Painting Contractor in Austin, TX Built for Texas Sun, Clay Soil & History

This is old paint that has cracked into a scaly, reptile-like pattern or is coming off the siding in sheets. On historic homes it usually means many layers have built up, lost flexibility and stopped bonding to the wood, so moisture gets behind the film.

Central Austin's pre-1940 bungalows and Victorians often have 80 or more years of paint on them, with oil under latex under oil. Every summer the wood heats past 140°F on sunny walls, and every storm season it soaks up water. Brittle old layers can't move with the wood, so they crack. Many of these homes were built before 1978 and contain lead, so scraping them without containment is dangerous and violates federal RRP rules.

• Scaly, checkered paint pattern on siding or trim
• Bare gray wood showing through
• Paint chips collecting in flowerbeds
• Peeling worst on south and west walls
• Soft wood at sills and the bottom courses of siding
• Powdery residue on window sashes

Most common in Hyde Park, Clarksville, Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek and Old West Austin, on shiplap, drop siding and original double-hung windows. It usually shows up first on sun-facing gable ends and porch trim, and the bottom rows of siding often hide rot from splashback.

Lead-safe containment and scraping, wood repair or epoxy consolidation, bonding primer, then two coats of high-flex exterior acrylic. Historic details are kept and documented.

This is cracked, shrunken or missing caulk where fiber-cement siding boards butt together, at trim corners and around windows. Once the seal opens, water can wick into the cut ends of the siding and get behind the trim.

Most 1990s–2000s builder homes in Circle C, Lakeway, Bee Cave and Manchaca were caulked with cheap, rigid acrylic. Austin's long droughts and 100°F afternoons shrink it, and the burst rains of May and October push water straight into the gaps. Clay soils east of MoPac add seasonal movement that tears rigid caulk apart. Leave it alone and the swollen board edges and peeling paint at the joints will cost far more to fix than new sealant.

• Hairline gaps at siding butt joints
• Caulk pulled away from window frames
• Swollen or flaking board ends
• Paint peeling in vertical lines at joints
• Dark water stains below trim
• Gaps where siding meets corner boards

Common on fiber-cement homes in Circle C Ranch, Shady Hollow, Lakeway and Falconhead, especially on west elevations that bake every afternoon. Del Valle new builds can show it within three to five years because the original caulking was minimal.

We remove the failed caulk, seal the board ends, apply flexible elastomeric sealant made for movement, and repaint the affected runs or the full elevation.

This is paint that has dulled, lightened or left a powdery residue on your hand. UV breaks down the binder, the pigment loosens, and the coating gets thinner and less protective every year.

At about 30° latitude, Austin gets intense UV all year, not just in summer. Reds, blues, charcoal and the black trim on modern farmhouse builds fade and heat up fastest. South- and west-facing elevations often need repainting years before the shaded sides. Low-grade paint chalks quickly, and on dark colors the heat can blister the film or warp vinyl trim.

• Chalky residue when you rub the siding
• Front door or shutters noticeably lighter than when painted
• Uneven color between sunny and shaded walls
• Blistering on dark-painted trim
• Dull, flat look on what used to be satin
• Faded, streaky fascia boards

Shows up on sun-facing front doors citywide, on black-trimmed contemporary infill in Zilker and Mueller, and on exposed hillside homes in West Lake Hills and Lakeway where there's no tree cover to block the afternoon sun.

Pressure wash, treat chalk with a bonding primer, and repaint with UV-resistant 100% acrylic. We'll steer you toward heat-reflective dark colors where you want a bold look.

These are cracks that run from the corners of windows and doors, along ceiling seams, or diagonally across walls. They often come back after being patched because the house under them keeps moving.

Expansive Houston Black clay east of MoPac, through South Austin and toward Del Valle, shrinks in drought and swells after heavy rain, so foundations shift seasonally. Drywall is rigid and cracks when the framing moves. A quick mud patch and a dab of paint just reopens the next dry summer. The 2021 winter storm also left many homes with leak-damaged ceilings and mismatched patches.

• Diagonal cracks from window and door corners
• Ceiling seam cracks that reopen
• Nail pops in rows
• Doors that stick seasonally
• Visible patch outlines under paint
• Gaps between trim and walls

Most frequent in Allandale, Crestview, South Austin, Manchaca and Del Valle on slab-on-grade homes over clay. Less common on the limestone-based lots of Rollingwood and Bee Cave, though tall vaulted walls there still show seam cracks.

We tape and float cracks with flexible compound and texture-match popcorn or orange peel, then repaint the full wall so there's no patch flashing. If we see signs of active movement, we'll point you to a foundation specialist.

These are black, green or gray spots and streaks on siding, soffits and trim. Mildew lives on organic film and moisture, and paint applied over it fails fast because it never bonds to the substrate.

Dense cedar, live oak and pecan canopies on west-side lots keep north faces damp and shaded, and humid Austin mornings help mildew grow. Winter cedar pollen and fine limestone dust west of MoPac give it a sticky layer to feed on. Painting over it without proper washing and treatment is one of the most common shortcuts uninsured crews take.

• Black speckling on north-facing walls
• Green film on lower siding
• Dark streaks under eaves
• Gritty dust on window trim
• Musty smell near shaded soffits
• Paint flaking from dirty patches

Typical in Tarrytown, Barton Hills, Rollingwood and West Lake Hills under mature tree cover, and on cedar-sided 1970s–80s homes where stained soffits and deep eaves trap moisture.

Mildewcide wash and low-pressure rinse, captured where required, then mildew-resistant primer and paint. We'll also flag tree limbs that should be trimmed back.

This is cracked or chipped paint, dented trim and gutters, and splintered fence boards after a hailstorm. Inside, it's water-stained ceilings and walls from roof or pipe leaks that need repair before repainting.

Central Texas gets frequent hail from March through June, and some storms damage whole subdivisions at once. Freeze events like February 2021 burst pipes across the city and left ceilings stained and drywall cut open. These repairs often run through insurance, so detailed documentation and color-matched finishes matter. The longer exposed wood sits, the more it rots.

• Fresh chips or spatter marks on siding
• Dented, cracked trim or fascia
• Splintered fence pickets
• Yellow-brown ceiling stains
• Bubbling paint near plumbing walls
• Bare wood exposed after a storm

Storm swaths often hit Circle C, Shady Hollow, Manchaca, Lakeway and Bee Cave subdivisions block by block, so demand spikes right after. Freeze-related interior damage was widespread in older central homes with exposed attic plumbing.

We get exposed wood sealed or primed quickly, document damage with photos for your adjuster, repair the drywall, and color-match repaint whole elevations or rooms.

This is cheap flat paint that marks easily, won't scrub clean, and shows shiny 'flashing' wherever someone touched it up. It's standard in new construction because it's fast and inexpensive to apply.

Austin's building boom put thousands of homes on the market with contractor-grade flat beige in every room. In Del Valle, Mueller, Manchaca and newer South Austin tracts, owners quickly find that kids, pets and furniture leave permanent marks. Touch-ups show at a different sheen, and the dated builder beige clashes with the whites and greiges buyers want now.

• Marks that smear when washed
• Shiny patches from touch-ups
• Visible roller lap marks
• Dingy hallways and stair walls
• Color that reads yellow-beige
• Paint rubbing off on cloths

Most common in 2000s–2020s subdivisions in Del Valle, Manchaca, Circle C and Mueller, and in rental and short-term rental properties that need durable, washable walls between guests.

Clean and spot-prime, then repaint in scrubbable eggshell or satin with a modern palette. We can paint occupied homes room by room.