Randy’s Painting & Drywall

New Hope, Bucks County

Wood staining in New Hope, PA.

A river town on ground that rises sharply from the Delaware. Wood near the water dries slowly, high water has come more than once, and in the historic district a change to a visible facade is reviewed.

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A yellow Italianate Victorian with black shutters and a deep porch; a painter works from a ladder at the porch.
An Italianate Victorian in yellow clapboard, black shutters.

Wood staining for New Hope homes

Half the borough's buildings were frame when its National Register nomination was written in 1984, and porches, doors and trim across town have always lived beside a river. Wood close to the water or along Ingham Creek tends to stay damp longer after rain than wood up the hill, and stain only soaks in evenly once the wood has dried through.

Major floods reached the river gauge at New Hope in 2004, 2005 and 2006, three years in a row, and the highest crest on record came with the 1955 flood. After high water, a porch floor or deck that sat under it needs to dry right through, not just on the surface, before any finish goes on; nothing coats wet wood well, and the river sets that schedule, not the calendar.

New Hope

River damp, high water and the borough's review

Inside the borough's historic district, every change to a building's street-visible exterior, painting among them, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, with the review board advising and Borough Council deciding. A new stain color on a front door, or stain where there was paint on a porch, belongs in that conversation, so the finish is settled before the work is scheduled.

Up the hill and out in Solebury Township, where more than half the homes were built in 1980 or later, the staining is mostly decks. The land rises steeply from the river, so a deck on a sloping lot can stand well above grade on one side, with posts, beams and stairs open to weather on every face. Their cut ends soak up water fastest and are the parts to seal most carefully.

A wide Victorian porch with white rails, painted posts and dark wooden steps leading up to the front door.
Porch, rails and steps.

Worth knowing

  1. Dry through, not dry-looking

    After rain or high water, wood can feel dry on top while the boards stay wet inside. Stain waits until the wood is dry through, which on a shaded lot near the water takes longer.

  2. Doors on the street

    A front door in the historic district faces a public street. Changing its finish can count as a change to the facade, so raise it with the borough before choosing a new stain.

  3. Mildew in the valley

    In the river valley, damp and shaded wood grows mildew readily. It is cleaned off completely and the wood left to dry before any refinishing.

The work

How the work goes

The same care on every job, in every town. The full guide to wood staining.

A worker in yellow rain gear pressure-washing a deck beside a covered grill and white railings.
Washing a deck.

  1. The walkthrough

    Randy looks at the wood with you: what finish is on it now, how it has weathered, which boards take the full sun. The walkthrough is complimentary, and so is the written estimate.

  2. Cleaning

    Dirt, mildew and loose gray fibers come off with a cleaner and gentle washing; too much pressure furs and gouges the soft grain. On cedar, redwood and oak, no steel wool or steel brushes, which leave dark iron stains in the wood.

  3. Old film removed

    Where solid stain or paint has peeled on a deck, the loose film is stripped or sanded away. A penetrating stain cannot soak through an old film, and a new film over a failing one peels with it.

  4. Drying

    The wood dries fully before any stain goes on, usually a couple of dry days after washing, longer in shade. Stain on damp wood soaks in unevenly and fails sooner.

  5. Brushed in by hand

    Penetrating stain goes on by brush, a few boards at a time with a wet edge to avoid lap marks, out of hot sun where possible. The wood gets only what it will absorb, and any excess left on the surface is wiped off.

  6. Recoating

    A penetrating finish is renewed with a cleaning and a fresh coat, no stripping. Shaded parts of a deck can go longer between coats than the boards in full sun.

Questions

Wood staining, New Hope.

Is a certificate needed to restain a porch in New Hope's historic district?

It may be. Painting counts as a change to the facade under the borough's rules, and a new finish on a porch or door the street can see may well count too. Ask the borough before switching from paint to stain, or to a new stain color.

The Delaware flooded our deck. How long before it can be stained?

Until the wood is dry all the way through, which depends on the weather, the shade and the lumber rather than a set number of days. Mud and silt are washed off first and the deck is checked for loose boards and fasteners; stain goes on only when the boards no longer test damp.

Our deck stands high above a steep yard. What needs stain besides the boards?

The stairs, rails, posts and beams, especially where they are cut: end grain soaks up water far faster than the face of a board. On a deck that high, much of the framing is in plain view as well, so it is part of how the house reads from below.

More in New Hope

Other services here.

  1. Level 5 drywall finishA skim coat over the entire surface, for walls that hold up under raking light and dark paint.
  2. Skim coatingRough, patched or uneven walls resurfaced smooth, often after wallpaper comes down.
  3. Plaster repairCracked, loose and failing plaster in older homes, repaired and made sound.
  4. Interior paintingWalls, ceilings, trim, doors and millwork, prepared properly and finished clean.
  5. Exterior paintingSiding, trim, porches, stucco and brick, prepared to stand up to Pennsylvania weather.
  6. Drywall installation & repairNew drywall hung, taped and finished; cracks, holes and water damage repaired invisibly.
  7. Drywall texture matching & removalTexture matched so repairs disappear, applied where you want it, or taken off for a smooth wall.
  8. Popcorn ceiling removalOld acoustic texture taken down and the ceiling finished smooth.
  9. Wallpaper removalOld wallpaper and wall linings stripped without tearing up the wall beneath.

Consultation

Request a private consultation.

Private walkthrough & written estimate, complimentary. Tell us a little about the house and the rooms, and Randy will be in touch to arrange a time.

Hours
Monday – Friday8:30 AM – 5:30 PMSaturday10 AM – 3 PMSundayClosed
Service area
Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown and the greater Lehigh Valley; Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Fully insured — proof on request. Residential and commercial.

Randy’sPainting & DrywallReply card
The project
Preferred contact

Walkthrough & written estimate, complimentary.