House Painters in Napa

The city of Napa holds most of the valley's houses, and they were built over about 150 years. Fuller Park and the blocks around Old Town have Victorians and Craftsman bungalows with deep porches and a lot of trim. Alta Heights climbs the hill east of downtown. Browns Valley and the north side are full of ranch homes built after World War II and into the 1980s, and newer subdivisions fill in the edges. The weather falls between the two ends of the valley: cooler, damper mornings than up-valley, but plenty of summer heat by afternoon. That mix is hard on west walls and on any trim where water can collect. The Napa River runs right through town, and homes near it, or in low spots where the ground stays wet, often show swelling and peeling along the bottom of the siding first.

We paint all over the city, from one bedroom to a whole house. Outside, exterior house painting starts with washing, scraping, wood repair and primer, so the finish holds through the heat and the winter rain. Inside, interior painting takes in every wall, ceiling and door, with plaster and drywall cracks repaired before color goes on. Phone us for an estimate, and someone will come see the house in person.

Victorians and Craftsman Homes in Old Town

The older houses near downtown take the most patience. Most carry layer after layer from past repaints, and the oldest coats are often oil-based. Latex over glossy oil lets go unless the surface is scuffed down and given a bonding primer first, which is why some old-house paint jobs fail within a couple of years. These homes also have the most detail: brackets, spindles, fish-scale shingles and window trim that has to be brushed by hand. Then there's the 2014 earthquake, which left cracked plaster and shifted trim in a lot of older Napa houses. Some of those cracks were only painted over and have opened again. If your house sits in one of the city's historic districts, check with the city before a big color change, since exterior work there can need review. Inside these houses, tall ceilings, picture rails and original wood trim need careful cutting in, and old trim that was once stained may need a stain-blocking primer before it takes paint evenly. Up in Yountville, where many homes are newer, the prep looks very different.

Mid-Century Ranch Homes and Newer Subdivisions

Browns Valley and much of north Napa are lined with single-story ranch homes, many with wood or T1-11 plywood siding and long runs of eaves. T1-11 swells and delaminates where it stays wet, especially at the bottom edge near sprinklers and soil, so we check those panels closely and repair or replace soft spots before painting. Eaves on these houses face a lot of sun and often peel first. Newer neighborhoods on the city's edges tend to have stucco or fiber cement, and builder paint that has faded unevenly by now. Those homes are often simpler to prep, which keeps the price down. Garage doors on these houses face the street and the sun, and they tend to fade before anything else, so many owners add them to the job. Many sit in HOAs with a color list, so it pays to check yours before choosing. Homes farther south, toward American Canyon, see more wind and damp, which changes what we look for.