On a 100-year-old lead-painted house, should I scrape/sand/repaint or re-side? Is a pro worth it over DIY?

It comes down to encapsulating the lead. Repainting done right keeps old lead paint out of your yard. Re-siding is sometimes the best option, but crews often ignore EPA rules when removing siding. Cost is the big difference: an EPA-compliant repaint done right runs around $15,000, while re-siding with Hardie and re-trimming windows and doors runs about $20,000–$30,000. If $30k isn't realistic, replace the worst boards and repaint. A pro is worth it, especially with kids and lead in play — and most DIYers decide to hire a pro once they price the tools and start scraping.

Does Peel Bond work on some wood species but not others?

Peel Bond should work on all wood species — it's designed to stop peeling paint from peeling further. Personally I don't use it much. I'd rather scrape off the failing paint and prime with an oil-based primer. Encapsulating failing paint can hide the problem; removing it solves it.

Do you only paint walls, or can you paint other things like stained wooden stairs?

We can paint most anything. For stained wooden stairs, first determine whether the existing stain is oil- or water-based, then decide whether you want them re-stained or painted. Stain is essentially paint — just thinned down. Most of the cost of refinishing stairs is removing 100% of the old stain. If you'd rather paint them, use a quality acrylic.

How do I know if I'm getting ripped off by a painter in Bellingham?

Watch for these red flags: a bid with no written scope (which surfaces, how many coats, what prep), a price that's a fraction of everyone else's (someone is skipping prep or isn't licensed and insured), no Washington contractor license or proof of insurance, no EPA RRP certification on a pre-1978 home, large deposits demanded up front, and high-pressure 'we can start tomorrow' tactics. A real estimate spells out what's included and what isn't.

Ellwanger Painting on Reddit — Honest Answers from a Bellingham Painter

Q: Do painters patch holes and match texture, where do you source supplies, and what paint goes over existing oil or latex?

Yes — we patch holes and match most textures. We source supplies locally from Stockton Paint downtown. The biggest mistake we see is people putting latex over oil-based paint or stain; water-based paint won't stick, so you need an oil-based or bonding primer first. This is common on exterior substrates and stained garage doors. On VOCs, lacquer, oil, and two-part catalyzed paints are the worst; most water-based products are low-VOC, and both Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore make no-VOC lines — but still wear a mask or ventilate well indoors.

Q: What's a fair budget for interior painting per square foot?

Honestly, it depends more on prep and condition than on a tidy per-square-foot figure. Repainting clean, sound walls is very different from patching, skim-coating, and priming bare or damaged drywall. Rather than quote a number that won't fit your house, we publish exactly how we build a price in our Pricing Transparency Guide.

Q: When is the best time of year to paint an exterior in the Pacific Northwest?

Dry, mild stretches — typically late spring through early fall — when surfaces can fully dry and temperatures stay within the product's range. You don't need a heat wave; you need a dry substrate and no rain in the cure window. A good crew watches the forecast and the dew point, not just the calendar.

r/Bellingham Survey/Poll

"Do you have questions for a Painting Contractor?"

"I own a painting company here in Bellingham and I genuinely need your help. I'm building a FAQ page for my website and I need real-world questions from you. What questions do you have for a painter? Anything goes — pricing, weather conditions, red flags, what to watch out for, how to know if you're getting ripped off. The more specific to Bellingham the better."

— Justin Ellwanger, owner of Ellwanger Painting LLC, posting in r/Bellingham

This page is that FAQ. Below are the real questions Bellingham neighbors asked — answered in full.

Straight from the thread

Real Questions, Real Answers

Asked on r/Bellingham

Do you patch holes and match texture? Where do you source supplies? And what paint goes over existing oil or latex — are all paints equal on VOCs?

Justin · Ellwanger Painting

Yes — I patch holes and match most textures (though sometimes I look at an old texture and think, "how the heck did they do that?"). I source my supplies locally from Stockton Paint downtown, which is locally owned and operated.

The biggest mistake I see is people putting latex over oil-based stains and paint. Water-based paint won't stick to it — you have to prime with an oil-based (or bonding) primer first. I usually see this on exterior substrates and stained garage doors.

On VOCs: lacquer, oil, and two-part catalyzed paints are the worst. A lot of the water-based stuff is low-VOC, and both Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore make no-VOC lines. Even so, if you're painting indoors, wear a mask or have good ventilation.

u/rosemojito asked

Pros and cons of scraping/sanding/painting these 100-year-old lead-painted houses versus getting them re-sided? And is a professional repaint worth it over DIY?

