Felchville Painters — North Main & Bacon Streets

Felchville grew up around the crossing of North Main and Bacon Streets. According to the town master plan, it kept growing through the 1800s but lost ground once the railroad arrived in 1835 and the shoe factories made Natick Center the town's main village. Between 1870 and 1915 it added only a little more.

Some very early houses stand along this stretch of North Main. The Stephen Bacon House at number 105, possibly built as early as 1704, is a 2½-story clapboarded saltbox with a central chimney, enlarged several times during the 1700s and listed on the National Register in 1990. Farther up the street, number 165 is the Isaac Felch House of about 1800, which the Natick Historical Society includes in its catalog of the town's oldest houses.

A 2012 historic survey looked at North Main Street from the Felchville intersection north to the Wayland line. It found the late 19th and early 20th century houses largely intact, with some newer infill and commercial building concentrated near Route 9. The same survey named the side-hall Greek Revival and Italianate cottages at 116 to 160 North Main as a candidate for a neighborhood conservation district, a step the town had not taken as of the 2019 master plan. It also raised concerns: strip development pressing on the residential frontage, and years of deferred maintenance that have cost many buildings original materials and details, with a few deteriorated properties on North Main torn down.

Census Tract 3822, which takes in this corridor along with other parts of north-central Natick, skews old. About 45% of its homes were built in 1939 or earlier, roughly twice the townwide share of 22%, and the median year built is 1947. About 18% of its homes are in buildings of two to four units, against about 11% across Natick.

Missing details are the real cost driver

The survey's finding that neglect has stripped trim and details off many North Main buildings matches what a painter has to plan for. Rotted window casings, cornice pieces and corner boards have to be rebuilt in wood before any coating will last. On the estimate we separate carpentry from painting so you can see exactly where the money goes.

Greek Revival and Italianate cottages

Side-hall cottages from the mid-1800s often have wide frieze boards, pilaster corners and bracketed eaves. These broad flat trim surfaces show every flaw in prep. They get careful sanding, fresh caulk where boards meet and a primer that bonds to aged paint, so the crisp lines the style depends on come back.

First Period houses need a light touch

On a house from the early 1700s, the clapboards and frame have moved with the seasons for three centuries. Hand tools beat aggressive power washing or grinding, and any replacement boards should match the old profiles. Lead is almost certain under layers this old; see our lead-safe painting page.

Houses on Route 27

North Main Street is also state Route 27, and the street-facing side of a house on it can pick up road grime. Washing that elevation thoroughly before painting helps new paint grip, and a durable, washable finish on the front door and trim is worth the small extra cost.