Sun Up Painting
Exterior House Painting in Naples, Florida
Stucco, block and siding, prepped for salt air, full sun and afternoon storms. Pressure wash, crack repair, full caulk, primer and two finish coats. Walked, priced and painted by the owner.
- 25 years in the trade
- Owner operated
- Naples & all of Collier County
- Trained in Maui, Napa & Vail
Why exterior paint fails in Naples
Southwest Florida is one of the hardest climates in the country to keep a coat of paint on a house. Every shortcut a painter takes shows up within two summers.
I painted on the water in Maui before I painted here, and the lesson is the same on both coasts. The coating only lasts as long as the work under it. A fresh color over dirty, chalky, cracked stucco looks fine the day the ladder comes down and starts peeling at the first hairline the next rainy season. So the estimate you get from me is built around prep, and the schedule is built around the weather.
- UV & chalkingSouth and west walls take full sun most of the day. The binder in the old paint breaks down into a white powder that new paint will not stick to unless it is washed off and primed.
- Salt airAnywhere within a few miles of the Gulf, salt film builds on the walls. If it is not washed off first, the new coating bonds to the salt instead of the house.
- Storms & cracksAfternoon rain driven by wind finds every hairline crack in the stucco and every open joint in the caulk, and water behind the paint is what blisters it.
- Humidity & mildewShaded north walls, under soffits and behind landscaping stay damp. Mildew grows through paint that was not treated before it went on.
- Well waterInland, in Golden Gate Estates and east, irrigation leaves rust and mineral staining on stucco that has to be treated and sealed, not covered.
What an exterior repaint includes
The same sequence on every house, from an Old Naples cottage to a two-story stucco home in the Estates. The written estimate lists each step so you know what you are paying for.
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01
Walkthrough and written estimate
I walk every elevation of the house with you. Stucco condition, caulk lines, wood trim, rust on metal and which walls take the sun. The estimate lists the prep, the products and the number of coats.
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02
Pressure wash and mildew treatment
Every surface gets washed to take off chalk, salt film, dirt and pollen. Mildew on shaded walls is treated and killed before washing, not just rinsed and painted over.
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03
Scraping, sanding and rot repair
Loose and failing paint gets scraped and sanded to a sound edge. Soft or rotted wood on fascia, trim and siding is repaired or replaced before it gets painted, so the paint is not hiding a problem.
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04
Stucco crack patching and block filling
Hairline cracks are opened and filled with an elastomeric patch that moves with the wall. Larger cracks and damaged stucco are repaired. Bare block gets a block filler so the finish coat does not disappear into the pores.
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05
Caulking every seam and penetration
Window and door frames, trim joints, expansion joints, hose bibs, light fixtures and anywhere a pipe or wire enters the wall. This is the step most often skipped, and it is where the water gets in.
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06
Priming
Patched and bare areas are spot primed. Chalky or bare stucco gets a full coat of masonry primer or conditioner so the finish bonds. Bare wood and rusted metal get the primer that matches the material.
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07
Two finish coats
Body walls are sprayed and back rolled so the paint is worked into the stucco texture instead of sitting on top of it. Trim, fascia, doors and shutters are cut by hand. Two coats, at the film thickness the product calls for, not one thinned coat stretched to look like two.
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08
Cleanup and final walkthrough
Masking comes down, windows and pavers get cleaned, plants get uncovered. We walk the house together and I touch up anything you point at before I call it done.
What we paint on the outside of a house
Most Naples homes are stucco over block with wood or aluminum trim. Older neighborhoods have lap siding and clapboard. Each one gets prepped for what it is.
- Stucco and concrete blockWashed, crack patched, primed where chalky and finished with a 100 percent acrylic or elastomeric coating depending on condition.
- Wood siding and clapboardScraped, sanded, rot repaired and spot primed. Old Naples cottages and older homes east of the Trail.
- Soffit, fascia and guttersFascia takes the worst of the roof runoff. Rot gets repaired first, then everything is primed and coated.
- Garage doorsWashed, scuffed and coated in a finish that holds up to direct afternoon sun without fading out ahead of the walls.
- Front doors, shutters and columnsBrushed by hand for a clean finish on the parts of the house people actually look at up close.
- Railings, gates, stairs and lanai cagesRust treated, then coated with a direct-to-metal product built for salt exposure.
- Window surrounds and trim bandsCaulked at every joint and cut sharp against the stucco so the lines read clean from the street.
- Condo, HOA and commercial buildingsThe same prep on multi-unit exteriors, breezeways and stairwells. More on commercial painting.
