Service · Cincinnati
We've spent a decade learning Cincinnati's oldest houses.
Italianate, Queen Anne, Greek Revival — restored, not just repainted.
EPA RRP lead-safe certified on every pre-1978 home.
What's included
What's included
Historic exteriors are part craft, part forensic work. We treat every surface as a record before we sand it.
- 01Lead testing and contained removal where required
- 02Hand-scraping and stripping, no aggressive sanding
- 03Wood epoxy repair on rotted detail elements
- 04Period-accurate color consultation
- 05Brush-applied finish coats on detail trim
Pricing logic
How we price it
Historic work doesn't price like new construction. We bid in two phases: discovery, then restoration.
Age and last paint
A house painted five years ago is straightforward. A house with 90 years of lead-paint layers is not.
Detail count
Brackets, dentils, fish-scale shingles — each is its own day of hand work.
Lead containment
RRP work requires containment, HEPA cleanup, and documentation. We never skip it.
Color scheme
Three-, four-, and five-color schemes are standard on Painted Ladies. Each color adds a day of cut-in.
In practice
Recent historic projects
From the last 18 months:
OTR Italianate
1882 four-story facade, hand-stripped cornice, four-color period scheme.
Mount Auburn Queen Anne
Painted Lady with restored fish-scale shingles, eight-color exterior.
Walnut Hills Greek Revival
Whole exterior + porch column restoration with epoxy repair.
Ranges
Ballpark pricing
Historic restoration is custom by definition. Most Cincinnati projects fall here:
- Detail restoration only
- $8,000 – $18,000
- Full exterior, 2-color
- $22,000 – $38,000
- Full Painted Lady, 4–6 colors
- $38,000 – $85,000
- — Includes lead-safe practices, prep, primer, and brush-applied coats.
- — Major carpentry or column rebuild is billed by a partner carpenter at cost.
"They treated the house like a museum. The cornice details came back to life — we didn't even know they were under there."
Eleanor R. · Over-the-Rhine
Service area
Where we work
We paint across Cincinnati and the inner-ring neighborhoods. If you don't see your block listed, ask — we probably cover it.
FAQ
Common questions
Yes — every painter on the crew is EPA RRP certified. We contain the work area, use HEPA vacuums, and document disposal.
Most interiors take 3–7 working days depending on scope. Exteriors run 5–14 days with weather in mind. We share a day-by-day plan before the crew shows up.
Yes — fully licensed in Ohio, with $2M general liability and worker's comp on every job. We send certificates before the first brush comes out.
We default to Benjamin Moore Aura and Sherwin-Williams Emerald. We're happy to spec a different line if you have a preference or are matching an existing finish.
See also