Painting in Rochester, Massachusetts For 25 Years.

Some tips on painting Rochester homes:

Rochester pride is evident in its historic buildings and open farmlands. A mostly rural-residential area, Rochester is a “Right to Farm” community with farms located throughout, including cranberry bogs. Rochester has many homes that sport shingles and clapboard siding which means the wood needs to be protected. These styles coincide with the New England coastal-home aesthetic that we call our specialty.

Harsh weather: Because Rochester sits a bit inland from the coast, storms can wear away at your home’s exterior. We use paints and stains that specifically aid in helping your home resist the wear and tear it endures during the harsh New England winters.

Rotted wood shingles, trim, and clapboards are a common complaint from Rochester homeowners. Because so many Rochester homes are built from wood, wood rot is a common issue for homes – even newer ones. It’s important that if you see rotted wood on your home that you replace it as soon as possible, because if water gets inside the porous wood, the rot will spread quickly.

PVC vs. Wood replacement boards – No need to hire a separate carpenter, as we have carpenters on staff to replace the rotted wood on your Rochester house before we paint. We often replace rotted wood boards with a PVC material (like Azek), so the rotting does not occur again in that area. While PVC tends to be a more expensive material than wood, knowing you won’t have to replace the board again saves money in the long run. We also don’t have to replace ALL of your wood boards or trim with PVC, so replacing a board here and there with PVC will not break the bank. When PVC is added to wood trim in a few areas, it is 100% paintable and blends right into your home amongst the other wood trim. In fact, there are many PVC molding profiles to choose from, and manufacturers even sell intricate and historically-accurate PVC molding profiles for older homes.

Rochester has a lot of cedar shingles! Shingles are nice looking as well as durable and impact-resistant, making them popular in Rochester and all over the South Shore and Cape. Cedar shingles often cover whole homes or at the very least, one or two sides of the exterior. Many residents prefer to let their shingles “gray” over time and you’ll see this very quaint look throughout town. Other Rochester residents prefer to coat their shingles with a semi-solid or solid stain to protect them and keep them from weathering. Either way, we are experienced at shingle maintenance, power washing, and staining.

Because cedar shingles tend to grow mold and mildew you may see some black on your shingles or behind them. Power washing with a mold-killing detergent will wash off the mold and mildew, but if your shingles are in a damp or shady area, the mold or mildew will likely grow back. We recommend trimming your trees to reduce the shade near your cedar shingles to slow down mold growth.

Our commercial painting department understands how to organize your painting project:

We’ve painted in Rochester for years and specialize in offices and condominiums.

If your Rochester business needs to be open during the painting project, we offer night, off hours and weekend painting at no extra charge.  This way you can keep your business open while we paint for you.

For commercial projects, call Dave Rowell at ‭(781) 422-1018‬ or Drowell@certapro.com. We can give you recommendations on paint products and how to stage the project.  Learn more about our commercial painting services for Rochester and surrounding towns here.

Rochester’s climate dictates certain exterior paint and stain formulas.

The harsh New England climate (cold, windy winters and hot summers) is a factor in which paints and stains we use on your Rochester exterior. We recommend Benjamin Moore Arbor Coat stain and Sherwin Williams Resilience paint on exteriors because they both protect homes and beautify them.  It is important to understand the different grades and types of paint to ensure you’re using one that will have lasting results.  In Rochester, we recommend painting your exterior every 5-7 years.  We often will apply a “maintenance” coat around years 4-6 to protect your home.

To keep your deck protected and looking nice, we generally paint or stain the deck floorboards every 2 years. The finish on deck and porch floorboards are worn by foot and the hot sun in the summer. Rain puddles on the deck boards and snow piles on during the winter make the deck floor hard to keep protected and look good without frequent maintenance.

Choosing exterior paint colors for your Rochester home:

Our exterior color designer will work with you to help you choose colors that blend nicely with the historic homes throughout Rochester. Here are some popular Rochester paint colors to get you started.

Historic Rochester, MA homes can be repainted in original colors

We’re happy to work with the Rochester Historical Commission to help you choose colors for your date-boarded or older home.

Newer home?  Take a walk around some of Rochester’s historic buildings and snap some photos.  We’ll match the historic paint color so your newer home looks as classic as the classics do.

Color resources and assistance for Rochester homes:

Because color choice can be overwhelming, we have lots of color resources for you, including:

A free, in-home consultation with our designer. She can help you choose interior and exterior colors that blend with Rochester’s neighborhoods or stand out as unique on your street. It’s worth getting your color perfect because you will live with it for years.

Color sampling before we start your project.

Free 8” x 8” color samples from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams.

We’ll do a color rendering of your exterior or interior space so you can see which paint colors look best, before we even pick up a brush.

Interior painting in Rochester, Massachusetts:

Many newer and refurbished Rochester homes have open floor plans that need a color scheme that flows seamlessly from room to room with cohesive colors.  Our color consultant can help you work with your current furnishings to get your palette just right.   Look at our reviews from your Rochester neighbors to see how we make the interior painting process easy for you.

Older Rochester walls are often made from horsehair plaster and need repair.  Our crews are experienced in repairing your plaster walls before painting them.

Open-floor plan homes, popular in the newer and renovated homes throughout Rochester, require thoughtful consideration of colors to be sure different colors don’t chop up the flow of the space. Our customers with open floor plans like to work with our (free!) designer and often choose one color to paint in various tones and shades throughout the open space. This helps the rooms flow nicely from one spot to the next.

The interiors of older Rochester homes often have walls that break up the space on the first floor. These very delineated rooms usually have very specific uses (for example: studying, dining, and preparing food). Because older homes tend to have walls and doors that clearly mark the transition from one room to the next, painting colors to suit the room’s use and feel, is perfectly acceptable.  This means a dark green study and a bright white kitchen can live harmoniously.

Our color consultant can work with you in your Rochester home at no charge once you choose us to paint for you. We are happy to help with both exterior and interior color choices. We find our happiest customers are the ones who took the hour with our designer to get the colors “just right.”