Directory

Painting companies

Once walls are dried, repaired and cleaned of smoke, they need primer and paint, often with stain-blocking coats over water marks and soot. Painters finish that last step.

Painting is the last step

Walls are painted after they are dried, repaired and cleaned, not before. Water stains and smoke discoloration bleed through ordinary paint, so they are sealed first with a stain-blocking primer, and after a fire an odor-sealing primer helps keep smoke smell in the walls from coming back. Mold is never painted over: it has to be removed and its moisture source fixed first.

In homes built before 1978, the old paint may contain lead. Work that disturbs it is covered by the US EPA's lead-safe renovation rule, which requires a firm certified to do it.

What the EPA says about painting and lead

These points come from the pages we read on 10/05/2026 and are linked, with the date each page shows. They are general guidance, not advice for your home.

  • Why 1978. "In 1978, the federal government banned the sale of lead-based paint for use in homes, childcare facilities and preschools." (EPA, lead renovation, repair and painting program, updated June 17, 2026)
  • How common. "Approximately three-quarters of the homes in the United States built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint." (same page)
  • Who must be certified. The EPA says its rule requires "anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 be certified." (same page) Ask a painter for proof before work starts on an older home.
  • Mold. "Do not paint or caulk moldy surfaces." (EPA, mold cleanup in your home, updated June 4, 2026)

Sources

Each page was read on 10/05/2026; the date is the one the page shows.

  1. EPA, "Lead renovation, repair and painting program," updated June 17, 2026.
  2. EPA, "Mold cleanup in your home," updated June 4, 2026.

Questions to ask before you hire

Are the walls ready to paint?

Ask whether the painter checks that walls are dry and that repairs and soot cleaning are finished before starting.

What primer will you use?

Ask how water stains and smoke will be sealed so they do not bleed through the new paint.

Are you lead-safe certified?

If the home was built before 1978, ask for the firm's EPA lead-safe certification before any sanding or scraping.

What does the estimate include?

Ask for the rooms, surfaces, number of coats and preparation in writing.

Does Restoration Advertising check these companies?

No. The companies supplied their own listings, and the directory does not rate, rank or vet them. That is why the questions above are worth asking whoever you call.