How to Paint a House Exterior in NYC: Step-by-Step Guide

A good exterior paint job is a slow, dull and highly technical process, and that is the point. The final coat takes a day. Getting the house ready to hold that coat takes most of the job. On a New York house, with its mix of old wood, aged masonry, metal rails and decades of paint layers, the preparation is where the money and the longevity are.

This guide follows the work in the order a professional crew does it. Whether you are weighing a DIY attempt, preparing to compare bids, or just curious why a quote is higher than you expected, these steps show what a complete job includes. Prices are typical 2026 planning ranges as of October 2026, and a written, itemized quote governs.

1. Step One: Inspect and Plan

Walk the house with a notepad and phone, early in the morning when light is raking across the walls. Photograph every elevation and note:

• Peeling, blistering or alligatoring paint, which shows where moisture or poor adhesion is happening.
• Soft wood, especially at sills, corner boards, porch posts and the bottoms of door frames. Probe with a screwdriver; if it sinks in, it is rotted.
• Cracked or missing caulk at windows, doors and trim joints.
• Rusting metal, such as railings, fences, gutters and flashing.
• Mildew and algae, which appear as green or black stains on shaded walls.
• Masonry condition, including crumbling mortar and spalling brick.
• Gutter and downspout leaks, which streak walls and promote rot.

Decide whether you are painting the whole house or only parts. Trim and windows fail first, so some owners repaint trim every few years and the body less often. For why trim and sashes deserve special attention, see our guide to exterior trim and window painting.

If you have been repainting more often than you think you should, the cause is usually not the paint. Our article on why you may be painting for the third time in 10 years explains the usual culprits.

2. Step Two: Check Lead, Permits and Landmark Rules

Do this before you buy a gallon.

Lead

Houses built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint. The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires anyone paid to disturb paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and preschools to be EPA-certified and to follow lead-safe work practices. New York City has its own lead rules for older buildings, particularly those from before 1960. Homeowners painting their own house are not covered the same way, but the health risk is the same, especially for children and pregnant women.

Never dry-scrape, power-sand or burn old paint. Wet scraping, plastic sheeting under the work area, careful cleanup with a HEPA vacuum and wet wiping are the standard protections. When in doubt, test.

Permits

Painting by itself generally does not need a Department of Buildings permit. But repairs to structure, stoops, facades or roofs may, and scaffolding or sidewalk sheds are regulated. The DOB's page on how to obtain a permit is the place to start, and our permit checker can help you sort what applies.

Landmark districts

If your home is in a landmark district, such as many blocks of Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Crown Heights, visible exterior changes may need approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Repainting previously painted surfaces in the same color is often treated differently from changing colors or painting unpainted masonry, but check first. The LPC's permit application page lists the permit types.

3. Step Three: Wash and Scrape

Clean surfaces let paint stick. Dirty ones guarantee it will not.

1. Wash the house with a gentle cleaner. Use a soft brush or low-pressure rinse. High-pressure washing drives water behind siding and gouges soft wood. Use a mildew-killing wash where algae is present.
2. Rinse and dry. Allow walls to dry for at least a day or two, longer in humid conditions.
3. Scrape loose, peeling paint back to sound edges, using wet methods on older homes.
4. Sand edges so the transition between bare and painted areas is smooth. Use a dust-controlled approach on pre-1978 houses.
5. Remove or protect hardware, light fixtures, house numbers, vents and anything else that should not be painted.
6. Protect plantings and surfaces with drop cloths. In tight Brooklyn lots, protect neighbors' property as well.

Avoid skipping any of these steps. Painting over dirt or loose paint is the most common cause of premature peeling.

4. Step Four: Repair, Caulk and Prime

Once the house is clean and dry, repair what water and time have damaged.

• Replace rotted wood. Cut out soft areas and replace them with new material, or repair with a wood consolidant and epoxy filler where appropriate. Never paint over rot.
• Fill holes and cracks with exterior-grade filler.
• Caulk joints between trim and siding, around windows and doors, and at corners with paintable, flexible exterior caulk. Do not caulk the bottom of lap siding, which needs to drain, or weep holes in windows.
• Treat rust on metal with a wire brush, rust converter if suitable, and a metal primer.
• Repair masonry. Repoint failed joints with mortar compatible with the brick before painting.
• Prime bare areas. Bare wood, patched areas, rust treatments and stained spots need an appropriate primer. On heavily weathered or chalky surfaces, a bonding primer helps.

Our exterior painting guide for NYC, Long Island and NJ goes deeper on the sequencing of repair, priming and painting through the seasons.

