Exterior Painters In San Diego

If you’re looking for a quote or more information about our painting services, please contact us today on 619-356-0830 or complete the contact form below! Upon completion, we will review your request and get in touch as soon as we can.

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    High Quality Exterior Painting Services In San Diego

    Painting serves two purposes: to protect and to beautify. At J Brown Painting, we put a lot of emphasis on the protection aspect. What are we protecting from? UV rays and moisture. Who knew water and the sun, two things so vital to life, can also destroy your home!

    When you see chipping and peeling paint on your house, moisture is getting behind that failing paint and slowly eating away at that substrate. When you see large cracks and holes in your siding and around window and door trim, that is another access point for moisture.

    Freshly painted sage green siding and white window trim along the side of a San Diego home

    Our Exterior Painting Process

    You’ve probably heard that painting is 90% prep. You heard right. It’s imperative that the prep work is done right, or the entire paint job will be compromised. We pride ourselves on our attention to detail, particularly during the prep work process.

    When it comes to our exterior painting services, we start by pressure washing all the dirt, dust, cobwebs, bird droppings, mold, mildew, and algae off of the house. Paint won’t stick to that! Next, we scrape any chipping, cracking, or peeling paint. Anything you can get your fingernail under, we scrape that off using a 5-in-1 scraping tool. We then power sand any remaining ridges to ensure a smooth finish. Anywhere there is bare wood or we’ve heavily sanded, we will prime. We then caulk any large cracks and fill any holes with Bondo, unless we're replacing the wood entirely. Finally, we apply one to two coats of 100% acrylic exterior paint from either Dunn Edwards or Sherwin Williams.

    if you’re looking for a quote or for more information about our exterior painting services in San Diego, please contact us today at 619-356-0830 or complete our contact form!

    "Affordable" is the right thing to want from an exterior painter and the easiest thing for a painter to fake. A bid rarely gets cheap through efficiency — it gets cheap through subtraction. Prep comes out, a lower grade of paint goes into the same brand-name bucket, and none of it shows the day the crew drives away. It shows in year six. Most San Diego homes get repainted every six to seven years, and that is not the climate — it is what an average job from an average painting contractor using low- to mid-grade paint buys you, regardless of who owns the house or what they plan to do with it.

    J Brown Painting is rarely the lowest bid on an exterior and rarely the highest — usually somewhere in the middle. Below is what drives the price, where the real savings are, and how to read three bids side by side. For everything we paint, see our exterior painting services page.

    How we keep an exterior affordable without taking out prep

    We price an exterior as line items, not one number: the main painting bid, then separate lines for stucco patching, the garage door, pergolas and trellises, and fences. That exists so you can cut scope instead of quality — deciding the fence can wait a year is a legitimate call, but only if the number is broken out. When a bid is a single figure, your only lever is arguing it down, and what comes back off that number comes out of the part of the job you cannot see.

    The other savings actually available to you:

    • Match the eaves to the body. If the overhang you would stand under in the rain is the same color as the walls, the price drops significantly — nobody has to mask one to paint the other or cut a perfect line between them. It is the largest color-driven saving on most houses.
    • Splice the wood instead of replacing the board. If one section of a fascia board is rotten and the rest is sound, we replace just that section, or fill a localized spot with Bondo, which dries rock hard and buys three to five years. Our limit: if more than about 20% of the board is soft or wet, the whole board goes.
    • Tell your estimator what the job is for. Somebody selling next month is buying a different job than somebody who wants fifteen years out of it. Both are honest jobs, they are not the same price, and an estimator who does not ask which one you are is guessing.

    What actually moves the number on your house

    Square footage for the body and linear footage for the trim are only the starting point. The rest is what we weigh walking your property:

    • Condition. Peeling paint to scrape and sand, caulking, wide stucco cracks that get opened up, refilled and feathered to match the surrounding texture, bare wood to prime, rotten wood to replace. Two identical-sized houses can be many hours apart on prep alone.
    • Access and ladder angles. A single story reachable with a 16-foot ladder goes far faster than a three-story worked from a 36-foot ladder or off the roof. Access is the least visible cost driver and one of the largest, because it is pure time.
    • Masking. Light fixtures, cameras, outdoor speakers, potted plants, vinyl windows, glass, screens. On a property with a lot to protect, a crew spends a serious share of the job covering things before a drop of paint goes on.
    • Bare stucco. Unpainted stucco is porous — we say it is thirsty — and stucco standing twenty years may never have been sealed. It gets a full coat of masonry primer first; skipping that means buying considerably more paint.