Exterior repaints, start to finish
Our own work. Same building, same angle, before and after.
Full exterior repaint. Faded barn red stucco taken to charcoal, white and navy. Stucco, siding, soffit, fascia, bollards and overhead door frames, washed, patched, caulked, primed and coated in sequence.
The right coating for the wall, and what moves the price
On a sound stucco or block exterior, a quality 100 percent acrylic is the baseline. It flexes with the wall, sheds water and holds color under UV better than anything cheaper. Where stucco has widespread hairline cracking, an elastomeric coating bridges the cracks and seals the wall. Chalky walls get a masonry conditioner first. Metal gets a direct-to-metal coating. Mildew resistant products go on shaded walls as a matter of course, not as an upsell.
Exterior painting is priced per house after the walkthrough, never over the phone from a square footage guess. You get a written estimate that spells out the prep and the products, and I am the one on the ladder doing it.
Many Naples communities require HOA approval on exterior colors. I will put up sample patches on the house so you can see the color in the actual light, and work from your community's approved palette when there is one.
- Square footage and number of stories, and whether a lift is needed
- Condition of the stucco, and how much crack repair or block filling it needs
- Rot repair on fascia, trim or siding
- Whether the wash reveals chalking that needs a full primer coat
- Number of colors and how much hand-cut trim there is
- Garage doors, front door, shutters, railings and lanai cage, in or out
- Access around pool cages, landscaping and neighboring walls
Exterior painting across Naples and Collier County
Naples is home base and the work runs the whole county. Coastal and inland homes do not weather the same way, so the prep changes with the address.
Right on the Gulf, in North Naples, Pelican Bay, Naples Park and on Marco Island, the wash and the caulk decide whether the job lasts. Out in Golden Gate Estates it is the well water staining and unshaded walls. Through East Naples and Lely it is 1980s and 1990s stucco that needs crack work before primer. Details on every community are on the Collier County service area page.
- Naples & Old Naples
- North Naples
- Pelican Bay
- Naples Park
- East Naples
- Lely & Lely Resort
- Vineyards
- Marco Island
- Isles of Capri
- Golden Gate
- Golden Gate Estates
- Ave Maria & Immokalee
Exterior painting questions from Naples homeowners
What people ask when they call about the outside of the house. If yours is not here, call and ask.
How often does a stucco house in Naples need to be repainted?
Most stucco exteriors here go seven to ten years on a properly prepped 100 percent acrylic finish. Unshaded south and west walls and homes right on the water go shorter. The tell is chalking. Rub your hand across the wall and if it comes away white, the coating is breaking down and it is time.
Can you just paint over hairline cracks in stucco?
No, and anyone who says yes is selling you a job that will fail. Hairline cracks get opened, filled with an elastomeric patch and primed before finish coats. If the cracking is everywhere, the whole wall gets an elastomeric coating that bridges them. Paint alone will show every crack again after the first rainy season.
Do you pressure wash before painting?
Every time. Chalk, salt film, mildew and pollen all keep paint from bonding, and a coat that goes over them peels in sheets. Mildew is treated before the wash so it is killed, not just knocked off the surface.
What is the best time of year to paint a house exterior in Naples?
The dry season, November through April, is ideal. Lower humidity, no afternoon storms and the paint cures the way the can says it will. Summer work still gets done, staged early in the day with sections closed out before the sky turns, and I will not put a coat on a wall that is going to get rained on before it sets.
How long does an exterior repaint take?
Most single-story homes run about a week to ten days of on-site work, depending on how much prep the walls need. Two-story homes, heavy stucco repair and lift work add to that. You get a schedule with the estimate, and the weather gets the final say on any given afternoon.
Do I need HOA approval before you start?
In many Naples and Marco Island communities, yes. Check your covenants or ask the association. I will put sample patches on the house and pull the product and color information you need to submit, and I can work from your community's approved palette.
Do you paint lanai cages, railings and garage doors?
Yes. Lanai and pool cage frames, railings, gates and exterior stairs get rust treated and coated with a direct-to-metal product built for salt. Garage doors, front doors and shutters can be included in the exterior estimate or done on their own.
Ready to repaint the outside of your house?
Call and set up a walkthrough, or send the details below. I will look at the walls, the caulk and the sun exposure and give you a written estimate that lists exactly what is included.
Get an exterior painting estimate
Tell me what the outside of the house looks like and where it is. I will get back to you to set up a walkthrough.
Prefer to talk? Call 239-453-9156