5. Step Five: Choose Paint and Colors

Paint type

For most wood, fiber cement and previously painted siding, a high-quality 100 percent acrylic latex exterior paint is the standard. It stays flexible, resists mildew and handles the temperature swings of a New York year. Masonry needs breathable masonry coatings. Metal needs rust-inhibiting products. Do not use interior paint outside.

Sheen

• Body: flat, low-sheen or satin. Lower sheen hides imperfections, while higher sheen sheds dirt.
• Trim, doors and railings: satin or semi-gloss for durability.
• Porch floors and steps: specialized porch and deck paint.

Color

Exterior color looks different from a chip. Large surfaces, strong sunlight and the color of neighboring houses all change the effect. Test large swatches on different walls and look at them through the day. On historic houses, many owners choose palettes in keeping with the era, usually a body color, a trim color and one accent. Dark colors absorb more heat, which can stress some materials like vinyl.

If your house is in a landmark district, confirm whether color is regulated. In a co-op or HOA, review the rules too.

6. Step Six: Apply Trim and Body Coats

The order of application matters, and so does technique.

1. Work top down. Start at the highest point and work down to avoid drips on finished surfaces.
2. Follow the sun. Paint on shaded walls, or avoid direct sun on the wall you are painting. Paint dries too fast in direct sun, causing lap marks and poor adhesion.
3. Brush trim and details; roll or spray the body. Spraying is fast, but must be back-brushed or back-rolled to push paint into the surface. Masking and wind control matter.
4. Apply two coats, allowing each to dry fully. Thin coats applied properly beat thick coats applied once.
5. Mind the weather window. Check the can for minimum application temperature, often around 50°F, with some products rated lower. Do not paint on wet or frosty surfaces, and avoid periods when rain is expected within a day. A rule of thumb is to keep the surface temperature several degrees above the dew point.
6. Keep a wet edge and avoid painting over partially dried areas.
7. Paint windows and doors carefully, keeping sashes free so they open. Remove tape while the paint is still slightly soft.

Season matters in New York. Late spring and early fall are the best windows, because summers can be humid and thunderstorm-prone, and winters are too cold for most products.

7. Step Seven: Inspect, Touch Up and Clean Up

At the end of the job, walk the whole house in good light. Look for:

• Missed spots, drips and thin areas
• Paint on glass, hardware or masonry
• Caulk lines that look rough
• Areas that did not get a second coat
• Sticking windows or doors

Then clean up. Remove tape and drop cloths, collect debris, rinse tools, and dispose of paint properly. Keep a labeled can of each color for touch-ups, along with the product names and color codes. Plan to inspect annually; catching a small peel early avoids a larger repaint.

8. What Exterior Painting Costs in 2026

Costs depend on house size, height, condition, material, number of stories, access, repairs and local requirements. These are typical 2026 planning ranges as of October 2026, not quotes.

Prices rise with tall facades, many windows and trim details, extensive scraping and rotted-wood replacement. A cheap bid that excludes prep often turns into repairs later. For more detail, see our exterior house painting cost guide for NYC and Long Island, our renovation cost guide and our siding cost estimator if you are weighing repainting against new siding.

9. Why Hire a Licensed Exterior Painting Crew

10. Neighborhoods and ZIP Codes We Serve

N.Y. Renovation Services is based on Staten Island and works throughout the five boroughs, Long Island and nearby New Jersey. Each part of Brooklyn presents a different exterior.

• Crown Heights, ZIPs 11213, 11216, 11225, 11238: limestones, brownstones and pre-war apartment buildings in LPC districts. Painting is usually limited to trim, cornices, ironwork and doors, with masonry handled separately. See our Crown Heights restoration page.
• Ditmas Park, ZIP 11226: detached Victorian wood-frame houses in landmark districts. Multiple paint layers, decorative trim and porches make scraping and wood repair the main workload; many houses use multi-color schemes.
• Cobble Hill, ZIPs 11201, 11231: brownstones in the Cobble Hill Historic District. Visible changes are reviewed, so color and material decisions should be checked first.
• Windsor Terrace, ZIP 11218: wood-frame row houses and small co-ops. Shared walls limit access, so scaffolding and neighbor coordination matter.
• Canarsie, ZIP 11236: attached and detached homes, basements and flood-prone blocks. Moisture and mildew resistance drive product choice, and flood-resistant materials may be relevant near low areas.
• Brooklyn Heights, ZIP 11201: brownstones and pre-war co-ops in the first LPC historic district. Landmark rules apply to visible work and co-op boards manage building exteriors.

For a wider look, visit our Brooklyn renovation services page.

11. Next Steps: Get Your Free Exterior Painting Estimate

James - Lead Renovation Editor. With over 20 years in renovation and construction, James writes and edits our guides. More about James