Kitchen cabinet, bathroom and ceiling painting for Shoreline (98155) postwar homes
Shoreline starts just north of Seattle's city limit at NE 145th Street, and its 98155 ZIP covers the east side of the city, around North City on 15th Avenue NE, Ridgecrest and the forested trails of Hamlin Park. The area was one of the fastest-growing suburbs around Seattle in the 1950s, decades before it incorporated as a city in 1995. That is why the typical house here is a postwar rambler or a 1960s split-level on a lot with mature trees. Two light rail stations now sit near I-5, at 148th and 185th, and the blocks around them are filling in with new townhomes and apartments.
At a glance
- ZIP
- 98155
- County
- King County
- Part of
- Shoreline, WA
- Best exterior window
- Late May to mid September
- Phone
- Answered 24/7
Shoreline is a longer trip for us, so we drive up I-5 for scheduled projects and book them in runs of several days. Most of the requests are for the rooms that date a postwar house fastest. Kitchens often still have their original site-built cabinets, the one full bathroom has years of steam damage, and the ceilings carry texture from the 1960s or 1970s. Our cabinet painting and bathroom painting work handles the first two, and textured ceilings are tested for asbestos before any removal. Outside, mature firs and cedars keep siding damp, so exteriors are planned for the dry months.
Why does paint peel in the bathroom of a postwar Shoreline rambler?
Most of these bathrooms were built with a small window and either no exhaust fan or one that barely moves air. Every shower fills the room with steam, the moisture soaks into ceiling paint and soft wall finishes, and over the years the paint bubbles, peels and grows mildew spots above the tub. Layers of past touch-ups make it worse, since flat ceiling paint was often rolled over glossy enamel. Before we paint, it helps to have a working fan that vents outside, and we can point out what we see.
We kill mildew with a cleaning solution, scrape off anything loose, sand the edges smooth and skim rough spots. A stain-blocking, moisture-resistant primer goes on next, then a satin paint made for bathrooms on walls and ceiling. Old caulk at the tub and trim is cut out and replaced. A small Shoreline bathroom typically runs $585-$1,340 for walls, ceiling, trim and door, a typical range and not a quote. The price is set after a walk-through, and it can be paired with the kitchen.
What we watch for here
- Bathrooms with weak or missing exhaust fans, where paint peels and mildew spots the ceiling.
- Site-built kitchen cabinets with old oil or lacquer finishes that need a bonding primer.
- Textured ceilings from the 1960s and 1970s that need an asbestos test before scraping.
- Original trim, windows and doors with pre-1978 paint that calls for lead-safe sanding.
- Mature firs and cedars that shade siding and leave north walls green by spring.
Houses common in Shoreline and how we prep them
Postwar ramblers
Single-story homes from the late 1940s and 1950s, often with one full bath and the original kitchen. We repaint cabinets, baths and ceilings and leave the oak floors protected.
1960s split-levels
Two baths, a family room downstairs and lots of trim. We repaint stair walls and railings and keep each level usable while we work.
New townhomes near the stations
Recent builds with flat builder paint that scuffs easily. We upgrade to a washable finish and repaint high stairwells safely.
Homes with added backyard cottages
Older houses with newer detached units behind them. We match siding and trim colors so both buildings look like one property.
Painting jobs we do most in Shoreline
Cabinet Painting
Cabinet painting means removing doors and drawer fronts, degreasing and sanding every surface, priming with a bonding primer and spraying a hard urethane-modified enamel.
See cabinet paintingBathroom Painting
Bathroom painting means killing and washing off mildew, scraping peeling paint, patching soft or stained spots, priming, then rolling two coats of a moisture-rated finish with mildewcide on the walls and ceiling.
See bathroom paintingPopcorn Ceiling Removal
Popcorn ceiling removal means testing the texture for asbestos, sealing the room in plastic, wetting and scraping the texture off, repairing and skim coating the drywall, then priming and painting.
See popcorn ceiling removalInterior 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 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 painting
Painting questions from Shoreline
Can you paint the original site-built kitchen cabinets in my Shoreline rambler?
Yes. Many postwar kitchens have cabinet boxes built in place from fir or birch, with doors that still close well. We remove doors and drawer fronts, degrease everything, scuff-sand and apply a bonding primer before a hard enamel topcoat. The boxes are painted in place. Old oil or lacquer finishes are tested first, and original hinges can be cleaned and reused or replaced.
Can you paint a new backyard cottage to match my Shoreline house?
Yes. We match the main house's body, trim and door colors, either from existing paint records or by matching a sample taken from the siding. New siding on the cottage gets primed properly first, since bare fiber cement or wood takes paint differently than an older wall. If the main house is due too, painting both together gives a truer match.
How do you protect original oak floors during an interior repaint in Shoreline?
Many postwar homes here have oak floors, sometimes found under old carpet. We cover them edge to edge with breathable floor protection taped at the baseboards, not plastic that can trap moisture. Ladders get padded feet, and drop cloths go on top in work areas. Sanding dust is collected as we go, so the floors are clean when the protection comes up.
Neighboring areas we paint
Painting a home in Shoreline?
Call and tell us what you are painting. We answer 24/7 and set up a walk-through at a time that suits you.