Apartment and house painting for Lake City (98125) in northeast Seattle
Lake City covers the northeast corner of Seattle, centered on Lake City Way NE and the business blocks around NE 125th Street. It grew up along the old highway to Bothell and Everett and filled with houses in the 1940s and 1950s while it was still outside the city, so Seattle only annexed it in 1954. Its 98125 ZIP also takes in nearby areas such as Meadowbrook, Pinehurst and Victory Heights. Because those streets were built under county rules, many side streets still have no sidewalks. Thornton Creek and its branches wind through ravines and yards across the area, the focus of a long restoration effort by residents and the city.
At a glance
- ZIP
- 98125
- County
- King County
- Part of
- Seattle, WA
- Best exterior window
- Late May to mid September
- Phone
- Answered 24/7
Lake City Way is also lined with apartment buildings, from older two-story walk-ups to newer mixed-use blocks, so much of our Lake City work is for property owners. We drive up I-5 for scheduled projects and often line up an apartment exterior with a few houses nearby. On the houses, the usual job is a postwar home with lap or shingle siding, a single-car garage and trim that has gone years without paint. Our apartment and HOA painting crews handle the buildings, and rental turnover painting keeps units ready between tenants.
What happens to the open stairways during a Lake City apartment repaint?
Exterior stairs and walkways are usually the most worn part of an older walk-up, and they are also how tenants get home, so we plan them first. We inspect treads, stringers and landings for rot or rusted fasteners and replace soft wood through our wood rot repair work. Each stair is closed only for the hours needed to prep and coat it, with a second route or a set time posted for residents. Steel rails get rust treatment and a direct-to-metal primer before topcoats go on.
Treads and landings get a slip-resistant coating that cures quickly, and we do one stair at a time so no unit is cut off overnight. Siding, doors and trim follow building by building. Notices go up a week ahead with dates and parking changes. A typical two-story walk-up with 10-16 units runs about $16,840-$31,270 for the full exterior including stairs, which is a typical range and not a quote. The price is set after a walk-through with the owner or manager.
What we watch for here
- Open exterior stairways on older apartments where treads and stringers rot first.
- Lots along Thornton Creek that stay shaded and damp, with mildew on lower siding.
- Side streets without sidewalks, where ladders and trucks must stay off the travel lane.
- Traffic film from Lake City Way on buildings set close to the road.
- Rental units that need fast, durable interior repaints between tenants.
Houses common in Lake City and how we prep them
1940s-50s postwar houses
Small homes with lap siding, basements and single-car garages. Original trim gets lead-safe prep, then siding, eaves and garage doors are repainted.
Two-story walk-up apartments
Older buildings with open exterior stairs and long balconies. Stair stringers and rails are repaired and coated, and each building is painted in phases.
Mixed-use buildings on Lake City Way
Newer blocks with shops below and apartments above. Storefront work starts early, and lifts are coordinated with the building manager.
Creekside homes along Thornton Creek
Houses on lots that slope toward the creek. Wash water stays on the lot and out of the stream, and damp lower walls are painted last.
Painting jobs we do most in Lake City
Apartment & HOA Painting
Apartment and HOA painting in Tacoma covers exterior repaints of apartment buildings, condos and townhome communities, plus common-area interiors like halls and stairwells.
See apartment & hoa paintingRental Turnover Painting
Rental turnover painting in Tacoma means repainting a vacant unit between tenants: patching nail holes and dents, spot priming stains, and repainting walls, ceilings, trim and doors in a durable, easy-to-match color.
See rental turnover 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 paintingCommercial Painting
Commercial painting in Tacoma covers offices, retail stores, restaurants, medical suites, churches and light industrial buildings, inside and out.
See commercial paintingGarage Door Painting
Garage door painting in Tacoma starts with washing off chalk and grime, sanding and spot-priming rust on steel, or scraping and priming bare wood.
See garage door 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 painting
Painting questions from Lake City
Can you paint my Lake City house when the street has no sidewalk?
Yes, it just takes more care with setup. We park off the travel lane where we can, keep ladders and drop cloths on your property and set out cones while we unload. Neighbors get a heads-up if a truck will sit near their driveway. Most of these streets are quiet, so once we are set up the work runs like anywhere else.
Do you paint storefronts and offices along Lake City Way?
We do. Commercial painting on Lake City Way usually starts early in the morning or after closing so the business stays open. We protect the sidewalk, keep entries clear and coat doors and frames in an enamel that holds up to daily use. Signs and lettering are masked off or worked around. Most small storefronts are done in a few days.
My postwar Lake City house has a musty basement. Should I paint it?
Paint will not fix a moisture problem, so we look for the source first: gutters, grading or a leak. Once the space is dry, concrete walls can take a breathable masonry primer and paint, and finished rooms can get a mildew-resistant paint. Bathrooms and laundry areas in these basements often need the same treatment. We tell you if the moisture needs fixing before paint will last.
Neighboring areas we paint
Painting a home in Lake City?
Call and tell us what you are painting. We answer 24/7 and set up a walk-through at a time that suits you.