Exterior Painting in Marietta, GA
A Marietta exterior repaint looks very different depending on the street. Near the Square and in the Whitlock Avenue and Washington Avenue districts, it is hand prep, wood repair and lead-safe work on old clapboard, sash and porches. Out in East Cobb, the paint goes on the siding, fascia, soffits, shutters and trim around a brick front. Tell us about your house below, and we will scope the prep it actually needs before we price the paint.
Cobb County · Marietta, GA
Exterior Painting for Marietta homes
Everything from antebellum and Victorian homes near the Square, through mid-century ranches, to 80s and 90s brick-and-siding subdivisions in East Cobb. Older homes need genuine carpentry repair before any topcoat; the East Cobb stock is squarely in kitchen-and-bath remodel territory.
Areas we work in Marietta
- Marietta Square
- Whitlock Heights
- East Cobb
- Kennesaw Avenue Historic District
- Church-Cherokee
- Sibley Forest
Near Marietta Square, Kennesaw Mountain, The Strand Theatre and across the rest of Marietta.
Recent exterior painting work
Exterior Painting on Marietta houses
Marietta has two exteriors that share almost nothing. Near the Square and through the Northwest Marietta, Whitlock Avenue and Washington Avenue districts the houses are wood clapboard with turned porch posts, brackets, wood sash and layered trim, carrying many coats of old paint. That is scraping, sanding and wood repair before it is painting, with lead-safe handling on anything coated before 1978, and porch floors, railings and columns that rot at the ends where water sits. The East Cobb stock from the 1980s and 90s puts brick across the front and clads the dormers, gable ends and side walls, so the paint goes on the clad sections, the fascia, soffits, shutters and trim, while the brick is left alone unless it was painted before.
What usually gets missed
On the Victorian and Greek Revival houses near the Square the mistake is power-washing hard to save scraping time. It drives water into old clapboard and sash, raises the grain, and blows lead chips across the yard. Hand prep with containment is slower and right. On East Cobb houses the miss sits at the brick line: the gable and dormer siding where it meets the roof and the top of the brick takes the runoff, rots first, and gets caulked and painted over instead of repaired.
On a Marietta job we check
- Hand-scrape historic clapboard and sash under lead-safe containment
- Probe porch column bases and rail ends for rot before priming
- Repair dormer and gable board above the brick line before coating
What the job actually involves
Exterior paint fails from the outside in: sun, rain, mildew and wood that moves. In west Georgia the work is mostly about drying the house out, stripping what has lifted and sealing every joint before a drop of finish goes on.
We use exterior acrylic paint rated for sun and moisture, an exterior primer on bare or repaired wood, and elastomeric or high-quality paintable caulk at joints, because the caulk and primer do most of the work keeping water out in a humid climate.
How we run a exterior painting job in Marietta
- 1
Inspect for rot, moisture and failing paint
We probe soft spots in trim, fascia, sills and the bottoms of siding boards, check caulk lines and look at where gutters have been overflowing. Rot gets replaced or repaired before painting. Painting over it just hides it for a season.
- 2
Wash the house
Mildew, pollen film and chalking are washed off with a low-pressure rinse and a cleaner. High pressure drives water behind siding, so we avoid it on wood. The house then needs to dry fully, often a day or more in summer humidity.
- 3
Scrape, sand and spot-prime
Loose and peeling paint is scraped back to a sound edge and feathered by sanding. Bare wood and patched areas get an exterior primer. On older homes, lead-safe work practices apply to paint disturbed before 1978.
- 4
Caulk and repair
Gaps at trim, corners and window and door casings are caulked with a paintable exterior sealant. Nail holes and splits are filled. We do not caulk the bottom of lap siding, which has to breathe.
- 5
Paint in the right weather
Two coats go on, brushed and rolled or sprayed and back-rolled, with trim last. We watch the forecast and the sun. Painting in direct heat makes paint dry too fast, and painting before the dew burns off or ahead of rain ruins the film.
- 6
Final walkthrough and cleanup
We check for holidays, drips and missed spots, remove masking, and clean the yard and driveway of debris. Plants and shrubs that were covered are uncovered.
What moves the price
We will not quote Marietta blind over the phone — these are the things we look at on site that decide the number.
- Size and height of the house. Two-story homes and steep gables need ladders or lifts and take more labor.
- Siding material: wood, fiber cement, brick, vinyl and stucco each need different prep and paint.
- Rot repair. Replacing trim boards and fascia adds carpentry before any painting happens.
- Condition of the existing paint. Heavy peeling or many layers means more scraping and sanding.
- How much gets painted: body only, or trim, soffits, shutters, doors, garage door and railings too.
- Access issues such as dense landscaping, slopes or close neighbors that affect staging and masking.
From a exterior painting customer
“WS Painting & Remodeling LLC did a remarkable job Painting the exterior of my house. … Their 5 star rating started from my quick response in getting an estimate, to getting a very detailed breakdown of the estimate to include photos, and doing repairs.”
Exterior repaint and repairs
Want a real number for your Marietta exterior painting job?
The only way to price it honestly is to see it. We come out, walk the job and put it in writing — free, and with no obligation to book.
Call and we answer 24/7. Forms sent during the day get a call back the same day.
Exterior Painting in Marietta — questions we get asked
- What time of year is best to paint a house exterior in Georgia?
- Spring and fall, when it is mild and dry. Summer works too if we paint the shaded sides in the afternoon and the sunny sides early, but heat shortens drying time and storms interrupt. Pollen season in spring can dust wet paint, so we wash and schedule around the worst days.
- How long does exterior painting take?
- A typical house takes several days to over a week, counting washing, drying time, repair and two coats. Weather can add days. We tell you plainly when rain pushes the schedule.
- Will painting disrupt my day?
- Some. There are ladders, noise from scraping and sometimes spraying, and we may ask you to park elsewhere or keep windows shut. We do not need you to leave the house, and we keep people and pets away from wet areas.
- How long will the paint last?
- It depends on prep, the surface and how much sun that side of the house gets. South and west walls wear fastest. Good prep matters more than the brand of paint.
- Do you fix rotted wood before painting?
- Yes. We replace or repair rotted trim and fascia first, and we point out hidden damage we find so you can decide. Rot that keeps getting wet will fail again unless the water source is fixed.
Planning exterior painting? Start here
- How to choose an exterior painter whose work lasts Fresh paint hides everything, so the painter worth hiring is the one who can show you work that held up after a few Georgia summers. Here is how to check.
- Exterior upgrades that protect the house and lift curb appeal The exterior upgrades worth doing first pull double duty — they lift curb appeal and protect the house at the same time, which is where a budget goes furthest.
- Which exterior paint trends are worth committing to? The exterior color directions with staying power are restrained — deep muted bodies, warm neutrals, black trim and windows — and the real test in Georgia is which of them survive a south-facing wall.
More in Marietta
Cobb County housing, neighborhoods and what we do there.
Painting & remodeling in Marietta →Other work in Marietta
- Interior Painting in Marietta
- Cabinet Painting & Refinishing in Marietta
- Deck & Fence Staining in Marietta
- Commercial Painting in Marietta
- Drywall Repair & Patching in Marietta
- Kitchen Remodeling in Marietta
- Bathroom Remodeling in Marietta
- Basement Finishing in Marietta
- Deck & Porch Building in Marietta
- Siding Replacement in Marietta
- Flooring Installation in Marietta
Prefer to talk it through? Dan picks up.
(470) 419-0922