Why are there brown stains on the underside of our walkways?

Almost always water coming through from above: a worn walking surface, a failed joint or a drain that does not drain. Painting over the stain hides it without stopping it. The source should be found and repaired first, and the stain then sealed with a stain-blocking primer before the finish.

Can the stair treads be painted with the same paint as the walls?

No. Walking surfaces need a coating designed for foot traffic and, on stairs, slip resistance. Wall paint on a tread wears through in short order and can be slippery when wet. Treads, landings and walkway decks are scoped as their own item, often with the waterproofing.

How do residents use the stairs while they are being painted?

Where a building has more than one stairway, they are done one at a time and the open one is signed. Where there is only one, the work is planned in sections and at times that leave a dry, safe path, agreed with the manager in advance.

Exterior Stairs, Walkways and Balconies

Q: Is a painter the right person to inspect our balconies?

No. California law requires condominium associations to have wood-supported balconies, stairs and walkways more than six feet above the ground inspected periodically by a licensed architect or engineer. A painter does not do that inspection. What a painter can do is report what he sees during preparation, such as stains, rust or soft wood, before covering it.

In a multi-family building the stairs, walkways and balconies are the hardest part of a repaint: people use them all day, the work happens above other people, and the undersides hide water damage that paint must not cover. They are done one route at a time, with steel and wood prepared for what they are, and anything that looks like a leak or soft framing reported before it is painted.

Every multi-family building in San Diego has the same weak point in a repaint: the parts people walk on and under. Open-air stairways, second- and third-floor walkways, and balconies stacked one above another are the busiest surfaces on the property, the most exposed to weather from above and below, and the places where hidden damage tends to live. They are also where a careless repaint does the most harm, by covering up the evidence of a problem.

Treating them as a separate part of the job, rather than as more wall, is what gets them right.

Why are stairs, walkways and balconies harder than walls?

Three reasons. First, they are in constant use, so the work has to leave residents a safe way in and out of every unit at all times. Second, much of the work happens overhead: painting a walkway soffit or a stair stringer means working above people, doors and parking. Third, they combine materials (stucco soffits, steel stringers, wood framing, concrete-filled pans, metal railings, wood fascia), each needing its own preparation, within a few feet of each other.

Ebenezer’s OSHA 30, OSHA 10 and scaffold training are relevant here in a way they are not on a single-story home. Setting up safe access on a stair tower or above a walkway, and keeping the area beneath it clear, is part of the job, not a preliminary.

What should the painter look for before covering anything?

This is the part that matters most. Preparation is the one moment someone looks closely at every inch of these elements, and what is found should be reported, not painted over.

Water stains on soffits beneath walkways and balconies. Brown rings or streaks mean water is coming through from above.
Rust at stair connections: where stringers meet landings, where pans are welded or bolted, where railing posts enter the structure.
Soft or cracked wood at the ends of beams, joists and fascia, especially at the outer edge of a balcony.
Cracked or hollow stucco around the edges of walkways and at the ledger line where a balcony meets the building.
Peeling paint in a band along the bottom of a wall where a walkway meets it, which usually means water is sitting at the joint.

California law requires condominium associations to have wood-supported balconies, stairs and walkways more than six feet above the ground inspected periodically by a licensed architect or engineer, and a painter is not that inspector. But a painter is often the first person to see a problem up close in years. The honest course is to show the manager, and to let the right professional assess it before any of it is coated.

How is each material prepared?

In the same order as the rest of the building (wash, check for repairs, mask, paint), with details specific to each surface:

Stucco soffits and walls. Washed, cracks opened and textured to match, water stains sealed with a stain-blocking primer once the source of the water has been dealt with.
Steel stringers, pans and railings. Loose rust and failed paint removed, edges feathered, bare steel primed with a rust-inhibiting primer promptly, then finished in a coating made for exterior metal.
Wood framing, fascia and trim. Checked at every end and bottom edge; soft wood repaired or replaced before paint. Bare wood primed.
Railings and handrails. These take more hand contact than anything else on the building, so they get a durable finish and careful attention to the undersides, where water sits.
Walking surfaces. Not painted with wall paint. Treads, landings and walkway decks need a coating made for foot traffic, with slip resistance on stairs, and are usually scoped with the balcony and deck coatings.

How is egress kept open during the work?

By planning the work route by route. Where a building has two stairways, one is done while the other stays open and signed. Where there is only one, the stair is done in sections and at times that leave a dry, safe path to every door; this is agreed with the manager before the work starts, and residents are told the dates. Walkways are kept clear of equipment when the crew is not using them, and wet surfaces are taped off and marked.

For residents with limited mobility, the manager can identify in advance which units depend on which route, and those are scheduled first.

What about balconies that residents use?

Balconies are often exclusive-use common area: residents live on them, and your CC&Rs say who maintains and who repairs them. Either way, they must be cleared before the work, and residents need to know their building’s dates. Plants, rugs, furniture and anything hung on railings or walls come off. A planter left on a balcony is worse than an inconvenience, because the water that drains from it is one of the most common causes of the stains on the soffit below.

Where does this matter most?

Anywhere with older multi-story buildings and anywhere with salt air. In western Chula Vista and the older parts of National City, many apartment and condo buildings from the 1960s and 1970s have open walkways and steel stairs, and decades of marine air have been at the connections. In buildings from before 1978 the old paint may contain lead, and EPA rules call for lead-safe practices when it is disturbed in housing of that age. Ebenezer is EPA lead-safe (RRP) certified, and that is settled at the estimate, before any scraping starts. Closer to the water in San Diego, salt speeds up the rust.

Planning the stairs and walkways properly

These are the elements where a careful painter adds the most value and a careless one does the most damage. Ebenezer manages every project personally and will tell the board plainly what he finds before any of it is covered. Scope is agreed in writing, and anything beyond it is discussed first. Ask for a free estimate and walk the stairs and walkways with him, or read more about HOA painting and maintenance.