Exterior Trim, Fascia and Soffit Painting in Ardmore, OK

Exterior trim painting in Ardmore, OK covers the parts of a house that weather fastest: fascia, soffits, eaves, window and door casings, porch posts and corner boards. Safe Choice Painting scrapes, sands, fills, caulks and primes bare wood, then brushes two finish coats. We plan trim work around Carter County's frost dates so the paint cures properly.

Craftsman eaves and porches

The state's 2017 survey of the McLish area found that about two-thirds of its homes are Craftsman and that 74 percent were built between 1910 and 1929. Craftsman bungalows line McLish, Third and Fourth, and more stand on Bixby and eastern Stanley in Highland Park. The style is known for wide, overhanging eaves, exposed rafter ends, brackets and deep front porches with heavy posts. That means a lot of trim per house, much of it end grain that soaks up water. We clean out the rafter bays, scrape every edge, prime bare end grain so it does not drink the paint, and caulk only where water could get in, leaving the gaps that let the eaves breathe. On these homes trim is often half the job. For more on the neighborhood, see exterior painting in Highland Park, Ardmore.

Fascia and soffits on ranch homes

Ranch houses from the 1950s through the 1980s usually have long runs of wood or hardboard fascia behind the gutters and plywood or vented soffits underneath. Overflowing gutters are the usual cause of peeling here. When we find soft wood or water stains along the fascia, we point it out, and we look at the gutters so the new paint is not fighting the same leak. Vented soffits are painted with the vents kept open, since paint-clogged vents trap attic heat and moisture. Aluminum or vinyl soffit and fascia wrap, common on homes that were updated later, can also be painted with the right primer and a color that will not overheat in the sun. Bird and wasp nests in the eaves are cleared during the wash.

Working around frost dates

The Oklahoma Mesonet puts Carter County's average first fall freeze around November 1 and the average last spring freeze around April 6. In some years frost has come as early as October 15 and as late as April 25. Trim paint needs nights that stay above its minimum temperature while it cures, and morning dew on fascia can slow drying. In late fall we start trim after the dew burns off and finish early enough in the day for the paint to set before the evening chill. Spring work waits for steady nights. Summer trim work follows the shade around the house, so the paint is never going onto a board too hot to touch.

What gets painted

• Fascia boards and the drip edge line
• Soffits, eaves, rafter tails and brackets
• Window casings, sills and door frames
• Porch posts, railings, beams and ceilings
• Corner boards, gable trim and vents
• Gutters and downspouts, if you want them painted

Window and door casings

Window sills and the bottom of door casings take the most water and wear, so they get the closest look. Failed glazing on old wood windows is pointed out, cracked caulk at the casing joints is cut out and replaced, and bare wood is primed before the finish coats. Doors and casings are painted so they close cleanly the same day.

Pairing trim with the rest of the house

Trim is often painted with the siding or the brick, or on its own between full repaints. See siding painting in Ardmore and brick house painting in Ardmore. Whole-house work is on exterior painting in Ardmore, and the general guide is trim, fascia and soffit painting.

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• Trim, fascia and soffit painting
• Exterior painting in Ardmore, OK
• Painting in Ardmore, OK
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