Two kinds of Cross Plains houses, and the creek that runs past both
A creek-valley village west of Middleton, with an old core and newer streets around it. What each kind of house needs, and what the creek asks of cleanup.
Cross Plains sits in the valley of Black Earth Creek, on U.S. 14 west of Middleton, and it has two kinds of houses: older ones from the long stretch when it was a very small village, and newer streets built as it grew from 464 people in 1950 to 4,104 in 2020.
About 14% of the village's homes were built before 1940 and about 33% in 2000 or later. Put one house from each end of that range side by side and the same can of paint would go over very different surfaces: decades of hand-brushed coats on one, builder flat paint on the other. The trout stream running past both adds a few habits of its own to any outdoor work.
What we do in Cross Plains
Refinishing vanities and built-ins in Cross Plains homes
Not every cabinet is in a kitchen. This page is about bathroom vanities, fireplace bookcases and window-seat cupboards, the pieces older houses here tend to have: how a vanity wears from water, how built-ins are refinished in place, and how one small piece gets quoted by itself.
Choosing interior paint colors for a Cross Plains home
A page about color before paint: testing samples on your own walls, how north and south light pull a color, carrying color through a house of separate rooms or a newer open plan, picking a trim white, and what to decide before George writes the estimate.
Deck staining in Cross Plains with Black Earth Creek in mind
Deck work with a trout stream downhill. It covers where deck wash water should go, what to do with leftover stain, why oily rags need care, fall staining with cold nights and morning dew, and the doors, garage doors and trim we also paint.
Cross Plains homes at a glance
| Homes counted | 1,664 |
|---|---|
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 44% |
| Built 1980 to 1999 | 23% |
| Built 2000 or later | 33% |
| Owner occupied | 69% |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
A Tennessee name in a Wisconsin creek valley
A settler named Cross Plains after his old home, Cross Plains, Tennessee, and the village incorporated in 1920. It lies on U.S. 14 between Black Earth and Middleton, and part of it sits within the Town of Cross Plains, a much larger civil town that shares the name but is a separate government.
The Wisconsin DNR describes Black Earth Creek as a high-quality trout stream running through a wide, green agricultural valley, fed by springs, among them a big one just upstream of the village. Cross Plains State Park nearby protects glacial landforms, including a gorge cut by meltwater, with views across both driftless and glaciated country.
From 464 residents to 4,104
For its first decades the village stayed small. The Census counted 302 people in 1930 and 464 in 1950, then 1,066 in 1960, more than doubling in a single decade, and 2,156 in 1980. After holding steady through the 1980s, it climbed again, to 3,084 in 2000 and 4,104 in 2020.
The housing carries both chapters. About 44% of homes predate 1980, about 23% went up between 1980 and 1999 and about 33% in 2000 or later, and the median year is 1986. Roughly 69% are owner occupied and 65% are single-family houses. With only about 1,664 homes in the village, these are survey estimates, so read them as a sketch rather than a count.
Old village woodwork, new-street walls: what comes first
In the older part of the village, the woodwork usually leads. Door casings, window sills and entry doors may carry many coats, some of them oil-based, and loose paint has to come off and bare wood be primed before a fresh coat will hold. Gaps open where old baseboards meet the wall, and our post on caulking baseboards shows how a bead of caulk closes them before painting.
Older houses are also where built-ins turn up, from bookcases beside a fireplace to cupboards under a window seat, and those have their own vanities and built-ins page.
On the newer streets, the walls usually come first. Builder flat paint marks easily and doesn't stand up to scrubbing, so halls, stairways and kids' rooms tend to be repainted early, often in a sheen that washes. The color page for Cross Plains helps with choosing what goes on them. The deck is the other early item, since a first coat of stain wears through soonest on the steps and on boards in full sun.
A house with an older front and a newer addition gets both approaches, room by room. Some of this list makes a good weekend project for a handy owner and some doesn't; our comparison of doing it yourself and hiring a painter helps sort which is which. The main interior painting page covers how rooms are protected and prepped.
Damp yards and outdoor wood along the creek
A valley with a spring-fed creek has its share of low ground, and a deck in a low or shaded spot stays wet long after rain and dew. The Forest Products Laboratory notes that mildew is most common where wood is shaded, moist or sheltered, so those decks need a thorough cleaning and a dry stretch before any stain goes on.
Gray, weathered boards aren't a lost cause. Once the dirt and mildew are off and the wood has dried, a fresh coat of stain brings the color back. The doors and trim on the same shady side of the house are worth a look while you're at it, because they dry slowly too.
We stain and refinish decks and paint exterior doors, garage doors, entryways and trim, all scheduled around dry weather; siding isn't something we paint. The Black Earth Creek deck page explains how a job here can end without sending anything toward the stream, and you can ask for a free estimate whenever your list is ready.
Common questions
Do you work in the village of Cross Plains, the town, or both?
We work in the village. The Town of Cross Plains is a separate and much larger civil town around it, so if your address is in the town rather than the village, mention that when you call and we'll let you know. Part of the village itself lies inside the town's boundaries, which is why the two names get mixed up so often.
Is cleanup different this close to Black Earth Creek?
Yes, a little, because the DNR names stormwater runoff from the village as a threat to the creek. Deck rinse water should soak into the lawn instead of running to the street, painting tools shouldn't be rinsed at the curb, and leftover stain belongs at Dane County Clean Sweep, never in a ditch or a storm drain.
Does an older village house need different prep from a newer one?
Yes, mostly on the trim and doors. An older house can carry many layers, sometimes oil-based, that need scraping, sanding and a bonding primer. A newer one mostly needs cleaning, small hole repairs and a washable sheen in place of its builder flat paint.
When is a good time to plan an outdoor project here?
Over the winter or early spring, so it's on the calendar, and then the weather picks the days. The UW-Madison Weather Guys put Madison's median last freeze on May 2 and its average first fall freeze, at the airport, around October 1, but the real tests are dry boards and the temperature range on the stain's label. Low, shaded yards in the valley can hold dew into late morning.
How long do projects usually take?
Most kitchens take one to two weeks, and most rooms one to two days. Decks, doors and garage doors usually need one to three days, though outdoor work waits for dry weather, so its start can move. If you're tempted to do a room yourself, our walkthrough of painting a room shows where the hours go.
Other towns we serve
Helpful guides
Sources
- American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau, via Census Reporter
- Cross Plains, Wisconsin, Wikipedia
- Cross Plains (town), Wisconsin, Wikipedia
- U.S. Route 14 in Wisconsin, Wikipedia
- Black Earth Creek Fishery Area, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Black Earth Creek, Black Earth Creek Watershed, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Cross Plains State Park, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
- Finishing of Wood (Wood Handbook, chapter 15), USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory
- Report Pollution Entering Storm Drains or Waterways, Dane County Land and Water Resources Department
- Dane County Clean Sweep, Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables
- When is the last frost?, The Weather Guys, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- When does the first freeze occur in fall?, The Weather Guys, University of Wisconsin-Madison