Fairfax sits at the far end of the Ross Valley, where the canyons narrow and the hills close in. A lot of homes here started life as small summer cabins and were added onto over the decades, so it's common to find two or three kinds of siding on one house, plus decks, stairs and outbuildings built at different times. Redwoods, bay laurels and oaks shade many of the lots, and the creeks that run through town keep the air damp in winter. Paint on these homes rarely fails evenly. A sunny front wall can hold up fine while the back of the same house, facing the hillside, is covered in mildew and peeling. Fairfax homeowners also tend to like color, and plenty of houses here wear shades you won't see in other parts of Marin.
Free Estimate
Our Fairfax work is mostly exterior painting on mixed-siding homes and restaining decks, fences and shingles. We'll look at every side of the house during the walkthrough, since the back is usually where the real work is. Get in touch whenever you're ready.
Mixed Siding, Additions and Old Cabins
When a house has been built in stages, each section often has its own siding: original board-and-batten on the cabin, shingles on a 1970s addition, plywood on a newer bedroom wing. Each of those takes paint differently. Old redwood soaks up primer, plywood siding needs its edges sealed, and shingles may be better stained than painted. The joints where one siding meets another are where water tends to get in, so those get careful caulking. We plan the prep and the product for each part of the house rather than treating it as one surface. Color can tie a patchwork house together too. Using one body color across all the siding types, with a single trim color, makes additions read as part of the original home. The same mix of older homes and add-ons runs through the hills of San Anselmo next door.
Shade, Moisture and Bold Colors
Shaded Fairfax lots stay wet long after a storm, and mildew loves the north and hillside walls. We kill it before painting, give the wood dry days to recover, and use mildew-resistant paint on the sides that never see much sun. Bold colors take some extra planning. Deep reds, blues and greens often need a tinted primer underneath so the finish coat covers evenly, and some saturated colors take an extra coat to look right. Strong colors also fade faster where they do get sun, so we may suggest a more durable paint line or a satin finish on the brightest walls. If you want a color that's a little unusual, we'll paint a large sample on the house first so you see it in real Fairfax light. Plenty of homeowners here carry that love of color inside too, and indoor painting projects make a good wet-season job.