Trim Painting in Allston, Boston MA

Allston specifics

Most of what we paint in Allston is three-deckers and student rentals. Three-deckers and two-families from the 1890s through the 1920s, plus brick apartment blocks along the avenues and a scatter of single-families in Lower Allston. Almost every lease in Allston ends on the same day. Units get patched, primed and painted in a matter of days, not weeks, and everyone in the trade is booked at once.

What actually happens on site

Brushwork with clean cut lines where trim meets wall. Semi-gloss enamel so it wipes down and holds up.

Trim gets filled, caulked at the wall line, sanded, then brushed with an enamel that levels out rather than holding brush marks. Waterborne alkyds flow better than straight latex on casing and give you a harder surface on a windowsill that actually gets used.

Where these jobs go wrong

Caulk applied after paint rather than before is the tell of a rushed job. It yellows, it cracks along the top edge, and it can't be fixed without redoing the line.

What the quote covers

• Line-by-line scope — prep, materials and labour costed separately
• A real start date and duration, held to
• Licence #193121 and certificate of insurance in writing
• Two-year workmanship warranty

Products are Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams. Worth reading before you hire anyone: Benjamin Moore