Cape Cod Exterior Repaint — Cornwall

What the job involved

Capes are a deceptive exterior. The footprint is small but the dormers, rakes, returns and shutters mean there's far more linear trim than a comparable colonial, and trim is where exterior labor actually goes.

This one started with a low-pressure wash to strip off the chalking layer — the powdery oxidized residue on aged paint that new coatings simply cannot bond through. Contractors skip this or blast it at high pressure; the first guarantees failure, the second drives water into the siding.

Loose paint was scraped back to a sound edge and feathered so the transition wouldn't read as a ridge under the new finish. Trim and sill rot was repaired before anything was coated — a sill that's soft under paint is a problem you're buying twice. Every open joint and seam was then caulked with a flexible exterior sealant that stays elastic through the freeze-thaw cycle rather than cracking out by the second winter.

The deep blue was the owners' choice and the right one for a Cape, but deep colors on a south or west elevation take the hardest UV exposure of any exterior finish. Two coats of a premium 100% acrylic and thorough priming of every bare spot is what gives a color like that a real service life here.

Full scope of work

• Full low-pressure house wash
• Loose paint scraped and feathered
• Rot repair to trim and sills
• All open joints caulked
• Siding, dormers, fascia and soffits
• Shutters, front door and porch detail