Quakertown, Bucks County
Exterior painting in Quakertown, PA.
Stone and brick, some of it stuccoed, with towers and stepped gables above full-length porches on its twins and rows. Painting here means stucco, trim, sash and porches more than siding.
Exterior painting for Quakertown homes
Masonry defines the borough. Its 2011 National Register nomination credits the district's solid character to a preference for stone and brick, some of it covered with stucco, in large, square, two-and-a-half-story buildings, and it notes front porches on most of the houses. The district takes in most of Quakertown, with 2,197 contributing buildings.
So an exterior repaint here is less often about siding than about everything attached to the masonry: painted stucco, window sash and frames, cornices, and porches with their floors, rails, columns and ceilings. Bare stone and brick are left bare. Where frame siding survives, the nomination notes that some of it has been replaced with newer products over the years, while the masonry has kept its integrity.
Quakertown
Twins and rows with full-length porches
Clusters of substantial brick and stone doubles and row houses run through the town, and the nomination lists what sets them apart: corner Queen Anne towers, Dutch gambrel cross gables, Flemish stepped gables, Colonial Revival pediments breaking full-length porches, Romanesque arched door surrounds and segmental arched windows. On a row, the porches line up into one long front.
The 20th century added solid masonry Foursquares and Craftsman houses, most notably in the middle and northeast of the borough, and the 1970s, about one home in five, were its biggest postwar decade. Richland Township, which surrounds the borough, has built more than two-thirds of its homes since 1980. Listing on the National Register does not by itself restrict a private owner; before changing an exterior, check with the borough's code and zoning office.
Worth knowing
Gables above the porch roof
Towers and stepped or gambrel gables put trim well above the porch roofs. That trim is reached from staging that keeps weight off the roof below.
Arched openings
Segmental and round-arched windows and doors have curved frames whose low points hold water. They take slower preparation than square trim.
Stucco repaired first
Where stucco already carries paint, cracks are repaired and the wall left to dry before it is repainted. Stucco that has never been painted is a different decision.
The work
How an exterior goes
The same care on every job, in every town. The full guide to exterior painting.
Every side, walked
Randy walks every side of the house with you, because the south wall and the north wall rarely need the same work. Both the walkthrough and the written estimate are complimentary.
Causes first
Where paint is peeling to bare wood, the source of the water is found and dealt with. Soft, rotted wood is repaired or replaced, because no paint holds on wet or decayed wood.
Washing
Dirt, mildew and chalk are washed off at a pressure that cleans without gouging the grain. The siding then dries completely before any primer or paint goes on.
Scraping and priming
Loose and flaking paint is scraped back to a firm edge. Bare wood is primed promptly, before the sun has time to weaken its surface.
Caulk where water gets in
Open joints where trim meets siding and around windows are caulked, and holes are filled. The bottom edges of lap siding are left open on purpose, so water can drain out and the boards can dry.
Paint in the right conditions
Finish coats go on when the temperature will hold for the paint, away from walls baking in full sun, and early enough to set before the evening dew. On most days that means following the shade around the house.
Questions
Exterior painting, Quakertown.
Our row house porch runs straight into the neighbors'. How is it painted?
As one front with several owners. The colors read together from the street, so it helps to agree on them, and on where one section ends, before anyone starts. Floors, rails and posts take separate finishes, and doing the whole run in one season keeps it weathering evenly.
Our brick Foursquare has a deep porch and wide eaves. What actually gets painted?
The wood: porch ceiling, columns, rails and floor, the eaves and cornice, the window sash and frames, and the doors. Brick that has never been painted stays bare. On a Foursquare much of that wood is overhead, so the preparation happens on ladders as much as at the porch.
Why is the paint peeling on our porch ceiling when the floor looks fine?
A sheltered ceiling usually peels because water reaches it from above: a leaking gutter, a gap at the roof edge, or wind-driven rain working in. The leak is found and fixed, the loose paint comes off, and the ceiling is primed and repainted once it is dry.
More in Quakertown
Other services here.
- Level 5 drywall finishA skim coat over the entire surface, for walls that hold up under raking light and dark paint.
- Skim coatingRough, patched or uneven walls resurfaced smooth, often after wallpaper comes down.
- Plaster repairCracked, loose and failing plaster in older homes, repaired and made sound.
- Interior paintingWalls, ceilings, trim, doors and millwork, prepared properly and finished clean.
- Drywall installation & repairNew drywall hung, taped and finished; cracks, holes and water damage repaired invisibly.
- Drywall texture matching & removalTexture matched so repairs disappear, applied where you want it, or taken off for a smooth wall.
- Popcorn ceiling removalOld acoustic texture taken down and the ceiling finished smooth.
- Wallpaper removalOld wallpaper and wall linings stripped without tearing up the wall beneath.
- Wood stainingDecks, porch floors, doors and trim, inside and out, stained by hand.
Consultation
Request a private consultation.
Private walkthrough & written estimate, complimentary. Tell us a little about the house and the rooms, and Randy will be in touch to arrange a time.
- Hours
- Monday – Friday8:30 AM – 5:30 PMSaturday10 AM – 3 PMSundayClosed
- Service area
- Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown and the greater Lehigh Valley; Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Fully insured — proof on request. Residential and commercial.