Doraville, DeKalb County
Painting Doraville's mid-century ranches and split-levels
Most of Doraville's houses went up between the 1950s and the 1970s. That age shows first on the fascia, the siding and the kitchen cabinets, which is usually where a painting job here begins.
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- Phones answered 24/7
- Scheduled from Tucker
- Interior and exterior
Updated October 2026
Short answer
Doraville homes are mostly mid-century: the median construction year is 1975, and Northwoods alone added 700 houses during the 1950s. On these ranches and split-levels, exterior work turns on the wood (fascia, gable siding, window trim), while inside the usual requests are original cabinets, heavily layered trim and dated wall colors.
Homes in Doraville
Northwoods contemporaries, GM-era ranches and a plant site being rebuilt
Doraville was chartered in 1871, but its housing mostly dates from after General Motors opened its assembly plant here in 1947. Guilford Village, the first subdivision, was planned in the late 1940s with 112 homes, and the city annexed Northwoods in 1949. Between 1950 and 1959 Walter Tally's Northwoods added 700 houses drawn by Georgia Tech trained architects: hipped-roof ranches, open-plan contemporaries and split-levels set into the hills. Oakcliff followed with mostly 1960s ranches and split-levels.
That history decides the prep. Where a mid-century contemporary has wood siding, exposed rafter tails or stained paneling, the job is mostly careful scraping, spot priming and deciding which wood stays natural. On a brick ranch the masonry usually holds, while the fascia, soffits and window trim have softened under decades of coats. Original kitchens are often still in place too.
The GM plant closed in 2008, and its land is being rebuilt as a mixed-use district, with Third Rail Studios open on part of it since 2016. Detached houses still make up 59.3% of Doraville homes, while Buford Highway carries a long run of small restaurants and shops whose dining rooms and storefronts need paint as well.
Work we do here
Doraville jobs, matched to mid-century houses
Exterior House Painting
Ranches and split-levels repainted after the original wood trim and siding are scraped, spot primed and caulked.
Exterior Trim, Soffit & Fascia Painting
Hipped-roof eaves on 1950s ranches: soft fascia and soffit boards fixed, then primed and painted.
Kitchen Cabinet Painting
Original mid-century kitchens painted instead of replaced, with doors and drawer fronts sprayed away from the room.
Interior Wood Staining
Paneling, beams and built-ins in Northwoods contemporaries cleaned up and restained rather than painted over.
Wood Rot Repair Before Painting
Sills, rake boards and garage trim on 1960s and 1970s houses rebuilt before any finish coat.
Commercial Painting
Storefronts and dining rooms along Buford Highway repainted at night or on weekends, around opening hours.
Scheduling
Getting a Doraville walk-through on the calendar
Doraville work is booked from our Tucker office on 4th Street. When you call, tell us the street, whether the house is a ranch, split-level or contemporary, and which surfaces need paint. We set a time to walk it, look at the wood up close and explain the prep it needs. Restaurant and shop owners can ask for after-hours dates.
Questions
Painting questions from Doraville
Yes. Stained siding, beams or paneling can be cleaned and restained or clear coated while only the trim gets paint, so the house keeps the look it was designed with. We sort out which surfaces to paint and which to leave natural on the walk-through.
Original coats on houses of that age can contain lead, so we treat them as if they do. That means misting, containment and careful cleanup whenever old paint is scraped or sanded.
Yes. The boxes and doors are cleaned, deglossed and primed, the doors are sprayed, and the frames are brushed and rolled in place. If the wood is in good shape and you would rather keep it stained, refinishing is the other route.
Yes. Commercial dining rooms, kitchens and storefronts are scheduled around your hours, often at night or on weekends, so the doors stay open during business.
Ready when you are
Repainting a mid-century house in Doraville?
Call at any hour, tell us about the house, and we will find a time to walk it with you.