All trades

Painting & Finishes Resources

Straight-talking guides and checklists for painting & finishes, written to help you spend smart and hire well, not to sell you a lead.

A homeowner couple sit on a sofa reviewing a painting estimate on a tablet held by a vetted TradeIQ consultant wearing navy branded workwear, with drop cloths and blue painter's tape on a half-prepped wall behind them.

Questions to Ask a Painting Contractor Before You Hire

What to ask a painting contractor: licensing that varies by state, lead-safe rules, deposits, warranties, and the right to cancel that nobody mentions.

A painter in white rolls a fresh coat of gray paint onto an interior wall in an empty room, with drop cloths, a roller tray, and paint buckets on the floor.

What Does It Cost to Paint a House Interior?

The honest answer on interior painting cost: why no federal source prices it, what a gallon covers, what a painter earns, and what moves your number.

A paint roller and a tray of white paint sit on a canvas drop cloth in an empty room, with blue painters tape along the baseboard and one wall painted grey next to a wall still showing patched drywall.

How Long Does It Take to Paint a Room?

Real recoat and cure times from the paint makers own data sheets, why the clock on the can assumes a room yours is not, and when the room is usable again.