Our Answers to All Your Painting Questions

We recommend using a paint with a higher sheen for bathrooms, like semi-gloss, because it forms a vapor barrier, which is ideal for rooms with lots of moisture.

We recommend using a paint with a higher sheen for a kitchen, like semi-gloss, because it forms a vapor barrier, which is ideal for rooms with lots of moisture.

We recommend using a paint with a higher sheen for cabinets, like semi-gloss, because it dries harder, and so is more durable for high traffic areas such as cabinets. Higher sheens are also easier to clean.

We recommend flat or eggshell paint for bedrooms. Flat is less expensive to apply and is able to be touched up very easily. Eggshell will be slightly easier to clean, but more expensive to apply.

You should almost always use flat paint on ceilings.

Short answer: nine times out of ten, we recommend using a water based paint rather than an oil based paint. Nowadays, water based paint dominates the market, for many reasons. It’s much better for the environment and your health, way easier to work with, dries quicker, doesn’t smell as bad, and is easier to clean up if spilled or oversprayed. Oil based paint has a reputation for being more durable, but this isn’t as accurate these days. Advancements in paint tech have allowed for “hybrids” or water based alkyds, that have the durability of oil based paints, with all the benefits of water based paints.

For interior painting we recommend at least two coats of paint, particularly for coverage reasons. Sometimes, if you use the exact same paint, color, and sheen, you can get away with 1 coat, if you’re on a tight budget. 

For exterior painting we also recommend two coats of paint, both for coverage and for durability.

We recommend using flat or eggshell paint for walls. Flat is less expensive to apply and is able to be touched up very easily. Eggshell will be slightly easier to clean, but more expensive to apply.

We recommend using a paint with a higher sheen for baseboards, like semi-gloss because it dries harder, and so is more durable for high traffic areas such as baseboards that get hit with the vacuum cleaner. Higher sheens are also easier to clean.

We recommend using a paint with a higher sheen for doors, like semi-gloss, because it dries harder, and so is more durable for high traffic areas such as doors. Higher sheens are also easier to clean.

For interior trim, we recommend using a paint with a higher sheen, like semi-gloss, because it dries harder, and so is more durable for high traffic areas such as door jambs. Higher sheens are also easier to clean.

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.

For exterior trim, we recommend using a flat paint. Flat paint does a better job of hiding any imperfections you might have in your trim.

These are one of the more tricky painting questions we have to answer because the truth is that it depends on the size of the room and the prep work required. Applying 2 coats of paint takes around 5-7 hours for bedrooms, 3-4 hours for bathrooms, and 10-12 hours for bigger rooms.

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.

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 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, one of our paint jobs will last at least 10 years on stucco, and 5-7 years on exterior wood.

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, one of our paint jobs will last at least 10 years on stucco, and 5-7 years on exterior wood.

How long an interior paint job lasts depends on how much traffic your walls, baseboards, doors, and trim get. If you have young kids, dogs, and run the vacuum cleaner into the baseboards, it may shorten the life of your interior paint job. However, generally speaking, one of our interior paint jobs typically lasts at least 10 years.

For the interior of your house, we recommend painting at least every 10 years depending on the amount of traffic you get. If you decide to rent out or sell your house, we suggest having it painted before doing so. It will increase the likelihood that the house sells or rents, and will increase the overall value.

For the exterior of your house, we suggest painting every 5 years. By doing so, you are maintaining it like you would a car. In the long run, you are saving yourself a lot of money, as significantly less prep work (scraping, sanding, caulking, filling) is needed to repaint. Also, by maintaining the protective coat of paint, you are preventing the need for wood replacement or stucco repair, both significantly more expensive than painting.

For the interior walls of your house, we recommend painting at least every 10 years depending on the amount of traffic you get. If you decide to rent out or sell your house, we suggest having it painted before doing so. It will increase the likelihood that the house sells or rents, and will increase the overall value.

Yes, with the proper prep work and primer, you can put latex paint over oil based paint. In order to paint latex over oil, the oil based paint needs to be sanded down and then primed over with an oil based primer. Once the primer dries, you can then safely apply a latex paint on top of the primer.

For interior painting we recommend at least two coats, particularly for coverage reasons. Sometimes, if you use the exact same paint, color, and sheen, you can get away with one coat, if you’re on a tight budget. 

For exterior painting we also recommend two coats, both for coverage and for durability.

The different kinds of paint finishes/sheens from lowest sheen to highest are: Flat, Matte, Velvet, Eggshell, Satin, Semi- Gloss, Gloss, High Gloss.

In order to prepare for interior house painting, please remove everything from the walls and move any smaller valuables to the center of the room. We can move the heavier furniture to the center of the room, and remove curtain rods, towel rods, outlet covers, etc. All valuables will be covered and protected.

Yes, we are insured and bonded. We have a $15,000 California Contractor’s bond and have a $2,000,000 aggregate liability insurance policy.

Yes, we are licensed. Our contractor license number is 1050874.

Yes, please visit https://www.jbrownpainting.com/gallery/

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.

Our founder, Justin, will be on every job site, overseeing the project and answering any painting questions you have. Justin not only does the estimates, but also does the painting to ensure that what was promised during the estimate gets fulfilled during the production process. In other words, the hand you shake, is the hand that paints.

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.

Any painting questions you have about completion time are tricky to answer without us seeing the project site. Because there are so many variables to a paint job, and every house is different, it is tough to give a general answer of how long it will take. During our estimate, we will calculate how much prep work like scraping, sanding, caulking, filling, and masking there is, how many stories your house is, how many colors there are, and how big of a crew we’ll need. With this information, we will be able to tell you how many labor hours and gallons it will take to paint your house.

At J Brown Painting & Cleaning Services, we work consecutive weekdays (sometimes even weekends) until the job is done, weather permitting. We are known for our work ethic and short turn-around time.

We typically work 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, but can be flexible at the client’s request. If you are in a serious rush, we can start earlier, and work later, including weekends.

Yes, our crew is trained to do drywall work prior to painting. We can fill holes spanning from the size of a baseball to several square feet. We then match the existing texture of the wall so you can’t tell a patch was ever done.

For interior painting, we start our prep work process by removing all outlet covers, so we can paint behind them. We then protect the floors with both drop cloths and painter’s plastic. Next, we remove any curtain or towel rods that would prevent us from painting the walls. All holes are then patched and textured as needed. 

For exterior painting, we start our prep work process by power washing all the areas to be painted. We then scrape and power sand any chipping or peeling paint. Next, any areas that are heavily sanded or bare, get primed to ensure good adhesion. All cracks are caulked and holes filled. Finally, anything that isn’t meant to be painted is masked and protected.

For a deposit, we only ask for 10%. The other 90% isn’t collected until the job is complete and you are completely satisfied with the work.

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.

Yes, 98% of the time, 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.

At the time of the estimate we will tell you both how long the paint job will take and when we can start. We are known for starting and completing our projects on time, and on budget.