The Prep Is the Paint Job
Interior and exterior painting where most of the labor happens before a finish coat is opened. Wash, scrape, sand, fill, caulk, prime - then two coats. Paint that fails in two years failed at the prep stage, not at the can.
What's included
Painting is the easiest trade to underquote, because the corners you cut are invisible on the day and obvious in year two. Here's our standard, and it's the same on every job.
Protection first
Floors, furniture, fixtures and landscaping covered before anything opens. Anything that can't be moved gets masked, and we don't paint around your things.
Wash and degloss
Exteriors get washed and left to dry properly. Interior kitchens and baths get degreased. Paint over chalk, dirt or grease is a coating that is already peeling, it just doesn't know it yet.
Exteriors dried, not rushedScrape and sand
Loose and failing paint scraped back to sound material, edges feathered so the repair doesn't telegraph through the finish. Glossy surfaces scuffed so the new coat has something to grip.
Fill and repair
Nail holes, dents, small drywall damage and minor rot repair filled, sanded flush and spot-primed. Anything structural we flag to you before we paint over it.
Caulk
Trim, casing, baseboard and exterior joints caulked with a quality paintable sealant. On exteriors this is what keeps water out of the substrate, so it's a weatherproofing step, not a cosmetic one.
Weatherproofing, not cosmeticPrime properly
Bare wood, patches, stains and any dramatic color change get primed. Stain-blocking primer where tannin or water staining would otherwise bleed through two finish coats.
Two finish coats
Two full coats of Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore, brushed and rolled or sprayed and back-rolled. One heavy coat is not two coats and it never covers the same.
Always twoClean site, daily
Site cleaned every evening, not just at the end. Hardware reinstalled, edges cut clean, and we walk the job with you under daylight before we call it finished.
Interior, exterior and what it costs
Painting is quoted by measured surface, not by room count, because a room with fifteen feet of trim and one with eighty are not the same job. Here's the realistic Maryland picture.
| Scope | Typical range | Coats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior, whole house | $3.00-$6.50 / sq ft of floor area | 2 | Walls, ceilings, trim and doors. High ceilings, heavy trim packages and dark-to-light color changes push toward the top. |
| Interior, walls only | $1.80-$3.50 / sq ft of floor area | 2 | The most common request and the fastest turnaround. Usually two to four days for an average house. |
| Trim, doors and casing | $3-$8 / linear ft | 2 | Labor-heavy and the most visible work in the house. This is where a cheap crew shows itself immediately. |
| Cabinet refinishing | $85-$180 / door and drawer front | 2-3 | Degrease, sand, bonding primer, sprayed finish. Done properly it's a fraction of new cabinets; done cheaply it peels off the doors within a year. |
| Exterior, siding and trim | $3.50-$8.00 / sq ft of wall area | 2 | Includes wash, scrape, sand, caulk and spot-prime. Two stories, heavy prep and failing existing paint move it up. |
| Exterior, trim and shutters only | $1,500-$4,500 total | 2 | A good refresh when the field siding is still sound. Highest visual return for the money on most houses. |
Ranges are Maryland pricing for July 2026 assuming ordinary condition and access. Lead-safe work on pre-1978 homes, extensive rot repair, wallpaper removal or heavy staging are quoted separately and shown as their own lines on your proposal.
Why the cheap paint quote is always cheaper
A painting bid can be cut nearly in half without changing a word of the description. Here's exactly where that money comes from.
What a cheap bid leaves out
- One coat, described as two on the invoice
- Paint thinned to stretch the gallons
- No caulk, or caulk over failing caulk
- Bare wood and patches never primed
- Exterior washed and painted the same day, over damp siding
- Sprayed with no back-rolling, so the film never bonds
- Painting over rot instead of flagging it
- Hardware and switch plates painted rather than removed
What is in ours
- Two full coats, at the manufacturer's spread rate
- Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore, unthinned
- Failed caulk cut out and replaced before new is applied
- Every patch and bare spot spot-primed, stain-blocked where needed
- Exterior washed, then given proper dry time before coating
- Sprayed and back-rolled or brushed and rolled
- Rot and moisture problems shown to you before we paint
- Hardware and plates removed, then reinstalled
How it goes
Straightforward on a one-room job and on a whole exterior. The order never changes.
Free walkthrough and measure
We measure the actual surfaces, look at the condition of the existing coating, and flag anything - rot, moisture, failing caulk - that needs handling before paint.
Color and sheen
We'll bring samples and, on anything you're unsure about, put test patches on your wall so you see the color in your own light rather than under a store fixture.
Fixed written quote
Measured surfaces, product and sheen by area, coat count, and prep spelled out. Prep is described in detail on purpose, because that's the part that's easy to hide.
