Exterior Painting in Medford, MA.

Close to half of Medford's housing, 48.8% of units, was built in 1939 or earlier, and three out of four units predate 1980. On the outside of a house, that age shows up as layered paint on wood clapboard and trim, window casings that have been caulked many times over, and porch details that hold water where joints have opened.

An exterior paint job lasts only as long as the bond underneath it. On older wood, much of the labor goes into getting loose paint off, repairing rot and priming bare spots before any finish coat goes on.

What older siding needs before paint

Our post on common exterior paint failures shows what peeling, alligatoring and mildew each say about the surface underneath.

• Scraping every loose or lifting edge, then feathering the transitions so they don't telegraph through
• Replacing or consolidating rotted sills, corner boards and porch trim
• Spot-priming bare wood with a primer suited to the substrate
• Re-caulking open joints at trim, not over the clapboard laps that let siding breathe
• Two finish coats on the faces that get the most sun

Lead-safe exterior prep

Scraping a pre-1978 house sends paint chips onto soil, shrubs and the neighbor's driveway unless they are caught. Federal rules require certified contractors and lead-safe practices for that work: ground sheeting extended out from the wall, wet scraping, no open-flame burning or uncontrolled power sanding, and daily cleanup of debris. On a two-family or a house set close to the lot line, containment has to account for the people next door as well. The details are on our lead-safe painting page.

Does the city review exterior painting?

It depends on where the house sits. Inside a local historic district, owners need a certificate from the Historic District Commission before work affecting exterior architectural features, and the Building Department cannot issue a permit for that work without one. The King House Historic District at 21 Touro Avenue was established in 2017; a Certificate of Non-Applicability is the route for repairs and replacement using the same design and materials. The commission's application says certain exceptions are listed in the bylaw, so confirm with the commission before assuming a color change is exempt.

The National Register districts are different. Hillside Avenue, with fifteen properties near downtown, and Old Ship Street, the Federal and Greek Revival houses along Pleasant Street, are listed nationally. The National Park Service states that listing places no restrictions on privately funded work by a private owner, so a National Register address alone does not mean approval is needed to repaint.

The city's demolition delay ordinance covers buildings 75 years and older, and it is triggered by an application to demolish, not by a request to repaint. If a project goes beyond paint into removing parts of the house, ask the Historical Commission whether its review applies before work starts.

Timing an exterior job

Most exterior paints list a minimum temperature for the air and the surface, and that limit applies overnight too, while the film is still curing. As fall goes on, fewer days meet those limits, and siding wet with dew has to dry before paint can go on. Our article on painting outside in November walks through those limits. If the forecast doesn't cooperate, this is a good time for an estimate so the job can start early next season.

Owners in Medford Square, Wellington, Glenwood and West Medford can schedule a visit the same way. Decks and porch floors are covered on the deck painting page.