    How to compare three exterior bids, including ours

    • "Paint exterior" is not a scope of work. A real one names fascia, eaves and window trim rather than "trim," and separates stucco body from stucco retaining walls — that confusion is common, and the homeowner finds out on the last day.
    • Look for the materials chart: substrate, manufacturer, grade or product line, sheen, color, number of coats. Column three is the one that gets abused — "we use Sherwin-Williams" is technically true of the cheapest line Sherwin-Williams sells. Get the product line in writing.
    • Ask about crew size and duration. A reputable company puts three or four painters on an exterior; most San Diego exteriors run about five days, seven or eight on larger homes. One painter on your house for a month is what the cheapest quote often actually buys.
    • Check the license yourself. Our California license number is 1131421. Any contractor's record — whether the license is active, and the status of workers' compensation, general liability and bond — is on the CSLB contractor license lookup. Ask what the payment schedule is, in writing.
    • Ask for proof you can go look at — our customer reviews and the addresses on past projects near you are both public. Watch the turnaround, too: more than about five days to produce an estimate tells you how the job will be run.

    For the long version of this checklist, read our full guide to comparing exterior painting estimates in San Diego.

    Get an itemized exterior estimate

    Before you call anyone, settle whether your eaves have to be a separate color and what you want out of this paint job — those two answers move the number more than anything else you control. Then let us walk your house. The walk-through is free, the bid comes back itemized so you can compare it line by line against anyone else's, and we will tell you what prep your house needs and what it does not.

    Contact J Brown Painting for a free exterior painting estimate in San Diego.

    Exterior Painting Services

    Pressure Washing
    All of our paint jobs include a power wash of the items to be painted. We use a commercial pressure washer to remove any contaminants that might prevent the paint from properly adhering to the house. These include dirt, dust, cobwebs, spider webs, bird droppings, sap, mold, mildew, and algae.

    Our team always ensures that nothing is damaged on the interior of your home in the pressure washing process. Before we get started, we ask our clients to shut their windows and doors before we begin power washing. We are also careful not to spray directly at windows, doors, or vents. In addition, we take every precaution so as not to damage any part of the exterior of your house. This is achieved by using the proper tip and distance from the item being washed, and covering or removing anything that would be damaged by water.
    Scraping Failing Paint
    We use 3 tools to scrape off chipping and peeling paint from your home: a 5-in-1 scraper, a putty knife for extra stubborn paint chips, and a carbide scraper for those tough corners with failing paint. Removing the old, failing paint provides the new paint a sound surface for it to properly adhere to. This ensures the longevity of your new paint job.
    Power Sanding Failing Paint
    As a leading exterior house painting company in San Diego, we use power tools such as orbital sanders and angle grinders to sand down those heavy ridges often left behind from just scraping alone. This ensures that your house looks nice and smooth when the final coat of paint is applied.
    Applying Primer
    We prime anywhere there is a bare substrate (wood, metal, stucco, etc) and any area that we’ve heavily sanded. This is because the paint won’t stick to bare substrates. The paint will, however, stick to a non-failing coat of paint. Often times, if your home is really chipping and uneven, we will take it a step further. Instead of just scraping and sanding, we will either use exterior spackle to smooth out the roughness, or mix a high-end primer with two tubes of 55-year siliconized acrylic caulk and roll it on to fill in the cracks. This works like a charm!
    Caulking
    We caulk both wood and stucco. This ensures that no water gets behind the substrate and causes it to rot or delaminate. We use 55 year siliconized acrylic caulk, which has a ton of flexibility. This means that when your house shifts or your wood “breathes” (expands and contracts), the caulk flexes with it, instead of cracking, which would allow moisture in.
    Bondo
    Bondo is a filler that dries as hard as concrete. We use it to repair holes in the wood on your home. It can be sanded smooth, primed, and painted.
    Masking
    One commonly used method for applying paint in San Diego is spraying. This saves us time, which saves you money. The drawback to spraying paint is overspray. Overspray means getting paint on things it shouldn’t be on. This happens because the atomized paint particles travel through the air, and might go off course, particularly if it is windy or the pressure on the sprayer is too high. With this in mind, our crew is extremely careful to not only use shields but also protect your valuables from overspray. We use painter’s plastic and paper, as well as drop cloths, to cover things like glass on windows and doors, cars, landscaping, light fixtures, floors, concrete, etc.
    Applying The Paint
    We use a combination of three methods to apply paint: brushing, rolling and spraying. We typically opt for the most efficient method, as this saves you money. We usually spray the body of your home and brush and roll the fascia and window trim.

