Interior & Exterior Painting
The paint is the cheap part. What you are paying for is the preparation underneath it.
The short answer
A paint job fails at the prep, not the paint. Interior: patching, sanding, caulking, priming bare or patched areas, and proper cut lines. Exterior in this climate: pressure washing, letting the substrate actually dry, scraping to sound material, priming bare wood, and caulking every joint before a finish coat goes on. Any painter can roll a wall. The difference in year four is entirely in what happened before the roller.
Interior painting
Most interior repaints in older Puget Sound homes need more patching than the homeowner expects. Settled framing produces nail pops and hairline cracks at corners; previous owners left picture holes and bad patches. We fill, sand, and spot-prime patched areas so they do not flash through the finish coat — a patched wall painted without priming shows every repair in raking light.
What we cover: walls and ceilings, trim, doors and door frames, cabinets and cabinet refinishing, closets, and stairwells. Furniture gets moved and covered, floors get protected, and we clean up at the end of each day rather than at the end of the job.
Exterior painting in a wet climate
Exterior painting here is a seasonal decision. Paint applied to a substrate that has not dried, or applied below the product’s minimum temperature, fails early regardless of how much the paint cost. The realistic window in the Puget Sound runs roughly late spring through early autumn, and we schedule around it rather than pretending otherwise.
Our exterior sequence: wash and let dry properly, scrape and sand to sound material, treat and prime bare wood, replace anything genuinely rotten, caulk joints and penetrations, then finish coats. Skipping the drying time is the single most common reason an exterior repaint peels within a few winters.
Cabinet painting and refinishing
Refinishing existing cabinets is a genuine alternative to replacing them when the boxes are sound and the layout works. It is also easy to do badly. Doors and drawer fronts come off and get sprayed rather than brushed, hardware comes off rather than being taped around, and the degreasing and de-glossing step is not optional in a kitchen. Done properly it looks like new cabinetry; done quickly it looks like painted cabinets within a year.
What good prep actually includes
- Filling nail pops, cracks and holes, then sanding flat — not just filling
- Caulking gaps at trim, corners and penetrations
- Spot-priming all patches and any bare substrate
- De-glossing previously enamelled surfaces so the new coat bonds
- Masking and protecting floors, fixtures and furniture properly
- Cutting clean lines by hand rather than relying on tape alone
Painting across the Puget Sound
Interior painting and exterior painting in Renton, Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Everett, Tacoma and every city on our service areas page.
Questions we get
How much does interior painting cost?
It scales with prep more than with square footage. A newer home with sound walls prices predictably; an older home needing extensive patching, caulking and priming takes considerably longer. Free written estimate after we look.
When can exterior painting be done in the Puget Sound?
Realistically late spring through early autumn. The substrate has to be dry and the temperature has to be within the product's range. We will not paint an exterior in conditions that guarantee early failure, even if you ask.
Is painting cabinets worth it instead of replacing them?
When the boxes are sound and the layout works, frequently yes. The work is in the preparation — degreasing, de-glossing, removing doors and hardware, spraying rather than brushing. Done properly it lasts; done quickly it does not.
Do you move furniture and protect floors?
Yes. Furniture is moved and covered, floors are protected, and the site gets cleaned at the end of each day rather than at the end of the job.
What paint do you use?
Whatever suits the surface and exposure, and we will tell you why. Bathrooms and kitchens want a washable finish; exteriors in this climate want a product rated for it. We are not tied to one brand.
Want a number on this?
Free walkthrough, free written estimate, and an honest read on what is worth doing.