PAINTING
QUESTIONS Plain answers before you book

Every quote is itemized and in writing. It names the rooms or sides of the house we will paint, the surfaces in each one (walls, ceilings, trim, doors), the preparation and repairs we plan, the number of coats and the type of product for each surface. Extra work such as wallpaper removal or larger patches sits on its own line, so you can keep it or drop it. If you change your mind about a room, we revise the quote in writing rather than guessing on the day.

Yes. The painting cost calculator gives a ballpark range for an interior repaint once you pick room sizes, ceiling height, trim and the condition of the walls. Treat that range as a planning figure. The real number depends on things a form cannot see: the state of the plaster, how much furniture has to move, access on stairs and the paint line you choose. Your itemized quote replaces the estimate once we have seen the space or your photos.

A short list helps us price accurately: which rooms or parts of the exterior you want painted, what each one includes (walls only, or ceilings, trim and doors as well), any damage you already know about, and roughly when you would like the work done. Photos taken in daylight from the corner of each room show the walls, the ceiling line and the trim in one shot. If you have chosen colours, send their names; if not, we can settle them at the visit.

Reply to the quote by email or phone and we settle on a start date to suit your plans. You know who is coming to paint your home before work starts. Colours and sheens are confirmed in writing beforehand, which means the first morning goes into prep rather than decisions. If you need to move the date, let us know as early as you can and we will rearrange it with you.

We paint across the City of Toronto and the wider GTA, including Peel, York, Halton and Durham regions. That takes in places like Mississauga and Brampton to the west, Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill to the north, Oakville and Burlington along the lake, and Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa to the east. We are based downtown, in Suite 1400 at 18 King St E. If you are near the edge of that area, ask anyway and we will tell you plainly whether we can take the job.

The phones are staffed seven days a week, 7 am through 11 pm. Calls to (416) 710-4224 are answered in those hours, and emails to [email protected] or form messages that arrive outside them are read when the office next opens. Please include your address or nearest intersection and a phone number, so we can reply properly. For commercial work that has to happen after hours, mention it in your first message and we will plan around evenings or weekends from the start.

A small chip under store lighting rarely looks the same across a large wall at home. North-facing rooms pull colours cooler, south-facing rooms warm them up, and floors, cabinets and furniture throw their own tones onto the walls. A swatch painted on the wall and checked in morning and evening light shows the true colour. When a room has very different light from one side to the other, we paint samples on more than one wall.

Sheen decides how much light a surface reflects and how easily it can be wiped. Flat or matte hides small flaws and suits ceilings and quiet rooms. Eggshell has a soft glow and washes better, so it works for living areas and bedrooms. Satin stands up to kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and children's rooms. Semi-gloss is the usual choice for trim, doors and cabinets because it resists scuffs and cleans easily. We recommend a sheen for each surface in the quote.

VOCs are volatile organic compounds, the solvents that give fresh paint its sharp smell. Zero‑VOC and low-odour paints contain very little of them, so there is far less odour in the house during and after painting. They suit bedrooms, nurseries, home offices and condos with shared ventilation. Mention it when you ask for a quote and we will specify them for the rooms you choose, or for the whole house if you prefer.

One coat seldom gives even colour and the full film thickness a paint is designed for, especially over a different colour or patched areas. We apply at least two finish coats, after primer where it is needed, so the colour is uniform and the sheen consistent across the wall. Big colour changes, such as going from a deep red to white, or strong accent colours, can need a third coat; when that is likely, the quote says so in advance.

We normally supply the paint and sundries, matched to each surface: wall paint, ceiling paint, trim enamel, primers and exterior coatings. That way we know exactly what is going on the wall and how it behaves. If you already have paint, or a colour you bought for a particular room, tell us at the quote stage. We check that the product suits the surface and that there is enough of it, and adjust the quote to match.

We leave leftover paint with you, labelled with the room, colour and sheen, so future touch-ups match. Store the cans indoors, sealed tight and off cold concrete, where they cannot freeze. If you would rather not keep partial cans, say so and we take them away for proper disposal. A written note of the colour names, sheens and product types used in each room is also worth keeping with your house papers.

Outside work runs from late spring into early fall, when days are dry and nights stay mild. Paint needs the air and the surface to sit above the minimum temperature printed on the label, both while it goes on and while it dries overnight. Sunny stretches in early spring or late fall can work, but short days and cold nights narrow the window. Asking for a quote early in the year gives you the widest choice of start dates.

We watch the forecast for the days ahead. Paint should not go onto wet surfaces or meet rain before it has set, so when rain is coming we stop outside work, protect anything freshly painted and pick up again once surfaces have dried. Sometimes we can move to sheltered areas such as a covered porch in the meantime. Weather delays push the schedule back; we keep you informed and agree the new dates with you.

Yes, with care. Brick and mortar need to breathe, so we use masonry primers and breathable coatings made for them, never ordinary wall paint. The brick is washed first, loose mortar and white salt deposits are dealt with, and cracks are repaired. Painting brick is a commitment, since stripping paint later is difficult, so we talk the choice through before quoting. Limewash and mineral stains are alternatives that keep more of the brick's texture.

Washing comes first, to lift dirt, mildew and chalky residue. Then we scrape and sand loose or peeling paint, set popped nails, replace failed caulking around windows and trim, fill gaps and spot-prime bare wood and metal. We show you any rotten wood before painting, because paint cannot fix it; we can replace small pieces, or you can bring in a carpenter. On most houses, prep is the larger share of the exterior work.

Yes. A front door takes more sun, rain and handling than any other painted surface on a house. We remove or mask the hardware, strip or sand the old finish, repair dents and cracks, then prime and paint or stain the door and its frame. The door usually stays on its hinges, and we plan each day so it closes and locks before we leave. There is more on front door refinishing.

Yes. Decks and fences are washed, old flaking stain is removed or sanded off, and the wood is left to dry out before staining. You choose between clear, semi-transparent and solid stains: the more pigment a stain has, the more it hides the grain and the more it shields the wood from sun. Deck boards take foot traffic and standing water, so they need recoating more often than fence boards. See deck and fence staining.