Protect and prep
Cover, mask, wash, scrape, sand, fill, caulk, prime. On most jobs this is more than half the total hours on site.
Two finish coats
Applied at the manufacturer's spread rate, cut clean at every edge, with proper recoat time between coats rather than a rushed second pass.
Daylight walkthrough
We walk it with you in daylight, not under work lights. Anything you point out gets fixed before the crew loads out, and the 10-year workmanship warranty is in writing.
Interior repaints commonly run $2,500 to $9,000 depending on how much of the house and whether trim is included. Full exteriors typically land $5,000 to $16,000, driven mostly by how much prep the existing paint needs.
Your quote is a fixed written price, not an hourly estimate. It does not move unless you change the scope in writing.
What moves the number
Condition, not size
A sound surface just needs coating. Heavy scraping, failing caulk and bare wood can double the labor on the identical square footage.
Trim quantity
Crown, chair rail, wainscot, six-panel doors and window casing are all cut-in by hand. Trim is where interior painting hours actually go.
Color change
Dark to light, or a strong color anywhere, may need a primer coat plus two finish coats. Staying in the same family is genuinely cheaper.
Access
Two-story exterior walls, steep grade around the house, and anything needing staging rather than ladders all add real hours.
Where we work
We paint houses across central Maryland. We keep the radius tight on purpose - a crew that can get back to you in a day is worth more than a company that covers the whole state and takes three weeks to return a warranty call.
Carroll County
Westminster · Eldersburg · Sykesville · Mount Airy · Hampstead · Manchester · Finksburg
Howard County
Ellicott City · Columbia · Clarksville · Fulton · Marriottsville · Glenelg
Baltimore County
Owings Mills · Reisterstown · Towson · Cockeysville · Pikesville · Catonsville
Montgomery County
Damascus · Clarksburg · Germantown · Gaithersburg · Rockville · Olney
Frederick County
Frederick · Urbana · New Market · Ijamsville · Mount Airy
Anne Arundel County
Severna Park · Crofton · Gambrills · Millersville · Arnold · Annapolis
The warranty, and what it actually means
Ten years on our workmanship, in writing, on every job. Not a marketing line - a document you keep.
Ten years, in writing
You get the warranty on paper at the final walkthrough, with the scope it covers spelled out. No verbal promises, nothing that expires when a salesman leaves.
It is why we take whole jobs
A warranty only means something when one company controlled the whole assembly. If half the work was somebody else's, nobody can honestly stand behind the result - so we don't split scopes.
The reserve is inside the price
Money for warranty callbacks is built into every quote before you see it. A contractor priced so thin that a callback hurts is a contractor who will argue with you in year three.
Manufacturer coverage on top
Materials carry their own manufacturer warranty, and we register it in your name where the manufacturer requires it. Two separate protections, not one.
Licensed and insured
MHIC #108556, general liability and workers' comp current. Certificates go to you before we start, not after you ask.
Financing if you want it
Approved financing is available through our lending partners, including options for credit in the 550+ range. Ask and we'll send the link - checking your rate doesn't affect your score.
Ask about monthly plansQuestions we get asked
How long does an interior repaint take?
Walls only in an average house is typically two to four days. Add trim, doors and ceilings and it's four to seven. We give you a day count on the quote, not a vague window.
What paint do you use?
Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore as standard, in the line that suits the surface. If you want a specific product we'll use it, and if it's a poor fit for that surface we'll say so first.
Can you paint my kitchen cabinets?
Yes, and done correctly it's a fraction of new cabinets. It means degreasing, sanding, a bonding primer and a sprayed finish. Cabinet painting done cheaply is the fastest-failing work in the trade, so if the budget doesn't allow the full process we'd rather not do it at all.
What is the best time of year for exterior painting?
Spring through fall in Maryland. Modern acrylics tolerate lower temperatures than they used to, but the surface still has to be genuinely dry and the overnight temperature has to stay above the product's minimum. We won't coat a wall that's about to be rained on.
Do you repair rot before painting?
We identify it and quote it. Minor wood filler repairs are usually included; replacing rotted trim, sills or siding is its own line item. Painting over rot hides it for one season and costs you more the next.
What about lead paint?
Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint and are handled under EPA RRP requirements, which changes containment and cleanup. It affects the price and we'll tell you that up front rather than quietly working around it.
Do I need to move my furniture?
Small items and anything breakable, yes - that's better handled by you. Larger furniture we move to the center and cover. Nothing gets painted around.
What does the 10-year warranty cover on paint?
Our workmanship: peeling, blistering or coating failure traceable to how it was prepared and applied. Normal fading, and damage from a moisture problem in the house we told you about, aren't workmanship.
Get Your Free Painting Estimate
Free on-site consultation · fixed written proposal · no pressure and no sales visit that turns into two hours.
Prefer to talk? Call or text (443) 540-7985