House painters in East Memphis.
1950s neighborhoods to big houses near Walnut Grove. This stucco house is here.
1-story exteriors from $1,500, kitchen cabinets from $1,500. See prices
- Free written estimates
- 20+ years in business
- Fully insured
- Crews speak English & Spanish
Before
AfterDario’s Painting paints houses across East Memphis, the part of the city that runs from Highland Street out toward Germantown, and two of the jobs in our before-and-after photos are here: a stucco exterior and a kitchen of cabinets. In its older ZIP codes the typical home went up in the 1950s, so tell Dario the year yours was built: lead, plaster and decades of trim paint all change the prep. Painting needs no permit inside Memphis, and estimate visits are on weekdays from 8:30 to 3:30 and on Saturdays from 7am to 6pm.
East Memphis homes, from the 1950s to Walnut Grove.
- Median year built, ZIP 38117
- 1958
- Of 38117’s homes built in the 1950s
- 55%
- High Point Terrace joins the National Register
- 2002
- From downtown to Highland Street, where it starts
- 6 mi
East Memphis runs east from Highland Street, with I-240 to the south and east and Sam Cooper Boulevard to the north, and many people count everything out to the Germantown line and Cordova. In 1950 the city’s eastern edge was about where East Memphis now begins, and by the mid-1960s Memphis had annexed most of it inside the I-240 loop. Its neighborhoods include Colonial Acres, White Station-Yates, Sherwood Forest, Normal Station, High Point Terrace, Belle Meade, Normandy Meadows, St. Nick, Pleasant Acres, Balmoral and Ridgeway, and some of the largest homes in Memphis are around Walnut Grove.
The Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 estimates show the age of the houses, ZIP code by ZIP code:
| ZIP code | Homes | Median year built | Built before 1980 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38111 | 19,695 | 1956 | 82% |
| 38117 | 12,235 | 1958 | 84% |
| 38120 | 6,507 | 1976 | 57% |
| 38119 | 10,747 | 1979 | 52% |
- Trim and walls in older houses. A house from the 1950s or 1960s often carries decades of paint on the trim, some of it oil-based, which needs the right primer before a water-based paint will stick. Hairline cracks in plaster are repaired before any interior painting.
- Kitchens. Solid wood cabinets that are sound but dated are good candidates for paint, like the East Memphis kitchen in our photos: sanded, primed and sprayed.
- Brick, stucco and big trees. On a brick house the outside job is often the trim, soffits, shutters and doors. Shade keeps siding and trim damp, so mildew is common, and every exterior starts with a wash.
- The 1978 line. Most homes in these ZIP codes were built before 1980, and lead-based paint was banned for home use in 1978. Tell Dario the year your house was built, and ask at the walkthrough how lead-safe work would be handled.
High Point Terrace. North of Walnut Grove and east of Highland, it was finished by 1953, and most of its houses are minimal traditional homes from just after World War II. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2002, with 1,180 contributing buildings over 480 acres.
Before you paint in East Memphis.
Permits. East Memphis is inside the City of Memphis. Building permits come from Memphis and Shelby County Construction Code Enforcement, (901) 222-8300, and the residential code lists painting among the work that needs no permit.
Peeling paint. The city’s property maintenance code says peeling, flaking and chipped paint on exterior surfaces is to be eliminated and the surfaces repainted.
The National Register. Listing places no restrictions on what a private owner does with a house, the National Park Service says, unless federal money is involved, though local rules still apply. If your house is in High Point Terrace, a new color is your call; painting brick that has never been painted is hard to go back from, so talk it through at the visit (see brick painting).
Covenants. If your subdivision has recorded covenants or an association that reviews exterior changes, read them before you choose colors and get any approval in writing. Your written estimate lists every surface and the paint for it, which is the detail a color application usually asks for.
Our jobs in East Memphis.
Before and after photos from Dario’s own jobs here. The stucco house is at the top of this page.
Before
After
Before
AfterMore before-and-after photos are on our work page.
What we paint in East Memphis.
With most houses here built from the 1950s to the 1970s, the work that usually fits is a full repaint with the trim primed right, a kitchen of cabinets, and rotten wood fixed before the paint goes on.
Exterior painting
Brick, stucco and siding, washed for mildew, scraped, primed, two coats.
Learn moreCabinet painting
Solid wood cabinets that are sound but dated, sanded, primed and sprayed.
Learn more
Interior painting
Older rooms: plaster cracks repaired and oil-based trim primed first.
Learn more
Wood rot repair
Rotten fascia, sills and trim on older houses, replaced and painted.
Learn moreAlso in East Memphis: trim, doors and baseboards, brick painting, drywall repair, deck staining, fence staining and pressure washing. See all services.
How an estimate works.
Dario calls you back
Usually within the hour between 7am and 7pm, from (901) 665-2883. If he is up a ladder, he calls the moment he is down.
