Painting FAQ — Massachusetts homeowners.

It depends on the house, so we don't publish prices. The biggest factors are:

• Size — how much wall, ceiling, trim, or siding is being painted.
• Surface condition — peeling, cracks, stains, or rot all add prep time.
• Colors — more colors and big color changes add cut lines and sometimes coats.
• Trim and detail — detailed moldings and doors take longer than flat walls.
• Access and height — high ceilings, stairwells, and tall exteriors need more equipment.
• Paint product — premium lines cost more per gallon but usually last longer.
• Age of the home — pre-1978 homes may need lead-safe work practices.

Our painting cost factors checklist shows which of these apply to your project. For an actual price, book a free on-site visit and you'll get a written estimate.

Yes. The on-site visit and the written estimate are free, with no obligation. We walk the space with you, talk through what you want, and put the scope, products, and price in writing.

We accept cash, check, and major credit cards. A signed estimate typically requires a deposit at start; the balance is due on completion after your final walk-through. Specifics are confirmed in writing on every estimate. Call (508) 258-4325 if you'd like to discuss payment terms before the visit.

No. Every estimate is line-itemized — surfaces, prep depth, paint brand, sheen, and labor. Change orders only happen if you change the scope after signing. If we find unexpected substrate damage mid-job, we stop and discuss with you before doing extra work.

Call us to talk through your claim. Repainting after water or smoke damage usually means sealing stains with a stain-blocking primer before finish coats. A written estimate that spells out the scope, prep, and products is useful to share with your adjuster.

Prep depth and paint grade do most of it. When one quote is far lower than another for the same exterior, they usually aren't bidding the same job — one may be a power wash and one coat, the other scraping to sound paint, priming bare wood, replacing failed caulk, and two coats of premium paint. The difference in how long the finish lasts can be years. Line the written estimates up surface by surface and step by step. See our deep-dive on quote variance for what to ask each painter so you compare apples to apples.

Most 3-bedroom interior repaints are completed in 3–5 working days. Larger homes or full trim packages can extend to 7–10 days. We give you a confirmed written timeline before we start.

Typical exterior repaints run 5–10 working days depending on home size, substrate, weather windows, and prep depth. We commit to a written timeline before mobilizing and watch the dew point — we'll cancel a paint day rather than push through bad conditions.

About a week — Day 1 is removal and on-site prep, Days 2–4 are shop spray on doors, Day 5 is on-site box spray (kitchen out of service for ~24 hours), Days 6–7 are reinstall and walk-through.

Mid-May through mid-October for exterior work. Surface temps need to stay above 45°F overnight and humidity under 70%. Interior painting runs year-round in occupied homes. See our painting schedule page for more detail.

We typically schedule on-site visits within 2–3 business days of your call, send a written quote within 48 hours of the visit, and can usually start within the same or following week — depending on scope, season, and current backlog.

Yes — pre-listing and pre-move-in projects are a regular part of our calendar. Smallest practical rush is about 5 working days from estimate to keys-back (whole-home interior repaint, two-person crew). We won't compromise prep depth to hit a date; if the spec needs longer to do right, we'll tell you straight before signing.

Benjamin Moore Regal Select and Aura for walls, Advance for trim and cabinets. Sherwin-Williams Emerald and Duration for demanding applications. We specify by surface and use case, not by lowest cost per gallon — see our side-by-side comparison.

Yes. All our interior paints are low-VOC (<50 g/L) by default. Zero-VOC options (Benjamin Moore Aura, Sherwin-Williams Harmony) are available on request — recommended for nurseries, asthma-sensitive households, or any project where windows can't stay open during cure.

Generally we discourage it. We choose the brand, product line, and sheen to match each surface and our process. If you have specific colors already purchased we can work with them, but we won't warranty paint we didn't specify.

Yes. Every interior project includes labeled quart cans of every color we used so future touch-ups match perfectly. We store them upright, sealed, marked with the room and finish, and leave them with you. Exterior touch-up paint is provided in pint cans for the same reason.

Yes — ironwork is a regular part of exterior repaint scope. Strip-to-bare-metal where rust has set in, primer rated for outdoor iron (BM Super Spec HP Galvanized Metal Primer or equivalent), two coats of premium enamel. Iron railings on a deck or porch, wrought iron fencing, and exterior metal gates all use this same process.

Yes. Most of our projects are in occupied homes. We use low-VOC paints so it's safe to stay, isolate the work area each day, cover floors and furniture, and clean up every evening before we leave.

Yes — we move furniture to the center of each room and cover it with plastic. Heavier pieces we cover in place. Nothing leaves the house.

Free color consulting is included on every interior estimate. We bring physical sample boards so you can see real paint in your home's light before committing.

Minor repairs are included — drywall patching, nail-hole filling, light caulking, swapping a damaged clapboard. For larger carpentry (replacing rotted siding, rebuilding window casings) we coordinate with trusted local carpenters and add their scope to your estimate.

Our in-house crew, every job. Andre walks every estimate and leads every project. We don't use subcontractors — the team you meet on day 1 is the team finishing on day 5.

Yes. We work with landlords and property managers across Metro West MA on rental turnovers (single-day interior refresh between tenants), multi-unit exterior repaints, and full triple-decker repaints in Worcester. Tenant communication, key handling, and scheduled access windows are all standard practice for us.

Yes. Our crew is EPA RRP-certified for lead-safe practices on pre-1978 substrates. We follow federal containment, dust-control, and disposal rules — required by law for homes built before 1978. See our lead-safe painting guide for what that means on a real Massachusetts project.

Yes. AJ Painting Services Inc. is licensed and carries general liability plus workers' compensation insurance. A certificate of insurance is available on request for every project.

Every AJ Painting project includes a written workmanship warranty. The exact terms — coverage, duration, exclusions — are confirmed in writing on every signed estimate. See our warranty page for what to expect and how to make a claim.

We serve a ~40-mile radius from our Ashland headquarters — 100 cities total across Metro West, Worcester County, Greater Boston west suburbs, Norfolk, and Bristol. Primary cities are Ashland and Worcester; we run weekly projects in Framingham, Natick, Holliston, Hopkinton, Sudbury, Westborough, Shrewsbury, Wellesley, and dozens more.

No travel surcharges. The estimate price is the price, regardless of which of the 100 cities you're in. Towns at the outer edge (Fitchburg, Quincy, Attleboro) may have slightly longer lead times for scheduling but the per-project pricing is the same.