    As for the paint itself, we use high-grade paint from Sherwin Williams or Dunn Edwards. We always write the specific product the job is bid for on our contracts, not just the paint manufacturer, so you know what you’re actually paying for.
    Final Walk-Around/Inspection
    Our team of exterior house painters will walk around your home with you and meticulously study our work to ensure you’re happy with everything. We happily provide you with blue tape to mark anything and everything you would like to have improved. Only once you are completely satisfied with our exterior painting services, do we ask for the remaining balance.
    Daily Clean Up
    Our crew does a daily clean-up, including the final clean up. Rest assured that all paint chips will be vacuumed up, all equipment will be taken with, all masking will be taken down, and all lawn furniture and hoses will be put back.
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    Frequently Asked Questions

    What sheen should the exterior of my home be?
    For the sheen of your exterior, we recommend using a flat paint because it hides any imperfections your home might have much better than a paint with a high sheen does. Flat paint is also less expensive to apply, and significantly easier to touch up in the future.
    How long does a paint job take?
    How long a paint job takes depends on the condition of the house, what all needs to be painted, how many coats, how many colors, what sheen, how big the house is, how long it’s been since it was last painted, etc.
    How long does a paint job last?
    How long a paint job lasts depends on weather, what substrates your house is made out of, what kind of paint was used, how many coats, etcetera. Generally speaking, done properly — power washed, primed wherever the surface is bare, and finished with two coats of a higher-grade paint — an exterior job should last 12 to 15 years. An average job from an average contractor using low- to mid-grade paint typically gets 6 to 7.
    What kind of paint is the best?
    Every paint manufacturer has a good, better, best paint. With that said, we think Dunn Edwards or Sherwin Williams makes the best paint. Their products are very high quality and quite comparable. Dunn Edwards’ paints are usually slightly less expensive.
    How long should exterior paint job last?
    How long an exterior paint job lasts depends on weather, what substrates your house is made out of, what kind of paint was used, how many coats, etcetera. Generally speaking, done properly — power washed, primed wherever the surface is bare, and finished with two coats of a higher-grade paint — an exterior job should last 12 to 15 years. An average job from an average contractor using low- to mid-grade paint typically gets 6 to 7.
    How often should you paint your house?
    That depends on who painted it last and whether they did the job properly. If the prep was done right — a thorough power wash, chipping and peeling paint scraped and sanded, bare wood and sanded areas primed, cracks caulked, rotten wood replaced, failing stucco patched — and the finish was two coats of a better-to-best 100% acrylic such as Sherwin-Williams Duration or Dunn-Edwards Evershield, then repainting about every 10 years is reasonable.

    Most houses in San Diego end up on a shorter cycle, closer to six or seven years. That is not the weather — it is an average contractor working with low- to mid-grade paint.

