A full case study of a cedar-shake estate home repaint in Farmington by General Painting Co. — prep through finish, with real photos.
| Town | Farmington, CT (Hartford County) |
| Home style | Cedar-shake estate home |
| Year built | 1970–2000 |
| Siding type | western red cedar shake |
| Color palette | Sikkens Cetol Cedar (field) · BM Aura Wrought Iron (trim) |
| Crew | 3–5 painters, owner on-site |
| Prep stage | Soft-wash · scrape & sand · wood repair · full caulk · spot prime |
| Paint | Benjamin Moore · Sherwin-Williams · Sikkens |
| Warranty | Written · transferable workmanship warranty |
Cedar that's been allowed to weather to gray gets routinely written off as 'too far gone.' This one wasn't. Selective shake replacement, two coats of Sikkens Cetol SRD on the field, and Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior on the trim and shutters. A lot of homes that look ready for siding replacement are actually one good restoration project from a 12-year extension.
Farmington Village is on the National Register — exterior color choices in the historic district benefit from a paint-color-guide consultation, which we offer free with every estimate here.
The Farmington climate drives sharp freeze-thaw cycling that opens caulk lines and lifts old paint at substrate edges. Every choice on this project — from the soft-wash protocol to the brand of caulk we used — was made with that climate in mind.
Like most Farmington homes in this age range, we found prep work that wouldn't have been visible to the homeowner: shake sections that needed selective replacement, and stain that had failed unevenly on the south elevation. All of it was itemized in the estimate.
Hero photos, work-in-progress, and finish.
Exterior paint doesn't fail because of the paint — it fails because of the prep underneath it. Here's everything we do, in order, before paint touches your home.
Every exterior surface gets cleaned of dirt, pollen, mildew, moss, chalking, and oxidation before any prep tool touches the wood. The single biggest reason cheap paint jobs peel is that they're painted over contamination.
Every bit of loose or failing paint is hand-scraped off, with edges feathered smooth so the new paint lays down flat instead of in visible ridges.
Rotted trim, fascia, and siding sections replaced with like-for-like material. All bare wood and every spot-primed area gets a high-adhesion primer before topcoat.
Every siding-to-trim seam, window frame, door frame, corner board, and gap gets a tight bead of exterior-grade caulk. Keeps water out and makes the lines look crisp.
Premium paint applied with brush and roller for proper film thickness, with back-brushing to work the paint into the grain. Two full coats — never one heavy coat.
We walk the property with you before calling it done. Anything you flag gets touched up the same day.
For client-privacy reasons we keep specific addresses private but we work across all Farmington neighborhoods including Farmington Village, Unionville, Tunxis Hill.
About 8–12 working days for cedar restoration, depending on shake replacement scope.
Sikkens Cetol Cedar (field) · BM Aura Wrought Iron (trim)
Every project includes our written, transferable workmanship warranty. If any peel, crack, or flake is attributable to our prep or application, we come back and fix it at no charge.
Call (203) 456-1375 or fill out the estimate form below. Free on-site estimate within 48 hours, written and itemized.
Free on-site estimate within 48 hours. Owner-led crew, premium paint, written transferable workmanship warranty.
Free on-site estimate within 48 hours. No pressure, no pushy sales — just an honest written quote you can take to other contractors.