The Paint Blog: practical advice for DC homes

Plain answers to the questions we hear on walkthroughs, written for the houses and weather of Washington, DC.

Open paint fan deck and sample boards laid on a wooden table beside a window in a Washington DC rowhouse kitchen with morning light

Latest guides from Rufus Hartwell

Each guide is written from the job site: real temperatures, dry times, prices and the mistakes we see most.

Brookland rowhouse living room mid-prep, furniture grouped in the center under plastic sheeting, canvas drop cloths on oak floors, bare walls with patched nail holes, soft morning light

2026-10-07

Getting Your Home Ready for Interior Painters

An hour or two of prep before painters arrive saves time and money on the job. Here's what we ask DC homeowners to do first, what we handle ourselves and what to plan around.

Freshly sprayed sage green kitchen cabinets with brass pulls in a Tenleytown kitchen in Washington, DC, morning sun across a marble counter and labeled doors drying on racks

2026-09-16

What Cabinet Painting Costs and How Long It Lasts

Typical DC cabinet painting runs $4,350 to $8,900 per kitchen. Here is what moves that number, how a sprayed enamel finish is built and which parts wear first over 8 to 12 years.

Close view of a weathered south-facing window sill and peeling white trim on a Petworth porch-front rowhouse, beside freshly painted siding, bright midday sun casting sharp shadows

2026-09-16

How Long Exterior Paint Lasts on Each Surface

A DC exterior isn't one paint job. Siding, trim, porch floors, iron and decks all wear at different speeds. Here's how many years each surface typically gets and what shortens it.

Close view of a cracked horsehair plaster wall in a pre-war Brookland rowhouse in Washington, DC being taped and skim coated, afternoon window light raking across the surface

2026-08-26

Plaster or Drywall? Repairing Walls in Older DC Homes

Most pre-war DC homes still have plaster on wood lath. Here is how to read the cracks, when re-anchoring and skim coating beat replacement, and when drywall really is the better call.

Freight elevator lined with gray protective pads holding ladders, drop cloths and paint buckets in a Washington DC condo building service hallway, cool fluorescent light, no people

2026-08-26

Painting a DC Condo: Building Rules to Clear First

Most condo painting delays come from the building, not the paint. Here's what DC management offices usually ask for, how much lead time to allow and what a unit repaint typically costs.

Window sash in a pre-war Petworth rowhouse in Washington, DC framed by plastic sheeting, old trim being wet scraped beside a HEPA vacuum, soft diffused daylight through the glass

2026-08-05

Lead Paint in Pre-1978 Homes: What a Repaint Involves

Most DC homes built before 1978 have lead paint somewhere. Here is what lead-safe prep, containment and cleanup look like on a real repaint, what they add to cost and how to live around the work.

Half-limewashed red brick facade of a Georgetown rowhouse, soft chalky white lime brushed over weathered brick beside untouched sections, morning light, black iron stoop railing in front

2026-08-05

Limewash or Paint on Brick: How the Two Age

Limewash wears away slowly and lets old brick breathe; paint gives even color but can trap water. Here's how each looks over 15 years on a DC wall and what each typically costs.

Narrow red brick rowhouse facade on a Capitol Hill block in Washington, DC with a painted cornice, iron stoop railing and painters scaffolding, soft overcast spring light

2026-07-22

Painting Brick on a DC Rowhouse: What to Check First

Painted or unpainted brick, historic district or not, mortar and moisture: the checks that decide whether a DC rowhouse facade should be painted, limewashed or left alone, with typical costs.

Painters hand holding matte, eggshell and satin sample boards against an old plaster wall in a Capitol Hill rowhouse parlor, late afternoon window light raking across the surface

2026-07-14

Flat, Eggshell, Satin or Semi-Gloss: Picking Sheen by Room

Sheen decides how a wall cleans and how much of its flaws it shows. Here are the room-by-room defaults we use in DC homes, the mistakes we fix most and how to test before you buy.

Painter on a ladder brushing white trim on a gray clapboard Colonial in a Washington, DC neighborhood on a clear September morning, low golden sunlight and early fall leaves

2026-07-08

When to Paint a House Exterior in Washington, DC

Mid-April through October is the DC exterior painting window, but the best weeks are narrower. Here is how temperature, dew point and humidity decide each painting day, and when to book yours.

Row of freshly painted Washington DC rowhouse fronts at golden hour with crisp white cornices, black iron stoop railings and an aluminum ladder resting against one brick facade

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