Painters near you

Painting companies range from a solo painter who handles a room or two at a time to crews that paint whole houses, and some specialize in one side of the trade. Knowing which kind of work you're asking for helps you find a painter with the right equipment and experience, since a cabinet finisher with a spray setup and an exterior crew with ladders and staging don't work the same way.

Product choice is part of a painter's expertise, and a good quote names the products instead of just saying paint. The right coating depends on what's underneath, how the space is used and how much moisture it sees. One classic mistake is rolling water-based paint straight over old oil-based paint, which can peel off in sheets unless the surface is sanded and coated with a suitable bonding primer first.

Two painting quotes for the same house can be far apart, and the gap usually comes from what each painter plans to do rather than from the paint. A lower quote may skip priming, count on a single coat, leave some surfaces out or assume you'll move the furniture. Line the quotes up item by item before comparing the totals.

In Quebec, painting done for a client can fall under the licensing system of the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. The RBQ lists interior and exterior painting among the work covered by subclass 9.0, Entrepreneur en travaux de finition, which also takes in floor, wall and ceiling coverings. Before you sign, ask for the contractor's RBQ licence number and look it up in the RBQ's public register, which shows whether the licence is valid and which subclasses it includes.

Elsewhere in Canada, licensing rules for painters depend on the province and sometimes the municipality, so check what applies where you live. Wherever you are, proof of liability insurance and, for a crew with employees, workplace injury coverage protect you if someone falls from a ladder or a spill ruins a floor. Painting itself rarely calls for a building permit, but an exterior colour change can need approval in a heritage area, and condo rules often govern it too.

A painter's warranty covers workmanship, meaning problems caused by how the job was done: paint peeling or flaking because the surface wasn't cleaned or primed, poor adhesion on trim, or missed spots. The manufacturer's product warranty is separate and usually depends on the product being applied as its label says. Get the workmanship warranty in writing, with its length and conditions, rather than relying on a verbal promise to come back.

Expect exclusions, and read them: water leaks, settling cracks in drywall, rot in exterior wood, sun fading on dark colours and normal wear are commonly left out. Exterior warranties tend to be narrower than interior ones because weather and hidden moisture play a bigger role. Ask whether the painter will come back for a check after the first winter, especially on exterior work.

Interior painting can be done in any season, and late fall and winter are often the easiest time to get on a painter's calendar. Winter has one catch: windows stay shut, so ventilation has to be planned, and very dry heated air or a cold exterior wall can change how paint behaves as it dries. Ask the painter how they deal with both.

Exterior painting depends on the weather. Paint and stain labels set minimum temperatures and conditions for application and drying, and in most of Canada that leaves a window between late spring and early fall, shortened further by rain, cold nights and heavy dew. Good exterior painters fill their schedules early, so request quotes in winter or early spring if you want the work done in summer.