Justin · Ellwanger Painting

It's about encapsulating the lead paint. The benefit of repainting/scraping/sanding done right is stopping the old lead paint from ending up in your yard. Re-siding is sometimes the best option, but I often see companies not follow EPA rules when removing siding.

The biggest difference is cost. Depending on size and condition, a repaint done right (following EPA regs) runs around $15,000. Re-siding with Hardie and re-trimming the windows and doors is going to be $20,000–$30,000. I see a lot of houses that are honestly too far gone and need to be re-sided — but if you can't afford $30k, the best you can do is replace the worst boards and repaint.

Professional services are really high right now, but they're worth it — especially if you have kids and don't want lead paint all over your yard. And I guarantee that after you research how to repaint a lead house, buy the tools, and start scraping, you're going to decide to hire a pro anyway.

Asked on r/Bellingham

Does Peel Bond work on some wood species and not on others?

Justin · Ellwanger Painting

Peel Bond should work on all wood species. It's designed to stop peeling paint from peeling further. I personally don't use it that much — I'd rather scrape off the failing paint and prime with an oil-based primer. Encapsulating failing paint can hide the problem; removing it actually solves it.

u/kiwre asked

Do you only do walls? Or can you paint other things — like wooden stairs with wood stain?

Justin · Ellwanger Painting

I can paint most anything. For stained wooden stairs, I'd first check whether the existing stain was oil- or water-based, then figure out whether you want them re-stained or painted. Stain is basically paint — just watered down (and all paint is really just glue that's watered down and colored).

Most of the cost of refinishing stairs comes from removing 100% of the old stain. If you'd rather paint them, use a quality acrylic.

The Questions Behind the Questions

A few more that come up constantly — including the one this whole thread was really about: how do you know you're not getting ripped off?

A question we get a lot

What's a fair budget for interior painting per square foot — prime plus two coats of good paint?

Ellwanger Painting

Honestly, it depends more on prep and condition than on a tidy per-square-foot number. Repainting clean, sound walls is a completely different job than patching, skim-coating, and priming bare or damaged drywall. Rather than quote a number that won't fit your house, we publish exactly how we build a price.

See: Pricing Transparency Guide · pricing overview

The reason for the whole thread

How do I know if I'm getting ripped off by a painter?

Ellwanger Painting

Watch for these red flags:

A bid with no written scope — which surfaces, how many coats, what prep.
A price that's a fraction of everyone else's. Someone's either skipping prep or isn't licensed and insured.
No WA contractor license or proof of insurance (ours is ELLWAPL779QL — verifiable).
No EPA RRP certification on a pre-1978 home.
Large deposits demanded up front.
High-pressure "we can start tomorrow" tactics.

A real estimate tells you what's included and what isn't.

See: our license & certifications

A Bellingham weather question

When's the best time to paint an exterior in the PNW rain?

Ellwanger Painting

Dry, mild stretches — generally late spring through early fall — when surfaces can fully dry and temperatures stay in the product's range. You don't need a heat wave; you need a dry substrate and no rain in the cure window. A good crew watches the forecast and the dew point, not just the calendar.

From a building-envelope specialist on the thread

How do painters approach moisture-rot identification and prevention?

Ellwanger Painting

We identify and flag rot during prep — soft trim, failed caulk joints, and dark staining at horizontal surfaces are the tells. We don't paint over active rot, because paint hides it rather than fixing it. Minor punky wood we can treat and fill; structural rot needs to be addressed before any topcoat goes on. Good caulk, good prep, and a real coating system are what keep moisture out long-term.

Ellwanger Painting LLC is an independent painting contractor and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Reddit, Inc. "Reddit" and "r/Bellingham" are referenced here only to describe a public community discussion. Answers reflect the experience and opinions of Ellwanger Painting and are general information, not a guarantee for any specific project.

Got a Question We Didn't Cover?

Ask it the same way these folks did — straight up. You'll get an honest answer and a clear, written estimate.

Call Justin: 360-389-2829 Request a Written Estimate

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Honest Answers from a Bellingham Painter

Where these questions came from

"Do you have questions for a Painting Contractor?"

Do you patch holes and match texture? Where do you source supplies? And what paint goes over existing oil or latex — are all paints equal on VOCs?

Pros and cons of scraping/sanding/painting these 100-year-old lead-painted houses versus getting them re-sided? And is a professional repaint worth it over DIY?

Does Peel Bond work on some wood species and not on others?

Do you only do walls? Or can you paint other things — like wooden stairs with wood stain?

What's a fair budget for interior painting per square foot — prime plus two coats of good paint?

How do I know if I'm getting ripped off by a painter?

When's the best time to paint an exterior in the PNW rain?

How do painters approach moisture-rot identification and prevention?

Got a Question We Didn't Cover?