(501) 550-8465
Red painted deck with a white railing and French doors.

Interior & Exterior Painting, Fairfield Bay

501 Soft Washing, in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas, does interior and exterior painting, drywall repairs, and deck repairs. The owner shows up and does the painting.

Call (501) 550-8465 Free remote estimates
Insured. The work is guaranteed. 5.0 on Google

Why exterior paint peels early, and what good prep looks like

In ten Reddit threads about house painters, peeling or early failure came up in five, and skipped prep in nearly all. One homeowner’s new paint was “literally peeling off” within a week.

Good exterior prep means washing the house, scraping and sanding loose paint, and letting the surface dry. Sherwin-Williams lists painting over a surface containing mildew as a cause of mildew. Shaded and north-facing siding around Greers Ferry Lake stays damp, so drying time counts here.

Rot gets covered up too. One homeowner found caulk over knot holes and rot where wood putty belonged. Painting over a damp patch without fixing the source is “a temporary fix at best,” as one painting contractor puts it.

Messy window lines and overspray are the other common complaint. One painter couldn’t “make a straight line ANYWHERE.”

Before painting, remove mildew by washing the surface
Sherwin-Williams, on mildew and paint

501 Soft Washing does house washing and exterior painting, so you can get the wash and the paint from one company.

What people ask before painting a house

Should I power wash before painting?

Yes, then let it dry.

Sherwin-Williams says to wash off dirt, mildew, and loose paint, then give the surface 24 to 48 hours to dry. Ask 501 Soft Washing about washing yours.

Can I just paint over old exterior paint?

Only if it’s sound.

Chalk, mildew, and loose paint have to come off first. New paint bonds to chalk dust instead of the house, HousePaintingGuide.org says. Call 501 Soft Washing about yours.

When should you not paint a house exterior?

Right after rain, in fog, or below 50 F.

Those limits come from Sherwin-Williams, unless the product allows otherwise. Ask 501 Soft Washing about timing for your house when you call.

Which type of paint is best for the outside?

100% acrylic latex, for most siding.

Angi and contractor guides call it the usual pick in humid climates, with oil or alkyd for doors, trim, and metal. Ask 501 Soft Washing what suits your house.

Do I really need primer before painting?

On bare wood, patches, and stains, yes.

Family Handyman calls for it, and an unprimed patch can show flat or shiny through the paint. 501 Soft Washing does the drywall repairs and the painting.

Illustration of a patched and painted drywall wall with a taping knife, mud pan, sanding block, and paint roller on a drop cloth.
Illustration of a patched and painted drywall wall with a taping knife, mud pan, sanding block, and paint roller on a drop cloth.

Interior painting: patch, sand, and prime before the color goes on

501 Soft Washing does interior painting and drywall repairs, so a damaged wall and a new color can go on one call.

Good interior prep clears and covers the room, washes dust and grease off the walls, and fills holes and cracks. Patches get sanded, trim gaps get caulked, and water marks and smoke stains get a stain-blocking primer.

New drywall needs a drywall primer or sealer, or the color can go blotchy. In a home built before the 1980s, test for asbestos before anyone sands the walls.

How a painting job goes

  1. 1. Call (501) 550-8465

    Tell us what you need done and where it is.

  2. 2. Get your free estimate

    Remote estimates are free everywhere. In-person estimates are free in the Fairfield Bay, Clinton, and Shirley area.

  3. 3. The owner shows up and does the job

    501 Soft Washing’s owner comes to your home or business and does the work.

Painting a deck: railings, floors, and repairs

Paint suits railings, posts, and balusters better than deck floors. The wood has to be clean and dry, and one painting contractor says stain to paint means strip, clean, and prime.

Stained deck boards in sun and shade with a lake beyond.

Deck floors: paint or solid-color stain

DeckStainHelp.com suggests solid-color deck stain for floor boards, since paint on them can peel in one or two seasons. Bob Vila says paint can last 10 years, so sources disagree.

See deck staining and sealing
Stained deck with a fire pit, a bench, and cable railing.

Deck repairs

501 Soft Washing does deck repairs as well as painting.

See handyman services

Wash or repaint: how to tell which your house needs

If mildew is the only problem, Sherwin-Williams says painting may not be needed after cleaning. Sound and failed paint can also sit side by side on one house.

A wash is probably enough

You see green, black, or gray streaks in the shade on sound paint, or the house looks dull from dirt. Your palm comes away with no chalk, and nothing’s flaking. House washing is the place to start.

It’s time to repaint

Paint is peeling, bubbling, or flaking, which can mean the bond failed or moisture got under the film. Heavy chalking leaves a white film on your hand. Mildew that returns fast after cleaning points the same way.

Customers on cleaning, painting, and a deck repair

5.0 on Google
“We have a rental home in Quitman that was in such bad shape we thought about getting it painted. They got it cleaned so well we actually are going to hold of on painting for a couple more years. Turns out they do painting too!”
Orion QQQRental home in Quitman, on 501 Pressure Washing, our sister company
“My deck was damaged by another so called reputable company in the area. They fixed it. What an expensive lesson. At least my deck looks almost new now!”
Steven JamindarDeck, on 501 Soft Washing

What’s guaranteed and what an estimate costs

501 Soft Washing is insured. The work is guaranteed.

Some things get talked through before the work starts, so you know what to expect. Oxidized siding needs a restoration process, and that isn’t guaranteed. Removing non-organic stains isn’t guaranteed either, though the success rate is high.

  1. Free remote estimates

    Everywhere we work. We need pictures of the job: email them to info@501softwashing.com with the address, what you want cleaned, and a note on any vegetation or surfaces a cleaner could damage. It gets you a faster, more accurate quote.

  2. Free in-person estimates

    In the Fairfield Bay, Clinton, and Shirley area.

  3. Farther out

    We prefer remote, or you can pay $100 for an in-person estimate, deducted from your quote if you accept the job.

“We needed our office in Heber Springs washed before a meeting on Monday. They were able to quote remotely and come out on a moments notice. Thank you so much for the accommodation. We really should have done this in advance but thank you!”
Merry PopeOffice in Heber Springs, on 501 Soft Washing
Call (501) 550-8465

What else the same call covers

Where 501 Soft Washing works

The work also covers Van Buren, Stone, Searcy, Cleburne, and Faulkner counties.

Contact 501 Soft Washing

More painting questions

How much does it cost to paint a house?

It’s quoted per job.

501 Soft Washing prices each paint job after a free estimate, remote everywhere and in person around Fairfield Bay, Clinton, and Shirley.

Do I need approval to change my house color in Fairfield Bay?

It can take written approval.

Fairfield Bay’s covenants call for Architectural Control Committee approval of exterior changes in writing, and 30 days of silence counts as approved. Settle that before 501 Soft Washing or any painter starts.

Who does the painting?

The owner.

One Reddit homeowner’s crew never came back for touch-ups. 501 Soft Washing’s owner shows up and does the job, the company’s insured, and the work is guaranteed.

Stained deck with a stone fire pit and a bench.

Call (501) 550-8465

Free remote estimates everywhere, and free in-person estimates in the Fairfield Bay, Clinton, and Shirley area.

Call 501 Soft Washing

Free remote estimates everywhere

Call (501) 550-8465