Short answer
Will-O-Way, which borders the DuPage River near downtown, is mostly 1960s to 1980s ranches and split-levels, and we paint them inside and out. Common starting points are textured ceilings, dated wallpaper and tired exterior siding, and any house built before 1978 gets a lead check before old paint is disturbed.
Ceilings and walls in a 1960s to 1980s house
Textured popcorn ceilings were common in homes of this era, and some older textures contain asbestos. That is why a sample goes to a lab before anyone scrapes. Once it clears, we mist the texture, scrape it off, skim coat the drywall and prime, so the ceiling looks as if it was always flat. Each room is sealed in plastic first, because scraping is messy work.
Wallpaper from the same decades was often hung straight onto unsealed drywall or painted over later, so it fights you on the way off. We score and soak it, peel the paper and paste, then seal any torn drywall facing before skimming. The step-by-step popcorn removal guide walks through the ceiling side of this in more detail.
Exteriors on ranches, split-levels and larger Tudors
Many Will-O-Way homes from the 1960s and 1970s predate the 1978 cutoff in EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. Get the old exterior paint tested for lead before anything is scraped. After that, the work is familiar: scrape what is loose, repair soft sills and trim, caulk, spot prime and finish in two coats. Where a ranch still wears aluminum siding, it can be cleaned, primed and painted.
The larger Tudor and modern traditional homes, plus the condos and townhouses, round out the neighborhood. On the Tudors, the darker trim boards get brushed separately from the wall surface around them. Condo and townhouse exteriors usually run on an association schedule, so for those units we tend to start indoors with walls, ceilings and trim.
Where Will-O-Way paint jobs usually start
Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Homes from the 1960s through the 1980s often have textured ceilings, which are lab tested before any scraping.
Wallpaper Removal
Decades-old wallpaper, sometimes painted over, has to come off before the walls can take a smooth new finish.
Skim Coating & Smooth Walls
Once paper or texture is gone, a skim coat levels torn facing and patchy walls so the paint reads flat.
Siding Painting
Ranches and split-levels of this age may still wear aluminum siding, which takes paint well once cleaned and primed.
Exterior House Painting
With so many houses older than 1978, a lead check is the first step of any exterior repaint here.
Wood Rot Repair Before Painting
Decades of weather leave sills, jambs and fascia soft in places, and those get repaired before painting.