Bigger or unusual job? Compare bids from local pros and you pick who does the work.
The service
What exterior paint refresh is, what a visit covers and where the line is.
The short answer
An exterior paint refresh is a booking in which an independent local pro repaints only the parts of your exterior that have worn out, rather than the whole house. Exterior Paint Refresh in San Francisco is booked through pros who cover its 28 ZIP codes, in neighborhoods such as The Mission, Noe Valley, and The Sunset. SF's microclimates mean fog, wind, and moisture vary dramatically by neighborhood. Providers account for this in material selection. Your pick of pro sets the price and warranty for the walls you want done.
What a exterior paint refresh visit includes
What is included depends on the jobs you pick and on how each pro sets up their visit and timing. You see the exact scope with each pro's price before you book.
- Spot clean & prep
- Scrape & spot-prime
- Color-matched finish coat
- Front / back / multi-area scope
- Your pro’s own workmanship warranty
Pick what is on your list
Tick what you want done, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, and you can describe anything else when you book.
Single wall or elevation
Tick what you want done. One visit can cover several.
Tick jobs above, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, so they see exactly what you need before they arrive.
What shapes a exterior paint refresh job
These are the things that make one job different from another. Mention them in your notes so each pro can scope your job properly.
What is not part of exterior paint refresh
Knowing where the line is keeps the visit on track and keeps you safe. When a job belongs to a specialist, NorTech tells you before you book.
- Any job where labor and materials together reach $1,000 or more. A licensed contractor is needed at that point, and you are told before you confirm.
- A whole-house repaint with full prep, which is a different service with a larger scope.
- Replacing rotted siding, trim or sheathing. That is a carpentry or siding repair job and may need a licensed contractor.
- Structural, roofing or foundation repair, even if it is found during prep.
- Pressure washing or scraping to remove all paint on an older home without telling your pro first. Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint.
- In San Francisco, sF DBI permit requirements are among the strictest in California. Smaller jobs stay within the handyman exemption; permitted work is bid on by NorTech-verified licensed contractors.
Plan your visit
How booking works, how to get ready, and what to expect where you live.
How booking exterior paint refresh works
Say what needs doing
Add your ZIP and a few words about the job.
Compare pros near you
Each pro sets their own price and warranty. NorTech does not pick for you.
Book the pro you pick
Add photos and details on their page. Your card is held and only charged after the work and the photos.
Photos and a warranty
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free.
Before you book exterior paint refresh
Quick things that save a trip. Tick them off as you go; none of it is required to book.
Walk the house and mark the problem areas
Walk around at midday and again in the evening and note which walls are faded, peeling or stained. Photograph each with something in the frame for scale so the pro can judge the scope.
Find the original color
Look for leftover cans in the garage or paperwork from the last paint job. A color name and brand makes matching much easier, and a chip from a hidden area works when you have nothing else.
Tell the pro the siding and age
Material, rough age of the paint and the age of the house shape the prep and the safety steps. A line in the booking notes avoids a second visit.
Trim plants and move items away from the wall
Cut back shrubs and vines from the wall and move planters, grills and furniture. The pro needs a clear path and a metre or so of space to work at the surface.
Ask where the new paint will stop
Ask the pro to end the new coat at a corner, a trim line or a downspout rather than in the middle of a wall. A clean break hides small color differences.
Check the forecast with the pro
Ask about a dry spell for the day and the night after. A fresh coat that gets rained on soon after application can streak or wash out.
Say where in San Francisco you are
Add your neighborhood, for example The Mission, Noe Valley, and The Sunset, or your ZIP code to your notes. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, and it tells them how far they have to travel.
How where you live changes exterior paint refresh
Best time to book exterior paint refresh
Exterior paint needs a dry surface and temperatures in the range on the can through the day and overnight. A touch-up on one wall is quick, so you can pick a stable weather window. Avoid days when the wall is in direct afternoon sun, which dries the paint too quickly and leaves lap marks. In San Francisco, the dry season from late spring to fall is the easiest time for outside work, and the fall calendar fills before the first big rain.
Together
Book exterior paint refresh with your neighbors
Every home on the street gets the pro’s neighbor rate, and each one books and pays on its own.
Start a Street Day- Start one
Pick the job, your street, a day and a pro who offers a neighbor rate.
- Share the link
Send it to neighbors. Only the city is ever shown publicly, never your street.
- Neighbors join
Neighbors on your street book the same pro on the same day.
- Everyone saves
Each home gets the pro’s neighbor rate, a percent off the pro’s own price, and books and pays on its own.
Often booked together with exterior paint refresh
Book several services with one pro. Pros set their own bundle discounts.
A proper wash and prep before the refresh coat is what keeps the new paint bonded to the old surface.
If the survey shows paint failing on most walls, stepping up to a whole-house repaint gives a uniform result.
Sealing open joints at trim and corners before paint keeps water from getting behind the new coat.
Rotted or cracked siding boards should be replaced before the wall is repainted.
Around San Francisco
Where in San Francisco the work happens, and the cities close by.
Exterior Paint Refresh across San Francisco
Pick your neighborhood to see what homes there tend to need. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, so enter your ZIP code to see who covers yours.
Cities near San Francisco
Pros often cover more than one city. The rings show 5 and 10 miles from the center of town.
Other services in San Francisco
Each one has its own page for this city.
Ideal for the long punch list of small fixes that pile up in older SF Victorians and Edwardians, from sticking doors to loose trim, with each pro's visit price shown before you book.
See pros in San FranciscoMany SF flats have original plaster-and-lath walls that crack with settling and seismic movement, and providers can patch both plaster and modern drywall cleanly.
See pros in San FranciscoTall ceilings, ornate Victorian moldings, and compact condo rooms all get a fresh, even finish that holds up to the city's damp, foggy microclimates.
See pros in San FranciscoPerfect for pre-sale punch lists and turnover on TIC units, condos, and rentals across high-turnover neighborhoods like SoMa and the Mission.
See pros in San FranciscoOriginal SF doorways shift on steep-slope foundations, so providers re-hang, adjust, and weatherproof doors that stick or no longer latch in older homes.
See pros in San FranciscoA fresh front door is the highest-return upgrade there is — prepped, primed, and finished.
See pros in San FranciscoTrust and answers
What backs the work, who is licensed and insured, what customers say, and your questions.
Backed by your provider’s warranty. If covered work fails, your provider makes it right, free.
San Francisco homeowners
Exterior Paint Refresh reviews in San Francisco
Verified exterior paint refresh reviews from San Francisco homeowners will appear here.
Be the first exterior paint refresh review in San Francisco
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free. Book with confidence and tell San Francisco how your pro did.
Book Exterior Paint Refresh in San FranciscoFrequently asked