Interior painting
Walls and ceilings, plus the trim, doors, and millwork that take the most wear. Different rooms call for different sheens, from flat on a ceiling to a durable semi-gloss on baseboards and casings.
// Painting
Paint your home with a painter you choose.
A room, a whole interior, or the outside of the house starts the same way: you pick your own licensed, insured, vetted painting contractor, and your request goes to that one. Free for homeowners.
Every contractor here is licensed, insured, and vetted before they're listed. You pick the one you want, and your request goes to that one.
Vetted Pros Only
What painting covers
Most painting work falls into a few groups. A good painter does more than roll on color; the prep and the finish are what make it last.
Exterior painting
Siding and trim across wood, fiber-cement, vinyl, stucco, brick, and masonry. Exterior coatings protect the home from weather, moisture, and sun, so the right product matters as much as the color.
Cabinet painting and refinishing
Repainting kitchen or bath cabinets to a factory-grade finish. It is a way to update a kitchen without a full remodel, and it is precise work: de-glossing, priming, and a durable topcoat.
Deck and fence staining
Stain that shields outdoor wood from graying, water, and rot. It is preservation as much as appearance.
Specialty and decorative finishes
Faux finishes, textures, metallics, and murals, where the result is the craft rather than a single flat color.
Prep and repair
Drywall finishing, wallpaper removal, pressure washing, patching, and sanding. This is the part that makes a paint job hold up, and it is where the real labor lives.
// Painting work by vetted pros
When people hire a painter, and what they ask first
People call a painter for plain reasons: refreshing a room that has worn out, prepping a home to sell, fixing siding that has started to fade or peel, or finishing the painting after a remodel. Whatever starts it, a few questions tend to come up first:
Question 01
What prep work is actually included, and are they priming?
Prep is most of the job, so it should be spelled out: washing, scraping, patching, sanding, and priming where it is needed. A painter who paints over dirty or peeling surfaces to save time is cutting the part that makes it last.
Question 02
How many coats, and will the color hide what is under it?
Two coats are usually what a durable, even finish takes, even with a premium paint. One coat tends to leave thin spots and uneven sheen.
Question 03
My home is older. What should the painter do differently?
Homes built before 1978 can have lead paint, and disturbing it has to be done by a contractor certified for lead-safe work. That is a federal rule, not a formality.
Question 04
What about the furniture, and protecting the rest of the house?
A straight answer about who moves furniture, how surfaces get masked and covered, and how dust is contained tells you how the crew works before they ever start.
A vetted painting contractor should have a clear answer to each. The vetting here checks the license, insurance, and standing up front, so the contractors you are choosing from can already speak to these.
What affects the cost
Two paint jobs of the same size can land at very different numbers, and a few things explain most of the gap. The biggest surprise for most homeowners is that the paint itself is cheap; the labor is what you are paying for. On a typical job, materials run a small share of the price and the work of prepping, masking, priming, and applying is the rest. That is why a quote where the paint makes up a large part of the total is a warning sign, not a deal.
What moves the labor is the condition and the detail. Walls that need patching, scraping, or repair take longer than sound ones. Tall or vaulted ceilings, heavy trim and molding, multiple colors, and hard-to-reach exterior heights all add hours. The substrate matters on the outside, where stucco, wood, and brick each prep and coat differently. And the sheen and finish level you choose, from a basic repaint to a smooth, high-end result, changes how much surface work is required.
Whole-exterior repaints are the larger painting jobs, where the number climbs with size, height, and siding type.
If you need a way to pay for the work, financing options are available through trusted lending partners. You choose what works for you, there is no pressure, and the platform stays free for homeowners.
How to choose a painting contractor
The painter you pick matters more than any single color choice. Before you commit, a few things are worth checking:
License and standing
Many states require a painting contractor to be licensed, and where they do, the license should be active. You can verify a license number on the state contractor board, and check for outstanding complaints while you are there.
Insurance
General liability protects your property if something goes wrong on site, and workers' compensation protects you if a crew member is hurt on a ladder at your home. Ask for proof of both.
Lead-safe certification on older homes
For homes built before 1978, the painter and the firm should be EPA Lead-Safe certified, with proper testing, containment, and cleanup. A crew sanding an old house with no containment or protection is a serious red flag.
A clear contract and a written warranty
Scope, the prep level, the number of coats, the schedule, and what is warranted and for how long, all in writing.
// Warning signs When to keep looking
The warning signs are consistent.
- Be wary of a door-to-door offer of a discount because the crew has "extra paint left over from a nearby job," a demand for full payment before any work starts, or a contractor who is not certified for lead-safe work on a pre-1978 home.
- A reasonable deposit is normal, since painters buy materials and cover labor before final payment; a request for everything up front, or nothing until the very end, both point to a contractor on shaky ground.
- Any of these is a reason to keep looking.
// A platform, not a contractor
A shorter, safer list. The choice stays yours.
This is the part the platform takes off your plate. Our painting contractors are vetted before they can join, by people who spent their careers in the trades and know how to judge a contractor's license, insurance, record, and work. We are a platform that connects you with contractors; the contractor owns the project and the relationship. You get a shorter, safer list, and the choice stays yours.
Start your project →Good to know before you start
A few terms and a couple of myths that come up on most painting jobs:
Prep
The washing, scraping, sanding, patching, and priming done before any color goes on. It is the largest part of the labor and the biggest factor in whether the finish lasts.
Primer
A base coat that seals the surface and helps the paint stick. A "paint and primer in one" is just a thicker paint; it does not replace a real primer on bare drywall, stained wood, or glossy surfaces.
Sheen
How shiny the finish is, from flat to high-gloss. Flatter sheens hide wall imperfections; glossier ones are more durable and easier to wipe down, which is why they suit trim and high-touch areas.
Two coats are usually the standard
Even a premium paint rarely covers evenly in one coat. Two coats are what gives a uniform finish that holds up to cleaning and wear.
A myth about dark colors
Dark colors do not automatically make a room feel smaller. Used with the right light, they can add depth, and painting walls, trim, and ceiling the same deep tone can make a small room feel larger.
// Vetted, licensed, insured
// Find a vetted contractor
Find a vetted painting contractor near you
Every painting contractor here is licensed, insured, and vetted before they're listed. You pick the one you want, and your request goes to that one. Your information is not sold to a list of companies who race to call you.
Start your project, choose your area, and see the vetted contractors near you.
Start your project →Common questions
How many coats of paint should the job include?
Two coats are usually the standard for a durable, even finish, even with a premium paint. One coat tends to leave thin spots and uneven sheen.
My home was built before 1978. Does that change anything?
Yes. Homes that old can have lead paint, and disturbing it has to be handled by a contractor certified for lead-safe work, with proper testing and containment. It is a federal requirement.
Why do some painting quotes vary so much?
Most of the price is labor, not paint, so the gap usually comes from prep and detail: wall repairs, tall ceilings, heavy trim, exterior height, and the finish level you want. A quote where the paint is a large share of the total is worth a second look.
Is this free for me?
Yes. The platform is free for homeowners, always. You choose your contractor and connect with them directly.
Ready to start? Find your vetted contractor.
Start your project → FREE FOR HOMEOWNERS // YOU CHOOSE YOUR PRO