Common questions. Straight answers.
Most of what homeowners ask before they hire us. Don't see your question? Call us at the number in the header.
What does painting cost and how do you quote?
How much does interior painting cost in San Diego?
A single room runs $650–$1,400 depending on wall height, trim detail, and prep needed. A full-interior 3-bedroom repaint usually lands $3,800–$6,500 with two coats on walls, ceilings, and trim. We walk the home, measure, and give a written flat-rate quote — no square-foot estimating games.
How much does exterior painting cost?
Single-story stucco homes start around $4,800. Two-story from $7,500. Elastomeric premium adds about $1,000 for crack-prone stucco. Pressure wash, crack repair, caulk, prime, and two coats included.
How do you quote — square foot or flat rate?
Flat rate, always. Square-foot quotes hide scope and lead to surprise line items. We walk the home in person, measure walls, count doors and windows, assess prep work, and give you a written scope with a fixed price.
Is the in-home estimate really free?
Yes. No trip fee, no deposit to book the estimate. We come out, walk the space, measure, and follow up with a written quote within 24–48 hours. Color consultation is a separate $195 service if you want it and gets credited back if you book the paint job.
What paint do you use and how long does it last?
What paint brands do you use?
Sherwin-Williams Emerald, SuperPaint, and Pro Classic are our workhorse interiors. Benjamin Moore Regal, Aura, and Advance on request. Exterior acrylics from Sherwin-Williams (Emerald Exterior) or elastomeric from Sherwin Loxon XP when the stucco needs it. All low-VOC. We do not cut to builder-grade paint on customer jobs.
How long will interior paint last?
Premium low-VOC paint on properly-prepped walls lasts 8–12 years before it looks tired. Kitchens and baths shorter — cooking splatter and steam are rough on paint. Trim in high-traffic zones (doorways, kick areas) shows wear first but wipes clean with a damp cloth.
How long will exterior paint last?
Properly prepped and painted with premium acrylic, 8–12 years on most walls. South and west exposures closer to 6–8. Elastomeric coatings on stucco push that to 10–15 because they bridge cracks and flex with the wall. Cheap paint over dirty walls fails in 3–5, regardless of brand claims.
Can you color-match an existing wall?
Usually yes. We chip a small sample at an outlet or behind a cabinet, run it through the Sherwin-Williams color reader, and match within a few percentage points. Faded sun-wall paint is harder — the original formula and the wall are now two different colors.
Do you handle HOA-approved color palettes?
Yes. Send us your HOA palette letter or the community approved-color list. We coordinate the paint order through Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore, document the formula, and prep whatever submittal the HOA needs for board approval.
What about the prep — sanding, patching, caulking?
Do you move furniture?
We move anything two people can lift. You take down wall art, family photos, and fragile items before we start. Bigger furniture gets pulled to the center and covered in plastic. We put everything back before leaving.
Do you patch drywall as part of the paint job?
Nail holes, small dings, and light caulk cracks are included in every paint job. Larger patches (doorknob holes, TV-mount holes, water damage) are billed as drywall repair on top of the paint scope — we quote both together up front.
What about old oil-based trim paint?
Oil-based trim has to be scuff-sanded, degreased, and primed with an adhesion bonder (Stix or SuperGrip) before waterborne goes on top. Skip the bonder and the new paint peels within a year. We always include the bonder step when converting.
Do you caulk and seal before painting?
Yes. Re-caulking open seams — trim corners, baseboards, window casings — is part of every interior paint job. Paintable acrylic caulk, smoothed in wet, then painted over so it disappears. Exteriors get caulk on all trim seams, window flashings, and stucco-to-wood transitions before primer.
How fast, how clean, how disruptive?
How long will the job take?
Single room: 1–2 days. Full interior 3-bedroom: 3–5 days. Exterior single-story: 3–5 days. Exterior two-story: 5–7 days. Cabinet refinishing: 5–7 days with doors off-site. We give a written schedule before start and call if anything needs to shift.
Can I stay in the house during painting?
Yes. Low-VOC paint is safe to be around. We work one room or zone at a time and seal with plastic if needed. Bedrooms and nurseries often get done last so dry-time doesn't overlap with sleep.
How do you protect floors and furniture?
Canvas drop cloths on floors at every room. Plastic sheeting over furniture moved to the center. Tape and paper on countertops, built-ins, and anything we can't move. Floors vacuumed or swept daily before we leave.
What about fumes and smell?
Low-VOC latex is nearly odorless — most people don't notice it beyond the day of application. Oil-based bonding primer for old trim conversion smells for about 4 hours after it goes on; we ventilate and seal off rooms not being worked.
Cabinets, commercial, HOA, and specialty work
Do you paint kitchen cabinets?
Yes — a major part of what we do. Doors and drawers come off and go to a dust-free booth to spray. Boxes get painted in place with floor-to-ceiling masking. 5–7 days total. See our cabinet painting page for full scope.
Do you do commercial painting?
Yes. Offices, retail, restaurants, HOAs, and light industrial. Scheduled around your hours — nights, weekends, and overnight for retail and restaurant work. Full COIs, W-9s, and lien waivers on file before mobilizing.
Do you handle HOA and multi-building projects?
Yes. Phased scheduling by building or block, neutral colors matched to HOA palettes, tenant communication via door-hangers 72 hours before any work. We prepare color samples and scope letters for board approval.
What about lead paint in older homes?
Homes built before 1978 are tested before we scrape or sand anything exterior. If lead's present, we follow EPA RRP containment: poly drop cloths, HEPA vacuum, and waste disposal. Test and cert add a day and some cost but they're not optional under federal law.
Do you do popcorn ceiling removal?
Yes. Pre-1979 homes get the ceiling tested for asbestos before any scraping. If it tests clean, we wet-scrape, skim-coat smooth, prime, and paint. See the popcorn ceiling page for the full process.
Ready for a painter who actually answers the phone?
Free in-home estimate, flat-rate written quote, clean crew. Most jobs scheduled within 1–2 weeks.