A full case study of a estate-scale residence (6,000+ sq-ft) repaint in New Canaan by General Painting Co. — prep through finish, with real photos.
| Town | New Canaan, CT (Fairfield County) |
| Home style | Estate-scale residence (6,000+ sq-ft) |
| Year built | 1900–2010 |
| Siding type | cedar shingle, stone accents, custom millwork |
| Color palette | Custom polychrome — three-color period-correct palette by consultation |
| 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 |
Estate-scale homes are not just bigger versions of normal projects — the access logistics, the lift staging, and the sheer linear feet of trim mean we plan them as 3-week deployments. The result, when done right, lasts a decade. Everything below documents how we approach a project at this scale.
New Canaan is unusual in Connecticut — alongside its antique colonials, the town is dotted with mid-century modern architecture from the Harvard Five era, which calls for very different exterior systems than a typical clapboard repaint.
The New Canaan climate puts particular stress on south- and west-facing walls — UV plus salt-laden Long Island Sound air. 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 New Canaan homes in this age range, we found prep work that wouldn't have been visible to the homeowner: decorative trim with hairline cracks running through the caulk, and a few sill noses with rot starting from the bottom. 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 New Canaan neighborhoods including Silvermine area, God's Acre, Smith Ridge, West School area.
About 14 working days, weather-permitting, with a 5-person crew.
Custom polychrome — three-color period-correct palette by consultation
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.