Why a Simple Paint Job Rarely Is

Most calls begin the same way. A homeowner has one room, one ceiling or a set of kitchen cabinets, and wants it painted. It sounds like a weekend of work. Then we look closely, and the job has layers: a crack across a wall, a stain on the ceiling, forty years of wallpaper paste. A good painter spends more time on those layers than on the color, because the finish only looks as good as the surface under it. This is the part of the work nobody sees when it's done, and it's the part that decides how long the paint lasts.

Patching and sanding come first

Every interior repaint starts with prep: patching nail holes and dents, sanding the patches level, and smoothing rough spots. Skip it, and fresh paint highlights every flaw, especially in side light from a window. On our Interior House Repaint jobs, that prep is part of the written estimate, along with protecting windows, skylights and floors.

Plaster and drywall need real repair

Cracks that return, water stains and old patches that have started to show all need repair, not just paint. We've repaired plaster in churches with vaulted ceilings, and we've fixed drywall in private homes. Having one contractor do the repair and the painting also means no gap between the two trades, and nobody to blame if a patch shows through.

Textured ceilings have a decision built in

A textured ceiling can be scraped and repainted, or covered with new drywall. Which is right depends on the condition of the ceiling and what you want the room to look like. If your home was built before 1980, we advise testing a textured ceiling for asbestos before anyone scrapes it. Test first, then decide. Our Textured Ceilings page walks through both routes.

Cabinet doors belong in the shop

Kitchen cabinets look like the easiest project in the house, until you consider the mess and the finish. Our Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing takes the doors to our own shop, where they're sprayed in a custom spray booth. That keeps overspray and fumes out of your kitchen, and a sprayed finish goes on far more evenly than brushing in a cramped room. You can choose any color you like. The page mentions blush pink, black and bright navy as examples.

Wallpaper comes off in layers

Removing wallpaper means getting the paper off, dissolving the adhesive and cleaning the wall before anything is primed. Rushing that leaves residue that shows through new paint. Ray Sola has handled wallpaper installation and removal throughout his career, and our Wall Coverings & Wallpaper Removal page covers it all: wallpaper, grass cloth, murals (even from your own photos), accent walls and whole ceilings.

Older homes add one more question

If the house was built before 1978, scraping and sanding can disturb lead paint. Every painter on our crew is lead-safe certified, so that prep is done the lead-safe way. It's another reason a simple repaint can turn out to have more steps than you expected. We'd rather tell you that during the estimate than surprise you halfway through the week. If anything unexpected does come up once work is underway, we keep you informed.

When a small job fits Paint Crew for a Day

Not every small job is secretly large. For the ones that really are small, we offer Paint Crew for a Day. You supply the primer and paint, and we supply the labor and tools. You get a written estimate covering time and materials. These jobs are scheduled when the crew's calendar opens up, often on rainy days, so there's some flexibility on both sides. It suits jobs like a single room, a hallway or a set of doors, where the plan is clear and you're happy to buy the paint yourself. If the walk-through shows the job needs patching or repair first, we'll tell you.

Start with a look

If you're not sure which kind of job you have, ask us to look. Estimates are free and come with no obligation, and we put what we find in writing so you can see exactly what the job includes. Reach us through the Contact Us page or at (203) 234-9542.