Special Services
Historical restoration, limewash, door refinishing, deck and fence staining, carpentry, drywall and specialty coatings — the work that needs a slower hand and more knowledge.
Specialist work we take on
Historical restoration
Older Lowcountry homes need a different approach. Original wood siding, hand-run trim profiles, glazed sash windows and porch detail all behave differently from modern materials, and aggressive prep does permanent damage.
We work carefully with what's there — gentle surface preparation, repair instead of replacement wherever the wood allows, and period-appropriate colors matched to what's original. If your property sits under a historic district review, we'll help you get the documentation your board needs.
Limewash
Limewash is a mineral finish, not a paint film. It soaks into brick, stucco and masonry and leaves the soft, mottled, slightly chalky look you see on older Lowcountry properties — and because it breathes, it lets damp masonry dry out instead of trapping moisture behind a sealed coating.
We apply it to exterior brick and stucco, chimneys, garden and foundation walls, and interior fireplace surrounds. It is a hand-applied finish, so we'll always sample a section on your own wall first and let you look at it in daylight before we go further.
Door refinishing
Your front door is the most looked-at surface on your house, and it takes the worst of the sun. A refinished door changes the whole face of a home for very little money.
We handle painted and stained doors, front and interior, including sanding back failed finishes, re-staining timber and applying UV-resistant topcoats built for a south-facing exposure.
Decks, porches & fences
Lowcountry timber takes a beating from sun and damp. We wash, brighten and repair before staining or painting, and we'll advise on stain versus solid color — they age very differently, and the right answer depends on how much maintenance you want later.
Specialty coatings
Garage and workshop floor coatings, masonry and block sealing, metal railings and handrails, and durable surfaces built for traffic and washdown. If you're not sure whether a surface can be coated, ask — the answer is usually yes with the right primer, and occasionally an honest no.
Popcorn ceiling removal
Nothing dates an interior faster. We scrape, skim, sand and finish to a smooth flat ceiling. One important note: ceilings in homes built before the 1980s should be tested for asbestos before anyone disturbs them. We'll tell you that instead of just getting on with it.
Pre-sale & move-in repaints
Selling? Neutral, well-photographed rooms sell faster. Just bought? Painting before the furniture arrives is dramatically cheaper and quicker than painting around it. Either way, tell us your closing date and we'll work to it.
Carpentry and Drywall in Summerville, SC
The repairs that have to happen before paint is worth putting on. We handle them in-house across Summerville, Ladson, Goose Creek and the surrounding Lowcountry, so you are not hiring a carpenter, a drywall finisher and a painter to do one job.
Carpentry
Exterior carpentry built for Lowcountry damp, where trim ends and deck framing are usually the first things to give up.
- New deck installations — framed, decked and finished, then stained or sealed while we are already set up in your yard
- Siding and trim replacement — soft or rotten boards, fascia, soffit, corner boards and window trim cut in to match what is there
Rot gets found at the consultation, not halfway through the job, so the number on your quote already accounts for it.
Drywall
Interior drywall repair and finishing across Summerville and Charleston, taken to a level that will not telegraph through two coats of paint.
- Replacing sheetrock — water-damaged, cracked or holed sections cut out and patched back in flush
- Finishing new drywall — taped, coated, sanded and primed, ready for a finish coat
- Retaping and fixing seams — lifting tape, settlement cracks and popped nails cut back and re-finished, not skimmed over
Minor nail-hole and drywall repair is included on every repaint. Anything structural is priced on your quote as its own line, so you can see exactly what it costs.
Best done while we're already on site
Most of this gets added onto an interior or exterior project instead of booked on its own — a front door refinished while the trim is being done, a deck stained while we're set up in the yard, a garage floor coated at the end of the week.
Doing it in the same visit costs less than doing it later as its own job, because the setup, the masking and the travel are already paid for.
Mention any of these at the consultation and we'll measure and price them alongside the main project.
Commonly added to a repaint
- Front door stripped, refinished and UV-topcoated
- Deck, porch or fence washed, brightened and stained
- Garage or workshop floor coating
- Limewash on brick, stucco or a fireplace surround
- Popcorn ceiling removal, skimmed and finished flat
- Sheds, detached garages and outbuildings
Refer-a-friend credit simply for referring a friend to us.
Specialist work questions
My house is old. Will you damage the original woodwork?
That's the right thing to worry about. Heavy-handed pressure washing and aggressive scraping destroy soft old-growth timber and once it's gone you can't get it back. On historic properties we use gentle preparation, work by hand where it matters, and repair in place wherever the wood is sound enough to save.
Should I stain or paint my deck?
Depends what you want later. Stain penetrates, shows the grain, and when it wears it fades gradually — so recoating is straightforward. Solid paint gives you color and covers tired timber, but when it fails it peels, and stripping a peeling deck is miserable work. On horizontal surfaces that hold water we lean toward stain, and we'll explain why for your deck.
Can you match a color on a historic property?
Yes. We can match from an existing sample, and modern products can be tinted to historically appropriate palettes. If your home is in a review district, we'll help you assemble the color codes and product data your board asks for.
Can you limewash my brick? Is it permanent?
Yes, on brick, stucco and most masonry. Limewash is not permanent in the way paint is — it wears and softens over years rather than peeling, and it can be refreshed with another coat or, if applied within the first few days, washed back off. Painted or sealed brick has to be assessed first, because limewash needs to bond to the masonry itself. We'll sample your wall before quoting the whole thing.
Do you do small jobs? It's just one door and some trim.
Yes. Small jobs are how a lot of long relationships start, and we're not too busy to take them. For something small, book and add a few photos with the details, and we can often price it without scheduling a visit.
Got something unusual? Ask.
If you're not sure whether it can be painted, coated or restored, describe it or send a photo. You'll get an honest answer — including when the honest answer is that it isn't worth doing.