Exterior paint scope guide · Siding and masonry surfaces
Wood, fiber cement, stucco, and brick: what a paint quote should specify for each
Different wall materials fail in different ways and call for different primers, caulks, and topcoats. A person at finalist.cc reads your exterior painting quote against the surface on your house, or writes a scoping document you can hand to painters yourself.
Wood lap siding and cedar shingles
Bare wood and cedar bleed water-soluble tannins through ordinary latex paint unless sealed with an alkyd or stain-blocking primer. Check whether your bid specifies tannin-blocking primer on bare spots, sanding of weathered wood fibers, and whether older pre-1978 paint requires EPA RRP containment.
Fiber-cement siding
Fiber cement holds acrylic latex paint well, but field-cut board ends and butt joints need attention. Check whether field joints have metal flashing behind them or require elastomeric joint sealant, and confirm that 100% acrylic exterior topcoat is specified.
Stucco and EIFS walls
Stucco develops hairline shrinkage cracks and chalky surfaces. A stucco quote should specify whether hairline cracks are bridged with an elastomeric patch or coating, whether a chalk-binding conditioner is applied after washing, and whether paint is backrolled into the rough texture.
Unpainted vs previously painted brick
Once unpainted brick is coated with standard film-forming house paint, trapped moisture can spall the brick face in freeze-thaw climates. If you are coating bare brick, ask whether the bid uses a breathable mineral silicate stain, limewash, or masonry primer-and-acrylic system, and whether mortar joints are repointed first.
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Related guides: Exterior paint prep (scraping, priming, caulking) · Spray and backroll vs brush and roll · Interactive exterior scope checklist
Send this checklist for a scoping document
This form goes to the same desk as finalist.cc. Use it if you have no quote yet. Have a quote already? Send it on finalist.cc for a benchmark note instead.
What happens next
- Your checklist and notes go to finalist.cc, which we run.
- A person reads them and replies by email with a scoping document, or with questions first. If photos would help, the reply asks for them.
- You send the scoping document to painters you choose. We do not send your request or your details to contractors.
Who you’re writing to
finalist.cc, which we run. We are not a painting contractor and don’t do the work. A painter you hire is a separate business, and your contract is with that painter.