After painting nearly 19,000 homes and commercial buildings throughout the Bay Area, Rich De Martini and Brett Arnott have synthesized their collective wisdom into a new e-book, Plan to Paint: Pro Tips for Successful Home Painting.

The e-book is designed to help homeowners and apartment dwellers select a reputable painting contractor and approach their painting projects with a solid understanding of what to expect before, during and after the job is finished. It offers tips on how to evaluate a professional painting company, what to look for in a painting estimate, and what steps to take to make sure the job is done right. Read more »

In our last blog post, we discussed a short checklist of items you should expect a professional painting contractor to provide to you during your initial meeting and estimate process.

In this post, we will go a little deeper into what kind of information you will want to gather during the estimate. If you are comparing estimates from multiple painters, it’s helpful to have a basic set of questions to ask in order to compare relative strengths and weaknesses. The prevailing wisdom of getting three estimates and choosing the one in the middle doesn’t always mean that you will be getting the best work at the best price. Read more »

With the unseasonably dry weather continuing in January in the Bay Area, many San Francisco residents are scheduling painting projects. Starting the new year with a freshly painted home interior or exterior can enhance both the aesthetics and the value of your home, which can be a real boost in the rebounding real estate market.

The standard wisdom for hiring a professional painting contractor seems to be: ask around for recommendations, look online or in the phone book and get three estimates. Read more »