The painting side of the business
The paint is the short part of the day
Michael Miller has held CSLB #566071 in C33 Painting and Decorating since 1989, and you can check that license yourself on the California license board site. Painting is where the business started, and it is still half of what he does.
Paint hides nothing. Every nail pop, hairline crack, torn drywall paper and dented corner shows up twice as clearly once a fresh color goes over it. So the filling, sanding, caulking and masking is the long part of the day and the color is the short part. Drywall and crack repair is included in that, not a separate trade you have to chase down first.
Desert houses make it harder again. High ceilings, arched entries, domed alcoves, heavy hand texture on the walls and rooms that hold a lot of hard afternoon light, which shows every patch and every missed edge. Michael runs the business on his own with no employees, so the man who prices your rooms is the man who preps them and paints them.
What we paint
Painting work across the valley
Cabinet Painting
The job that changes a kitchen fastest, and the one he is known for. If the boxes are solid, the doors can be made to look new again for a fraction of what a new kitchen costs. Every door and drawer front comes off and gets labeled, the grease gets washed out of the grain, the surfaces are sanded and sealed so nothing bleeds through, and the finish is sprayed rather than brushed, so there are no strokes in it and the edges stay sharp. Painted white, refinished in a stain, or taken darker. Here is how a kitchen cabinet job runs, from the first door coming off to the last one going back on.
Interior Painting
Walls, ceilings, trim and doors, one room or the whole floor. Cracks and nail holes are filled first, the repairs are primed so they do not flash a different sheen, and the cut lines are done by hand around arches, bullnose corners and domed ceilings. Floors and furniture are covered before anything is opened and the house stays livable while the work is going on. Low humidity and hard light change how a wall has to be worked out here, so sections are kept small enough to hold a wet edge. Here is how a room repaint runs, from the filler to the final coat.
Commercial Painting
A business cannot shut for a week while somebody paints it. Offices, lobbies, reception areas, suites, break rooms, hallways and stairwells get scheduled around your hours instead of ours, which often means early mornings, evenings or one section at a time so your customers and your staff always have a way through. Everything is masked, moved back and cleaned up before you open again. Hallways and lobbies take a beating, so they go in a washable finish that wipes without polishing up a shiny patch. Our commercial painting covers the interiors people actually walk into.
Residential Painting
Some jobs are one room and some are a whole house between seasons. Either way it is the same person on site from the first day to the last, which is why the second coat matches the first and the trim lines look the same in every room. Seasonal owners often hand over a set of keys and come back to a finished house, with photos sent through as rooms are completed. A lot of this work sits inside gated country club communities where the hours, the parking and the access rules matter, and that paperwork is part of the job. Our residential painting takes in walls, ceilings, trim, doors and repairs.
Free estimate on your painting
Cabinets, interiors, commercial suites and whole houses across La Quinta and the Coachella Valley.
Call (949) 233-1242Ask the contractor doing the work
Straight answers about floors and paint in the desert
Do you repair drywall and cracks before you paint?
Yes, and it is part of the job rather than an extra. Nail pops get cut out and refilled, cracks get opened and taped so they do not come back, and dents get patched, sanded flat and spot primed first.
Can you paint while we are living in the house?
Yes, and most of the work is done exactly that way. One area at a time, so you keep a kitchen, a bathroom and a bed you can use. Tools are put away at the end of each day rather than left out.
Is it cheaper to paint cabinets than replace them?
Nearly always, when the boxes are sound. You are paying for preparation and spraying rather than for new carcasses, countertops and fitting, and the kitchen is usable again in days instead of weeks.
How many coats of paint do you apply?
Two coats on walls and ceilings is the normal answer, over primer on any patch or bare spot. Strong color changes and deep shades sometimes need more, and Michael tells you that before he starts rather than after.
Do you paint businesses outside normal hours?
Yes. Reception areas and lobbies are usually done after close, and offices and back rooms one at a time during the day. Tell us your busiest hours and the schedule is built backwards from them.
Which areas do you paint in?
La Quinta is home base and the work runs right across the Coachella Valley: Palm Desert, Indio, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Coachella. Call and ask if you are nearby.