Paint over rotted wood looks fine for a season and then fails, because the wood underneath keeps soaking up water. On most houses we paint in Montgomery County and DC, a few pieces of trim need to be replaced first. Having our own carpentry on the job means those repairs happen in the right order and nobody waits for a second contractor.
We repair and replace exterior trim before our exterior painting, fix deck boards and rails ahead of deck staining, and handle interior trim such as baseboards, casings and crown during interior projects. Structural repairs to framing, joists or beams are outside our scope; for those we will tell you what we found and recommend bringing in a builder.
Carpentry we handle
Fascia and soffits
Rotted boards behind gutters replaced; soffit vents reinstalled.
Window sills and brickmold
The most common rot spots on older windows, repaired or replaced.
Door jambs and trim
Bottom ends of exterior jambs and casings rebuilt.
Porch columns and rails
Column bases, rails and balusters repaired or replaced.
Siding boards
Damaged clapboard or trim boards replaced to match.
Interior trim
Baseboard, casing and crown installed or replaced before painting.
Local insight: where Maryland trim fails
Rot starts where water sits
The ends of window sills, the bottom 12 inches of door jambs, fascia behind clogged gutters, and the bases of porch columns. Those spots stay wet after every storm and freeze in winter. We probe them on every exterior estimate so repairs are priced up front.
PVC trim does not rot, but color has limits
Cellular PVC trim is a good choice for fascia, sills and anything near the ground. It holds paint well, but it expands in heat, so manufacturers limit how dark it can be painted unless you use a heat-reflective coating. We check the color before recommending it.
Historic trim is often worth saving
The old-growth lumber in pre-war houses in Kensington, Takoma Park and Chevy Chase is denser than new wood. Small areas of rot can be consolidated and rebuilt with epoxy instead of replaced. In Montgomery County historic districts, in-kind repairs like this count as ordinary maintenance.
How repairs run
Probe and mark
Every suspect area probed and marked for repair.
Remove rot
Soft wood cut back to sound material.
Replace or rebuild
New wood or PVC fitted, or epoxy used to rebuild small areas.
Prime all sides
New wood primed on the back and cut ends before installation.
Caulk and paint
Joints sealed and finish coats applied with the rest of the job.
Trim carpentry and rot repair questions
Do trim repairs need a permit?
Replacing trim with the same kind of material is ordinary maintenance and usually does not need a permit. Structural work, and exterior changes on historic properties that alter materials or design, may.
Are you a general contractor?
No. We handle trim and finish carpentry that goes with painting. For structural repairs such as framing, joists or beams, we will recommend a builder.
Can PVC trim be painted?
Yes. Use a quality acrylic and stay within the manufacturer’s color guidelines, or use a heat-reflective paint for darker colors.