Painting (Interior and Exterior)

Painting is half prep, half application. We move furniture, mask off trim and floors, fill nail holes, sand rough spots, and prime any bare wood or patched drywall before we roll the first coat. If you skip the prep, the paint shows every flaw. We don't skip the prep.

Interior painting starts with choosing the right paint. Flat or matte for ceilings, eggshell or satin for walls, semi-gloss for trim and doors. Bathrooms and kitchens get satin or semi-gloss so you can wipe them down. We use Sherwin-Williams Duration or Emerald for most interior work — it covers well, levels nicely, and holds up to cleaning. Cheaper paint takes more coats and doesn't last.

“Cheaper paint takes more coats and doesn't last. We use Sherwin-Williams Duration or Emerald for most interior work — it covers well, levels nicely, and holds up to cleaning.”

Color matching is straightforward if you have a sample or a paint code. If you're matching existing paint that's faded or dirty, we cut a sample from behind a switch plate and take it to the paint store. The match will be close, but not perfect — faded paint is lighter and duller than fresh paint. If you're repainting one wall, expect to see a difference. If that bothers you, repaint the whole room.

Exterior painting in Florida means dealing with sun, humidity, and afternoon thunderstorms. We don't paint if rain is in the forecast or if it's above 90 degrees — the paint won't cure right. We pressure wash first, scrape any loose paint, prime bare wood, caulk gaps, and then apply two coats. Exterior paint needs to breathe, so we use acrylic latex, not oil-based. Oil-based paint traps moisture and peels.

Wood siding, Hardie board, and stucco all take paint differently. Wood soaks it up and needs a good primer. Hardie board is pre-primed but still needs two finish coats. Stucco is porous and drinks paint — it takes more gallons per square foot than siding. We'll give you a material estimate once we see the house.

Deck and fence staining is separate from house painting but uses the same prep approach — pressure wash, scrape loose material, let it dry for 48 hours, then stain. We use semi-transparent stain on most decks because it lets the grain show and holds up better than solid stain in Florida sun.