House painters for Kent (98042) homes around Lake Meridian and the East Hill
Kent's 98042 ZIP covers the southeast part of the city around Lake Meridian and reaches out toward Covington. It's mostly residential, well up the hill from the warehouses on the valley floor. Housing here comes in waves: 1960s and 1970s ramblers and split-levels on the older East Hill streets, 1980s and 1990s two-stories on cul-de-sacs, and newer infill homes with fiber cement siding. Lake Meridian has a mix of old lake cabins that have been rebuilt and larger homes looking over the water and the park. Most lots have a fence, a deck and at least one big evergreen.
At a glance
- ZIP
- 98042
- County
- King County
- Part of
- Kent, WA
- Best exterior window
- Late May to mid September
- Phone
- Answered 24/7
That mix means a lot of different siding types on a single block. T1-11, cedar lap, 1980s hardboard lap, vinyl and fiber cement all show up, and each needs its own prep. Hardboard in particular swells and cracks once water gets past the paint, so we look hard at drip edges and lower courses. We handle siding painting for all of those types, along with interior work like ceiling painting and hallway refreshes that make a 1980s house feel brighter. It's an easy run up SR 167 from Puyallup, so our mornings in Kent start early.
Which siding types do you run into most on Kent's East Hill?
On a typical East Hill street we might paint T1-11 plywood on one house, hardboard lap on the next, and cedar or fiber cement after that. T1-11 needs its vertical grooves backbrushed so paint gets into the channels, and its bottom edge sealed where it meets the foundation. Hardboard needs every swollen spot cut out and replaced, since paint can't save a board that has soaked up water. Cedar wants a stain-blocking primer over knots and bare areas so tannins don't bleed through the new color.
Fiber cement is the easiest of the group, as long as the old coat is washed and cut ends get primed. Vinyl can be painted too, but only with colors no darker than the original, so panels don't warp in summer sun. During the walk-through we'll point out which type you have and what it needs. If boards need replacing, that wood rot repair work rolls into the same job and the same schedule. Call (253) 478-2745 to set a time.
What we watch for here
- Hardboard siding from the 1980s swells and cracks along the bottom edges once moisture gets in.
- Big evergreens shade many East Hill lots, so moss and mildew build up on north walls.
- Homes close to Lake Meridian see more humidity, which slows drying and feeds mildew on decks.
- Many homes share long fence lines that gray out and need restaining every few years.
- One block can hold five different siding types, each needing its own primer.
Houses common in Kent and how we prep them
1960s-70s East Hill ramblers
Single-story homes with cedar lap or plywood siding and low eaves. We scrape and prime peeling areas, replace soft fascia boards, and repaint body and trim.
1980s two-stories with hardboard siding
Hardboard lap needs every bottom edge sealed. Swollen or cracked boards get swapped out before primer goes on.
Lake Meridian homes
From rebuilt cabins to larger custom houses, these deal with more humidity off the lake. We use mildew-resistant paint and pay close attention to decks and railings.
Newer fiber cement infill homes
The factory finish fades quickly on sunny walls. We wash, spot-prime cut ends and apply two coats of exterior acrylic.
Painting jobs we do most in Kent
Siding Painting
Siding painting in Tacoma means matching the prep and paint to the material: fiber cement gets cleaned and primed at cut edges, T1-11 plywood gets its bottom edges sealed, vinyl needs a vinyl-safe color, and wood lap needs scraping and spot priming.
See siding paintingExterior House Painting
Exterior house painting in Tacoma means washing off mildew and dirt, checking that the siding reads about 15% moisture or less, scraping and sanding loose paint, fixing rot, caulking, priming bare wood, then applying two coats of exterior acrylic.
See exterior house paintingInterior Painting
Interior painting in Tacoma covers moving and covering furniture, filling nail holes and dings, sanding, spot priming, cutting in edges by hand and rolling two finish coats on the walls, with ceilings and trim as add-ons.
See interior paintingCeiling Painting
Ceiling painting in Tacoma means protecting the room, washing or degreasing the surface, spot-priming water stains with a stain-blocking primer, patching cracks and nail pops, then rolling two coats of flat ceiling paint in one continuous wet edge.
See ceiling paintingFence Staining
Fence staining in Tacoma involves cleaning mildew and gray fibers off the boards, brightening the wood, letting it dry, then spraying and back-brushing a penetrating stain on one or both sides.
See fence stainingWood Rot Repair
Wood rot repair in Tacoma means probing fascia, trim, sills, corner boards and siding for soft wood, cutting out the decay, then replacing boards or rebuilding small areas with epoxy filler.
See wood rot repair
Painting questions from Kent
Can you paint vinyl siding on a Kent home?
Yes, as long as we use a vinyl-safe paint and stay with a color that's the same as or lighter than the original. Darker colors absorb more heat and can make vinyl panels warp. We clean the siding well, let it dry and apply two coats. It's a good option when the vinyl is sound but faded.
What does a typical exterior repaint cost in Kent's 98042 area?
For a two-story home around 2,000 to 2,600 sq ft, typical totals run about $7,320-$13,480. Homes with more siding repair or tall walls sit higher in that range. This is a typical spread rather than a quote, and the real number comes after a walk-through. Our price page shows more ranges.
Can you stain a shared fence between two Kent properties?
We can, with both neighbors on board. We'll stain your side or both sides depending on what's agreed. If only one side gets stain, we take care not to drip through to the neighbor's side. We clean, let the wood dry and use a penetrating stain. Shared fences are common around Lake Meridian, so this comes up often.
Neighboring areas we paint
Painting a home in Kent?
Call and tell us what you are painting. We answer 24/7 and set up a walk-through at a time that suits you.