    There is also a case for not waiting until the paint actually fails. Repainting around the 10 to 12 year mark means the next crew is not scraping and sanding a failed finish first, and that labor is exactly what makes a late repaint cost more than an early one.
    How many coats of paint should you do?
    For exterior painting we recommend two coats, both for coverage and for durability. On a house exposed to sun and salt air, the second coat is what the lifespan actually rests on. For interior painting in San Diego we also recommend at least two coats, mainly for coverage. Occasionally, if the new paint is the exact same color, product and sheen as what is already on the wall, one coat can be enough.
    Are you insured and bonded?
    Yes, we are insured and bonded. We have a $25,000 California Contractor’s bond, a $2,000,000 aggregate liability insurance policy, and workers’ compensation.
    Are you licensed?
    Yes, we are licensed. Our contractor license number is 1050874.
    Do you have example of work you've done?
    Yes, please visit https://www.jbrownpainting.com/portfolio/
    What kind of paint do you use?
    We use Dunn Edwards or Sherwin Williams paint for our projects. They make top-of-the-line paint and have excellent warranties on their products.
    What if we find dry rot?
    If we find dry rot in the painting process, we will ask you if you’d like us to make a temporary fix such as bondo, or, if you’d like to replace the wood entirely. Fortunately, our crew also does wood replacement, so you don’t have to hire a separate contractor.
    Who will be there to answer my questions or to address any concern I may have throughout the project?
    Our superintendent will stop by at least once a day to do a daily walk around with you to make sure you’re happy with our work so far. Also, all of our painters are bilingual, friendly, and happy to answer any questions you have. Lastly, Justin, founder and lead estimator, is always available via call, text or email, day or night.
    Will you complete my job in a timely manner without interruption?
    We typically work 8 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday, but can be flexible at the client’s request. If you are in a serious rush, we can sometimes start earlier, work later, and occasionally, on weekends.
    What hours do your crews work?
    We typically work 8 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday, but can be flexible at the client’s request. If you are in a serious rush, we can sometimes start earlier, work later, and occasionally, work on weekends.
    What kind of prep work do you do?
    For exterior painting, we start by power washing everything that is going to be painted. We then scrape and power sand any chipping or peeling paint. Anything heavily sanded or bare gets primed so the finish coats have something to hold onto. Cracks are caulked and holes filled. Finally, anything not meant to be painted is masked and protected.

    For interior painting, the first thing we do is roll out red rosin paper across the floor — construction paper you can actually walk on without it shifting. Painter's plastic goes over furniture and gets taped down to that paper. Outlet covers come off so we can paint behind them rather than cutting around them, curtain and towel rods come down, and nail holes are filled and textured to match before any paint is opened.
    Do you need any money down?
    For a deposit we ask for 10 percent of the contract price, or $1,000, whichever of the two is less. That is the legal cap on a home improvement contract in California and we do not go above it. The other 90% isn’t collected until the job is complete and you are completely satisfied with the work.
    Is the price I've been quoted the out-the-door price?
    Yes, the price we quote you is the out-the-door price. There are no hidden fees or taxes. Unless there is some substantial wood rot or unexpected additional work that was not evident or discussed during the estimate, the price will stay the same. We put all of the specific items to be painted, as well as the prep work, paint products, and colors in writing so there is no miscommunication.
    Do you spray, or roll the paint?
    We spray or roll the paint, or both, depending on the project. We are happy to bid the job out both ways at the client’s request. We’ve found that the best medium is to spray and backroll. Spraying the paint saves us time, which saves you money, while the backrolling promotes better adhesion. This method is truly the best of both worlds.
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    See What Our Customers Have to Say

    • Carol Rothenberg

      They did a great job on our two-story house with a lot of wood trim. Very professional, courteous, neat and friendly. Definitely recommend them.

    • Trish MacDonald – North PB

      As promised, we're working with Justin again to paint the exterior of our house. And couldn't be happier. :) Same nice, professional guy doing an exceptional job! It's hard to find good exterior painters in San Diego. Justin is everything you'd want in a contractor: timely, friendly, dependable, and affordable. And clean! We worked with him to paint the interior of our old home, plus the kitchen cabinets and recently had him clean the windows of our new home. We plan to use him again to paint the inside and exterior of our new home soon too. Highly recommend!

    • Sarah M. – West Clairemont Tecolote

      J. Brown made our old house absolutely beautiful! Timely, clean, easy to be around, took care of everything -- even the little things we didn't know we'd need done. What started as a power wash turned into a full exterior paint job and it looks amazing. Thank you so much Justin!!

    • Laura A. – Kate Sessions, CA

      Justin is great! He is professional, thorough, prompt and honest. I wish I met him before we had one of the big corporate companies paint the inside of our house. Justin painted the exterior and did a much better job. He did very thorough prep and knew what he was talking about while discussing paint options. He first power washed the house to remove all cobwebs, eggs (yes, we were egged several times), dirt, etc. He always cleaned up at the end of each day, and he stuck with the schedule and budget he gave us. I will definitely call him the next time we have a need, and would recommend him to anyone.

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