard, so we book porch floors from late May through September when we can.
How we repaint a Takoma front porch
The typical Takoma job is a full porch: floor, ceiling, columns, railing and steps.
- Coat 01
Walkthrough and testing
We look at every board, post and baluster, probe for rot and test the existing paint for lead. You get a written scope that separates repairs from painting so you can plan around both.
- Coat 02
Containment
Plastic goes under the porch and on the ground around it, and nearby plantings are covered. Older paint is wet scraped, never burned, and dust is caught by HEPA vacuums under our lead-safe painting setup.
- Coat 03
Repairs
Rotted floor boards, column bases and stair treads are replaced with matching material. New wood is primed on all faces before install so it doesn't drink water from the back side.
- Coat 04
Ceiling, columns and rails
We work top down: ceiling first, then columns, rails and balusters. Spindles and brackets are brushed by hand so paint gets into every turn and joint.
- Coat 05
Floor and steps last
The floor and steps get a primer and two coats of porch enamel. Porch painting here typically runs $2.40 to $4.80 per square foot of floor, more with heavy repair.
- Coat 06
Curing time
We ask you to keep foot traffic light for a day and hold off on rugs and furniture for about a week while the floor enamel hardens.
Most requested here
Porch Painting
Porch floors, steps, columns and haint-blue ceilings painted with floor-rated enamels that handle traffic.
Exterior House Painting
Siding, trim, soffits and porches scraped, primed and painted on a schedule built around DC weather.
Historic Home Painting
Pre-war plaster, old-growth wood trim and original windows painted with methods that respect the house.
Lead-Safe Painting
Containment, wet scraping and HEPA cleanup when older paint is disturbed in homes built before 1978.
Wood Rot Repair
Soft sills, fascia and porch trim cut out or consolidated and rebuilt so new paint is not wasted.
Window Sash & Trim Painting
Glazing checked, sashes and frames painted, and windows left operable instead of painted shut.
Siding Painting
Wood, fiber cement and aluminum siding painted with the primer each material needs to hold paint.
Close by
ZIP codes we cover here: 20012. We also paint in these neighboring areas.
Questions from Takoma homeowners
Do I need approval to repaint my porch in Takoma, DC?
Generally no, if the porch is already painted and you're simply repainting it, even in a new color. Approval generally comes into play for painting unpainted masonry or changing the design of porch elements. Rules can change, so check with the DC Historic Preservation Office for your address before work involving masonry or replacement parts.
What color should a Takoma porch ceiling be?
Many owners here choose a pale blue, often called haint blue, which has a long history on porch ceilings. Others match the trim color or use a soft white to brighten a deep porch. We can bring samples to the house during a color consultation so you see them in your own porch light.
How long does a full Takoma porch repaint take?
A typical porch with floor, ceiling, columns and rails takes about four to seven working days, plus a week of light use while the floor cures. Repairs add time. Call (771) 247-4038 for a walkthrough and we'll give you a realistic schedule.
