Arlington County, Virginia
House Painters in Arlington, VA
Pre-war brick colonials, mid-century ramblers, Fairlington townhouses and corridor high-rises — all different jobs. We scope every one around the house in front of us.
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Arlington is really two painting markets in one county. North of Route 50 you have brick colonials, bungalows and Cape Cods built between the 1920s and the 1940s, most with original wood trim and soft lime mortar. South and east you have mid-century ramblers, the garden communities at Fairlington and Arlington Village, and the high-rise condos along the Rosslyn–Ballston corridor and in National Landing. A crew that treats all of those the same way will do a poor job on most of them.
Image Painting has worked across Arlington for 15+ years, and we scope every job around the house in front of us — its age, its substrate, and whoever else has a say in the color. Interior or exterior, one room or the whole exterior, we handle the prep, the paint and the cleanup.
Arlington neighborhoods we work in
We take work throughout the county. These are the neighborhoods we're in most often.
North Arlington
Rosslyn–Ballston corridor
South Arlington
National Landing
If your street isn't listed, we almost certainly still serve it — call and ask.
What Arlington's housing stock means for your paint job
Four broad types, four different approaches.
1920s – 1940s
Pre-war brick colonials & bungalows
Solid masonry or brick veneer, original wood windows and trim, lime-based mortar that behaves nothing like modern Portland cement. The work is usually in the trim and soffits — failed glazing, rotted sills, profiles gone soft under decades of paint.
If the brick has never been painted, think hard first. See our guide to painting vs. limewashing brick in Arlington.
1950s – 1960s
Mid-century ramblers & capes
Original asbestos-cement siding on some, aluminum or vinyl over the original wood on others, painted steel casement windows throughout. Each needs different prep and a different primer.
Asbestos siding can be painted safely — but never sanded or aggressively power-washed. We hand-wash and use a bonding primer.
1942 – 1945
Fairlington & the garden communities
Fairlington is 3,439 Colonial Revival townhouse and garden units, National Register–listed since 1999 and run today by seven independent condominium associations. Arlington Village is similar.
The exterior envelope is usually the association's. Most of what we do here is interior — walls, ceilings, trim, doors and cabinets — worked around shared walls.
Corridor & National Landing
Rosslyn–Ballston high-rise condos
High-rise work is a logistics problem as much as a painting one. Buildings want a certificate of insurance naming the association, a reserved elevator window, protected corridors and work inside set hours.
We handle that paperwork at scheduling, not on day one.
HOA, condo board and historic district rules
The question we get most often is whether the county has to approve an exterior color.
For the large majority of Arlington homes, no. Even inside Arlington's local historic districts, exterior paint color is specifically exempt from the Certificate of Appropriateness requirement. Other exterior alterations in those districts do need a CoA, reviewed by the county's Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board — and routine maintenance and like-for-like replacement are exempt too.
Source: Arlington County — Certificate of Appropriateness(opens in new tab)
Two caveats before you plan a color change:
- Painting previously unpainted masonry is a bigger decision than a color change — practically, and in a designated district like the Maywood Neighborhood Historic District, potentially procedurally. If your brick is bare, call the county's preservation staff before you commit.
- Your HOA or condo association is usually the real constraint. In Fairlington, Arlington Village and most corridor high-rises the association — not the county — decides what changes and when work can happen. We'll submit color selections or scopes for board approval on your behalf.
Lead-safe work in pre-1978 Arlington homes
A large share of Arlington's housing predates the 1978 residential lead paint ban — in the pre-war neighborhoods, close to all of it. Sanding trim, scraping siding or pulling windows releases lead dust unless it's contained. Federal rules require contractors working on pre-1978 housing to be certified and follow lead-safe practices. Ask any painter to show you their certification, and be wary of a bid that's cheap because containment was left out of it.
Our painting services in Arlington
One crew, one point of contact, the whole project. Each links through to the detail.
Interior painting
Walls, ceilings, trim and doors — scheduled around occupied homes.
Exterior painting
Specified for mid-Atlantic sun and freeze–thaw.
Cabinet painting & refinishing
The best value change in a 1940s Arlington kitchen.
Brick painting
Breathable, masonry-appropriate systems only.
Historic home painting
Period-appropriate prep for original wood and soft brick.
Carpentry & pre-painting prep
Sills, trim and soffits — what decides how long it lasts.
Drywall & plaster repair
Including ninety years of settling cracks.
Deck staining & painting
Protection against moisture and UV.
Power washing
As prep, or on its own.
Color consulting
Useful when an association palette limits you.
Wallpaper installation & removal
Including the stubborn pre-war layers.
Commercial painting
Offices, retail, HOA common areas and corridors.
Recent Arlington projects
Real houses, real streets.
When to paint in Arlington
Ideal
Workable — humidity slows drying
Too cold to cure properly
xterior season runs roughly April through October. Spring and early autumn are the sweet spot. July and August are workable, but humidity slows drying and afternoon storms are a real scheduling risk, so we build float into summer exteriors. Below about 50°F most exterior coatings stop curing correctly, which closes the window from late November. Interior work runs year-round.
Practical note: good crews in Arlington book out for spring and fall. If you want an exterior done in May, ask for the estimate in February.
What your estimate includes
Every estimate is written, itemized and free.
Every surface in scope, listed
The prep included — not assumed
Products and number of coats
Crew size and working schedule
What happens if we find rot once we open things up
Why Arlington homeowners choose Image Painting
Locally owned — you work directly with the owners, not a call center
BBB A+ rated, PCA member, Arlington Chamber of Commerce member
Licensed and insured in Virginia, Maryland and DC
Five-year written warranty
Free written quotes, interior and exterior
Carpentry, drywall, plaster, wallpaper and power washing in-house
Frequently asked questions
Get a free Arlington painting estimate
Tell us the neighborhood, the age of the house and what you want painted. We'll come out and put a written number on it — no pressure, no obligation.
Mon–Fri 7am–6pm · Serving Arlington and the greater DC metro
Free, written, itemized — never a verbal ballpark
We'll deal with your HOA or condo board
Five-year written warranty on everything we do