A property manager called me out to a mid-rise in Nepean last spring. The building had been repainted three years prior — a full exterior, not cheap. She wanted to know why paint was peeling in identical strips at every window frame and caulk joint while the rest of the façade looked fine. I walked the perimeter and had the answer in ten minutes. No one had removed the old caulk before painting over it. The fix was going to cost almost as much as the original job. This post is for property managers and condo boards pricing exterior work this season — here’s what to look for before signing off on a scope.
1. Old caulk is not a primer
The most common exterior paint failure I see on Ottawa condos isn’t paint quality or climate — it’s caulk sequence. On a properly scoped job, old caulk gets cut out, the joint gets cleaned and primed, new backer rod goes in where the gap warrants it, new caulk is tooled in, and then — only then — the surrounding surface gets painted. That sequence takes time. If a crew paints over existing caulk joints instead, you bond two incompatible surfaces together. One moves with temperature, one doesn’t. On Ottawa’s freeze-thaw cycle, the bond fails within 18 to 36 months.
Before you approve any exterior scope, ask the contractor specifically what they’re doing with existing caulk joints. “We’ll touch up as needed” is the wrong answer. A complete re-caulk of all penetrations and window perimeters should be line-itemed separately.
What to look at: Walk your building now. If you see paint lifting in strips that mirror the caulk line at every window frame, the last crew painted over old caulk. That’s water getting behind your façade every time it rains.
2. Surface profile matters as much as surface cleanliness
A freshly pressure-washed wall looks ready, but clean isn’t the same as ready. On previously painted surfaces that have chalked — run your hand across old flat exterior paint; if your palm comes away white, it’s chalked — that loose layer has to come off before any new coating goes down. Painting over chalk is painting over dust.
A thorough exterior prep on a mid-rise should include pressure washing, scraping loose paint, spot-priming exposed substrate, and a minimum 48-hour dry time before primer goes down. If the scope you’re reviewing doesn’t mention dry time, ask about it. Ottawa in June can throw three rainy days in a row. A crew painting on a wet building is a warranty claim in progress.
What to look at: Ask the superintendent when exterior painting is scheduled and check the forecast window. Work done within 24 hours of rain or with overnight temps below 10°C will cause problems.
3. Early June is the time to book, not the time to start
Ottawa’s reliable exterior painting window runs roughly mid-June through early September — consistently above 10°C overnight, dry enough that coatings cure properly. Latex applied when overnight temps drop below 7°C doesn’t cure correctly; it looks fine for a few weeks, then checks and peels once the building cycles through its first heat-and-cool.
The other thing early June is good for is lead time. A well-scoped exterior on a mid-rise takes two to four weeks of actual work, plus two to four weeks of lead time before that — submittals, board approval, scaffolding permits, product ordering. If you’re calling contractors in late June hoping to start in July, you’re already behind the best crews. Book now; plan the work for July.
What to look at: Check your capital plan. If exterior painting is on this year’s list, issue an RFP in the next two weeks. Reputable Ottawa crews are booking 4 to 6 weeks out by late June.
What to do if you’re seeing any of this
If your building has peeling paint at window frames and caulk joints, a fresh topcoat won’t fix it — the failed caulk has to come out first. Painting over the problem delays water damage; it doesn’t stop it.
I do exterior assessments across Ottawa including Kanata, Barrhaven, Nepean, Westboro, Orleans, and Manotick. I’ll walk your building, document what I find, and tell you what the scope needs to include before you put it out for bids. No charge for the assessment.
Call me at 613.325.3011 or email yasir@heims.ca.
— Yasir, HEIMS Construction
HEIMS Construction is an Ottawa-based commercial painting contractor specializing in mid-rise and high-rise condominium buildings, multifamily properties, and commercial facilities. We serve Ottawa and surrounding communities including Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Manotick, Orleans, Stittsville, and Westboro. We are members of the Painting and Decorating Contractors of Canada (PDCA) and carry full WSIB and liability coverage on every project.