Why Ottawa is hard on exterior paint
Our climate runs from below minus 25 in January to above 30 with humidity in July. Every material on the outside of your house expands and contracts through that range.
Then there is the freeze and thaw cycle in spring and autumn, when water gets into a hairline gap, freezes overnight, expands, and lifts the coating off the surface. That is why caulking around windows and door casings matters as much as the paint.
South and west elevations also take far more UV than the rest of the house. Those sides usually show wear first, and on a repaint we check them for chalking before deciding on the primer.
How we prepare an exterior
First a pressure wash to take off chalking, pollen and mildew, then drying time. Painting over a damp surface traps moisture behind the film.
Next, scraping back anything loose, sanding the edges so they do not telegraph, and spot priming every bare patch. Bare wood gets primed the same day it is exposed where we can.
Hardened caulking gets cut out and replaced, and rotten trim gets repaired before painting rather than painted over. Where rot is structural we bring in our trim carpentry crew first.
Painted brick, once painted, stays painted
Ottawa has a lot of older brick, and painting it is a one way decision. Removing paint from brick later is expensive and can damage the face.
We will tell you honestly whether your brick is a good candidate, and if the mortar is failing we would rather see brick repair done first than paint over a wall that is letting water in.
What an exterior painting quote from us includes
- Surfaces listed: siding, trim, soffit, fascia, doors and porch priced separately.
- Wash and scrape: included, not an optional extra.
- Primer plan: spot prime or full prime, stated per surface.
- Caulking: which joints get cut out and replaced.
- Product line: named, with the temperature range it is rated for.
- Weather clause: how rain and cold days affect the schedule.
Where exterior painting sits in the bigger job
This work is part of our painter service, so it can run on its own or as one stage inside a larger project. When it is part of a bigger renovation we sequence it with the other trades rather than treating it as a standalone visit.
Clients booking this often pair it with interior painting. One contract covers whichever combination you need, with a single schedule and one point of contact.
Exterior Painting across the Ottawa area
We take this work on throughout the greater Ottawa area. Recent jobs have run through Nepean, Merivale, South Keys, Kanata and the surrounding neighbourhoods. The consultation is free wherever you are in the city.