Exterior painting · Calgary, AB
Exterior house painting in Calgary
Siding, trim, soffits, fascia, doors and garage doors. Tell us about the house and a local contractor will look at the surfaces and quote the work.
Free estimate · No obligation
Typical requests
- Faded or chalky siding on the sunny sides
- Peeling or cracking trim and fascia
- Bare or grey wood showing through
- Refreshing the colour before a sale
- Repainting after siding or hail repairs
- Priced by
- Wall area and height, prep and repairs, surface type, coats and access.
- Season
- Late spring to early fall, weather permitting. Book early for summer.
- Weak spots
- South and west faces, and horizontal trim where water sits.
Reading your exterior
What your walls are telling you
Walk around the house on a bright day. Each of these points to a different amount of preparation, which is the main thing that moves an exterior price.
Chalk on your hand
The binder is breaking down under UV. The surface needs washing and sometimes a conditioning primer so new paint can grip.
Fading on one side only
Normal sun wear. It is often cosmetic, but it tells you which walls will need attention first next time.
Peeling in sheets
Usually moisture behind the paint or poor adhesion last time. Scraping, sanding and spot priming add real labour.
Cracked, alligatored trim
Old, hard paint that has lost flexibility. It may need to be taken back further before recoating.
Soft or dark wood
Possible rot. That is a carpentry repair before it is a paint job, and the quote should say who does it.
Gaps at joints and windows
Failed caulking lets water in behind the paint. Re-caulking is standard exterior prep.
Seen a few of these?
Mention them in your request. It helps the painter plan the visit and the scope.
Local conditions
Why Calgary exteriors wear the way they do
Calgary sits more than a kilometre above sea level with a dry climate and plenty of clear days, so walls that face the sun take a steady dose of UV. That is what breaks paint down into chalk and fades colour, and it is why the south and west sides of a house usually look years older than the north.
Winter adds rapid temperature swings. Chinook winds can move a wall from well below freezing to mild in a day, so siding, trim and caulking expand and contract repeatedly. Flexible, well-bonded coatings and sound caulking cope with that better than thick, brittle layers of old paint.
Scheduling around the weather
Exterior paint has a minimum application temperature printed on the product, and the surface must stay above it while the coating cures. Cool nights, early-morning dew and afternoon storms all shorten the usable day. A realistic exterior schedule has weather days built in. The exterior painting season guide covers this in more detail.
Surfaces
Different siding, different job
Most Calgary houses mix two or three materials. Each has its own prep and product.
| Surface | Typical prep | Things to ask about |
|---|---|---|
| Wood siding and trim | Typical prepWash, scrape loose paint, sand edges, spot prime bare wood, caulk. | Things to ask aboutRot repair, and whether bare wood gets a dedicated primer. |
| Fibre cement | Typical prepWash, repair chips, caulk joints, prime any exposed edges. | Things to ask aboutWhether the original factory finish is compatible with the new coating. |
| Vinyl siding | Typical prepThorough wash, check panels are secure. | Things to ask aboutA vinyl-safe product and a colour that will not overheat the panels. |
| Stucco | Typical prepWash, repair cracks, fill patches, match texture. | Things to ask aboutElastomeric versus masonry paint. See the stucco page. |
| Soffits and fascia | Typical prepClean, scrape, prime. Often reached from a ladder or lift. | Things to ask aboutAccess equipment for two-storey eaves, and gutters. |
Homes built before 1990
Health Canada notes that exterior paint on homes built between 1960 and 1990 may contain lead, and that paint on homes built before 1960 probably does. Scraping and sanding that paint needs lead-safe methods. Tell the contractor the approximate age of your house. Health Canada guidance on lead.
Common questions
Exterior painting questions
Question not answered here? Ask it in your quote request.
How often does a house exterior need repainting in Calgary?
What months can exterior painting be done in Calgary?
Can vinyl siding be painted?
Does hail damage mean I need to repaint?
Will I need to be home while the exterior is painted?
Related
Also worth reading
- GuideWhen to paint a house exterior in CalgaryTemperatures, overnight lows and chinooks: how the Calgary season shapes scheduling.
- ServicePainting stuccoStucco needs different repair work and different products than siding.
- ServiceDeck and fence stainingDecks and fences are usually stained, and the prep is different again.
- GuideWhat exterior painting costs depend onWhy exterior prices vary so much between otherwise similar houses.
Free, no-obligation estimate
Get a free exterior painting quote
Describe the house and what you want painted. The contractor will walk around it before quoting.
Useful to include
- Storeys, and whether any walls are hard to reach
- Siding type: wood, fibre cement, vinyl, stucco or a mix
- Whether trim, soffits, fascia, doors or the garage door are included
- Peeling, rot or hail damage you already know about
Get a free painting quote
About two minutes. Fields marked * are required.