Prep is 60% of the job.
Most Charleston exterior failures are prep failures. We don't spray over flaking paint, we don't paint hot walls, and we don't skip behind a shutter because nobody's looking.
The honest version
Exterior Painting — done right the first time.
Lowcountry weather is the reason most Charleston exterior paint jobs fail in four years instead of fifteen. Salt air pulls moisture into siding. Summer humidity blisters latex that was rolled on a hot wall. Hurricane gusts find every spot the painters skipped behind a shutter or under a soffit.
We paint exteriors the way you'd paint a boat: prep is half the job. Every Reginaldo exterior starts with a soft-wash pressure clean to strip chalk, mildew, and salt residue. Then we scrape every flaking edge by hand, caulk every gap that's opened in the past summer, and prime every bare spot before color even leaves the truck. We never spray over flaking paint to save a morning. We never paint a wall the sun has been baking for two hours.
For stucco, board-and-batten, fiber-cement, or original Charleston wood siding, we use Sherwin-Williams Emerald or Duration — the only exterior products we trust to hit the 15-year mark in Lowcountry conditions. Two coats. Always two coats.
What's included
Every job ships with these basics.
- Soft-wash pressure cleaning of all exterior surfaces
- Hand-scrape loose paint, sand edges smooth
- Caulk all gaps, joints, and trim seams
- Spot prime every bare or repaired spot
- Two coats Sherwin-Williams Emerald or Duration
- Trim, shutters, and doors cut in by hand
- Driveways and walkways protected end-to-end
- Lifetime workmanship warranty in writing
Why Reginaldo
What makes us different.
Storm-season scheduled.
We book exterior work around the Lowcountry calendar — not high humidity, not afternoon rain windows, and never the week before a named storm. You get a real schedule, not a wish.
Sherwin-Williams Emerald only.
On exteriors we only spec Sherwin-Williams Emerald or Duration. Never builder-grade exterior latex. Never the bargain line we don't trust on our own homes.
How we workFive steps,
Five steps,
zero surprises.
- 01
Free walk-through
Reginaldo walks the entire exterior, photographs damage, measures linear feet of trim, and notes every shutter, soffit, and porch detail. About an hour for an average home.
- 02
Color & paint pick
Sherwin-Williams swatches staged on your siding in real light. Historic-district colors confirmed against the local registry. Trim and door accents picked with the body color.
- 03
Soft-wash + prep
Day one is always soft-wash and dry. Day two starts the hand-scrape, caulk, and prime cycle. We don't move to paint until prep passes Reginaldo's walk.
- 04
Two coats applied
Sprayed and back-rolled for stucco and fiber-cement; brushed and rolled for original wood siding. Always two full coats. Trim, shutters, and doors cut in by hand.
- 05
Final walk-through
We walk every elevation with you, fix any missed touch-ups on the spot, and don't ask for final payment until you've signed off in person. Lifetime workmanship warranty.
Common questions
Things homeowners ask.
How long does exterior paint last in Charleston?
A proper two-coat exterior paint job with Sherwin-Williams Emerald and full prep should hold 12 to 15 years in the Lowcountry. We've checked back on jobs from 2009 that still look fresh. The variables are sun exposure on the south face, salt-air proximity, and whether the homeowner soft-washes annually.
Can you paint during hurricane season?
We can paint through September, but we don't book around named storms or the three days before one. Our crew tracks the NHC daily during summer and we'll move your start date sooner — never later — when the forecast tightens. That's part of the schedule promise.
Do I have to be home during exterior work?
No. Most of our exterior clients hand us a code or a key and leave for work. We text photos at the end of every day so you can see progress without being on the ladder. Final walk-through, of course, happens with you in person.
What about windows, doors, and lights?
Everything that doesn't move gets covered, masked, or removed. Light fixtures come down, shutters come off (and get repainted off-site if you want), and door hardware is taped or removed depending on what you choose. Driveways and plantings get rosin paper and drop cloths.