Prep-first painting for older Garland, TX homes

Painters in Garland, TX: start with the age of the house

Garland grew up fast. It went from about 38,500 people in 1960 to 138,850 by 1980, and the housing reflects it: Census figures put the city’s median year built at 1978, with roughly 55 percent of homes built before 1980. Some ZIP codes run older: the median is 1965 in 75041 and 1968 in 75042.

A house that’s been standing since the ’70s has usually been repainted a few times, sometimes by an owner with a free Saturday and a roller. I look for what will show through or cause trouble later: drips and roller ridges from earlier coats, flat paint on trim that would wear better in satin or semi-gloss, and glossy oil-based enamel, sometimes with latex already peeling off it. Latex doesn’t grip glossy oil paint well, so I clean it, degloss it and use a bonding primer before the finish coat. In a house built before 1978, some of those older coats may contain lead, which is why I’m EPA lead-safe (RRP) certified and stick to lead-safe work practices whenever sanding, scraping or deglossing disturbs them.

Cracks over doors and the clay underneath

Houston Black, the dark clay of a prairie that stretches from north of Dallas to south of San Antonio, swells when it’s wet and shrinks as it dries. In a dry spell its cracks can open more than 4 inches wide, and houses move with it. The American Society of Civil Engineers’ Geo-Institute lists the signs: cracks in walls and ceilings, cracks at wall corners and above doors or windows, sticking doors, and siding and trim joints separating at the corners. A Garland house nearing 50 has had time to show a few.

Before I paint, I clear out loose material, tape the crack, build it back with thin coats of mud, match the texture and prime the patch so it blends in. If a crack has reopened since the last patch, or the door next to it has started sticking, get the foundation looked at first. Otherwise you’re paying to fix the same crack twice. My drywall repair page has more on texture matching.

Timing a Garland exterior around the heat

From where I’m based in Rowlett it’s about 5.8 miles to Garland, around 12 minutes when the roads are clear, so stopping by Historic Downtown Garland or a street out by Firewheel to look at your siding before I price it is no trouble. The estimate is free, and I reply within 24 hours.

For exteriors, the National Weather Service puts DFW’s average first 100°F day around July 1 and the last around August 27. Benjamin Moore says to keep the surface more than 5 degrees above the dew point and out of direct sun, so in summer each wall gets painted while it’s in shade. In fall, mind the evening dew: Sherwin-Williams says most of its products need at least four hours to dry before moisture settles on them. Spring and fall are easier on the paint and the painter.