House Painters in Des Moines, IA
Red Oak Painting serves Des Moines proper, where the housing stock is older, more varied, and frankly more interesting to paint than anywhere else in the metro. A 1920s Beaverdale brick, a Sherman Hill Victorian, and a 1950s ranch on the South Side are three different jobs requiring three different approaches, and the estimate should reflect that. Ours does: free, written, and specific to what your house actually needs.
Painting Des Moines' Older Homes: What We See Most
Most of Des Moines was built before drywall existed, and that changes the work:
Plaster walls.
Pre-1950s homes have plaster, and plaster develops hairline cracks, bulges, and decades of patchwork. A quality repaint here starts with real surface repair — skim coating, crack bridging, and sanding — because paint over failing plaster just photographs the problem in a new color. We quote the repair and the paint separately so you can see exactly what you're paying for.
Original woodwork: paint or preserve.
Des Moines homes have trim, built-ins, and staircases that newer suburbs would kill for. Sometimes the right answer is painting it; sometimes it's leaving it alone and painting around it. We'll give you an honest read at the estimate rather than defaulting to "paint everything white."
Tall ceilings, stairwells, and radiators.
Older homes were built vertical. Two-story stairwells, 9- and 10-foot ceilings, and painting around radiators and original hardware are routine work for us, not upcharges to be discovered later.
Exterior Painting in Des Moines
Older Des Moines exteriors are mostly wood siding and trim, which means the freeze-thaw damage runs deeper and the prep matters more. Our process — wash, scrape and sand to sound material, spot-prime bare wood, re-caulk, two premium finish coats — is built for exactly this. On homes with many previous paint layers, we'll tell you honestly at the walkthrough what's achievable with prep versus what's a carpentry conversation.
Exterior season runs roughly April through October; older-home exteriors take longer to prep, so early scheduling matters even more here.
Our Painting Services in Des Moines
Interior Painting — plaster repair, walls, ceilings, and original trim
Exterior Painting — full-prep repaints for wood siding and Iowa weather
Cabinet Painting & Refinishing — sprayed, factory-smooth finishes
Deck & Fence Staining — cleaning, prep, and stain systems
Commercial Painting in Des Moines
Commercial Interior — offices, restaurants, and retail from downtown to the East Village, painted after hours so you never close
Commercial Exterior — facades, masonry, and storefronts
Apartment & Multi-Family — consistent finishes across every unit and building
HOA Painting — programs run within your approved standards
We serve all of Des Moines, including Beaverdale, Sherman Hill, the Drake neighborhood, the East Village, and the South Side.
Des Moines Painting FAQs
Get a Free Painting Estimate in Des Moines.
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Older homes vary more than newer ones because plaster condition drives the number. That's why we quote in person and in writing, with surface repair itemized separately.
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Most plaster is repairable. Hairline cracks, small failures, and rough texture are normal prep work for us; we'll flag the rare wall that's a drywall conversation instead.
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Sometimes. It depends on the wood, the condition, and the house. We'll give you a straight opinion at the estimate, including "don't paint that."
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April through October, with late spring and early fall offering the most reliable temperature and humidity windows. Summer slots fill first, so estimates in early spring get the best pick of the calendar.