He walks the job with you
Usually within a few days, on a weekday between 8:30 and 3:30 or a Saturday between 7am and 6pm. He measures, checks the surfaces, and flags anything that costs more later if it is skipped now. Tell him the year the house was built and whether a neighborhood association reviews exterior changes.
You get the price in writing
Surfaces, prep, coats, paint and days, line by line, with a start day and an end day. Free, with no obligation, and yours to keep.
Questions from East Memphis homeowners.
Do you work in East Memphis?
Yes. East Memphis is part of our regular service area, and two of the jobs in our before-and-after photos are here: a stucco exterior and a kitchen of cabinets. The estimate visit is free, and Dario is the one who comes out.
How soon can you start?
Dario calls you back, usually within the hour between 7am and 7pm, and walks the job with you, usually within a few days, on a weekday between 8:30 and 3:30 or a Saturday between 7am and 6pm. The written estimate carries a start day and an end day, and the start day is booked once you approve it. Weather is the only thing that moves an exterior, and if it does, you hear it from us first.
Do I need a permit to paint my house in East Memphis?
No. East Memphis is inside the City of Memphis, and the residential code Memphis and Shelby County share lists painting as work that needs no building permit. For anything you build, call Construction Code Enforcement at (901) 222-8300 first.
My house is in High Point Terrace. Do I need approval to repaint?
Not because of the National Register: the National Park Service says listing places no restrictions on what a private owner does with a house unless federal money is involved. Covenants or other local rules can still apply, so check yours. Painting never-painted brick is hard to undo, so talk it through at the walkthrough.
Can you help with my HOA’s paint approval?
Yes, with what the application asks for. Association forms usually want the paint maker, the color name and number, and which surface gets which color. Your written estimate lists every surface and the paint for it, so it can go in with the form, and Dario’s Painting goes in any contractor box. Get the approval in writing, and book the start day once you have it.
My house was built in the 1950s. Does it have lead paint?
It may. Lead-based paint was banned for home use in 1978, and the EPA says homes built before then are more likely to have it. Tell Dario the year when you call, ask at the walkthrough how lead-safe work would be handled, and get the answer in writing.
Where else we work.
Beyond East Memphis: Germantown, Collierville, Arlington, Lakeland, Bartlett, Cordova, Eads and the rest of Memphis and Shelby County. Each page covers the homes there and what to check before you paint.
- Germantown1970s and 1980s brick homes
- ColliervilleThe Town Square to 1990s and 2000s subdivisions
- ArlingtonMost homes built since 2000
- LakelandGarner Lake and newer subdivisions
- Bartlett1970s to 1990s homes, and Old Bartlett
- Cordova1980s to 2000s subdivisions
- EadsBig homes east of Memphis
- Memphis and Shelby CountyEvery area we paint, on one map
Where the facts come from.
- East Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee (Wikipedia): general boundaries (Highland Street, I-240, Sam Cooper Boulevard); the 1950 city edge and the annexations by the mid-1960s; neighborhoods; the large homes around Walnut Grove
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year, Table B25035: median year structure built, ZIP codes 38111, 38117, 38119 and 38120 (via Census Reporter): 1956, 1958, 1979 and 1976
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year, Table B25034: year structure built, same ZIP codes (via Census Reporter): homes in each ZIP code; 55% of 38117’s homes built in the 1950s; shares built before 1980
- High Point Terrace, Memphis (Wikipedia): completed by 1953; mostly early post-World War II minimal traditional homes; National Register in 2002; 1,180 contributing buildings over 480 acres
- National Park Service, NPGallery: High Point Terrace Historic District (NRHP 02001513): the National Register record
- National Park Service: National Register of Historic Places FAQs: listing places no restrictions on what a non-federal owner may do with their property, unless federal assistance is involved
- Develop901: Construction Enforcement: one office issues construction permits for Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County
- Memphis and Shelby County: 2021 Residential Code with local amendments (joint ordinance, PDF): applies in the City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County; section R105.2 lists painting as work needing no permit
- City of Memphis: International Property Maintenance Code as amended for Memphis (PDF): section 304.2: peeling, flaking and chipped paint shall be eliminated and surfaces repainted
- U.S. EPA: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program for consumers: lead-based paint banned for consumer use in 1978; homes built before 1978 are more likely to have it
Checked October 2026. Prices and product details change; your written estimate has the numbers for your house.
Get a free painting estimate in East Memphis.
Answer a few short questions and Dario calls you back to book the walkthrough, usually within the hour between 7am and 7pm. Or call now and talk to him directly.
Rather pick the time yourself? Book the free estimate visit online (weekdays 8:30 to 3:30, Saturdays 7am to 6pm). dario@dariospainting.com · 7am to 7pm, seven days