FAQ
Painting questions and answers
How we quote, what the work involves, and where we do it, across northern Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania.
Common questions
If yours is not here, call 302-740-1020 and ask.
What services do you offer?
Interior painting, exterior painting, commercial painting, new construction painting, drywall repair, drywall hang and finish, deck staining and pressure washing. Between them that covers a single room, a whole house inside and out, a commercial space that cannot close while the work happens, and new board going up on a build. All eight are on the services page.
What areas do you cover?
New Castle County in Delaware, plus Chester County and Delaware County in Pennsylvania. On the Delaware side that takes in Wilmington, Newark, Hockessin, Greenville, Centreville and North Wilmington. Over the Pennsylvania line it takes in Kennett Square, West Chester, Chadds Ford and Glen Mills. Every town is named on the service areas page, and if yours is not on the list it is still worth a call.
How do your estimates work?
Estimates are free. You describe the project, somebody comes out and looks at it, and you get a written proposal for the work. If getting us to the property is awkward the assessment can happen online instead, though a real look at the job is still how we would rather quote it. Nothing is quoted over the phone from a description alone, because how much preparation a job needs is not something anybody can judge without seeing it. Call 302-740-1020 or request an estimate to start one.
What affects the price of a painting job?
Preparation, more than anything else. The painting itself is fairly predictable, and the work that comes before it is what moves. Inside, a room with sound walls and a room with cracks, nail holes and old patching are not the same job. Outside, the same is true of whatever is failing under the existing finish, because scraping back to a sound edge and priming bare areas takes time that intact paint does not. After preparation it is scope. Walls only is a smaller job than walls, ceilings, trim, doors and baseboards. The surface matters as well. Aged aluminum siding sheds a chalky film that has to come off before a coating will hold, and vinyl sets a limit on how dark the new color can go. All of that is why the proposal is written after somebody has seen the work.
How long does a painting job take?
There is no standard length, and a number given over the phone before anybody has seen the work would be a guess. What sets it is the condition of the surfaces rather than the size of the room, so two rooms with the same floor area can run days apart. Outside, the forecast gets a say as well, and a wet stretch can move a schedule that was otherwise settled. The timeframe is worked out at the walk round, which is the point where somebody can see what the job actually needs.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Modern Image Painting LLC is a licensed contractor and the company is insured.
Is your work under warranty?
Yes. Modern Image Painting offers a 3-year warranty on all of our work.
Who will be doing the work?
A crew of professional painters, all trained and experienced. Justin Howell sells, quotes and manages every job the company takes, and each job has a project lead you can reach directly for as long as the work is running, so there is a name attached to your job rather than a switchboard. The company's history is on the about page.
Do you move the furniture and cover the floors?
Yes to both. Furniture is moved and covered by us rather than by you ahead of time, and floors are protected before a lid comes off. If something is fragile or valuable and you would sooner handle it yourself, say so when we walk the job and it gets left alone. Outside, the same care goes to planting, walkways and driveways, which are covered while the work runs.
Can I stay in the house while you paint?
Most people do stay. An interior job runs room by room rather than opening up the whole house at once, and the tools and coverings come up at the close of each working day instead of sitting there until the job finishes, so the rooms nobody is working in stay usable in the meantime.
Does someone need to be home while you work?
No. Nobody needs to be home as long as entry is provided to us. Being there is your choice rather than a requirement, so if it suits you better to be at work while the job runs, that is fine. The one thing worth settling before the first morning is how we get in.
How soon can a room be used after painting?
Most interior latex paint is dry to the touch inside an hour or two and ready for its next coat after about four. The room comes back into normal use well before it is fully hard, so the usual advice is to allow 24 hours before furniture goes back against the walls, and closer to 48 in a humid stretch or a room with little air movement. Full cure is the slower half. Paint carries on hardening for up to about a month after it looks finished, which is the window to go easy on scrubbing and on pressing anything flat against a wall. Temperature, humidity and the product itself all move these numbers, so treat them as the general shape rather than a promise about your room.
What are your hours?
Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Saturday, 9:00am to 3:00pm. The estimate form takes a request at any hour. Commercial work is a separate matter, and it can run in the evening or at the weekend where the space cannot close during the day.
When is the best time of year for exterior painting in northern Delaware?
Spring through late fall carries most of it. That is the stretch where nights stay warm enough and where a wall gets time to dry out between one rain and the next. Either end of that window still works, it simply leans harder on the forecast, and a wet run of days can push a start date back. The same applies over the line in Chester County and Delaware County. Interior work has none of those constraints, which is why the inside of the house is the winter job and the outside waits on the weather.
Do you offer low-VOC and zero-VOC paint?
Yes, both. Low-VOC and zero-VOC paint are available on any job where you ask for them, and asking early is what makes it simple. Raise it while the work is still being looked at, and the material sits in the written proposal alongside the rest of the specification instead of being changed once the job has started. It is offered on interior work, in commercial spaces and on a new build.
Is drywall repair the same as drywall hang and finish?
No, and the two are quoted separately. Drywall repair is remedial. A wall is already up, something has damaged it, and the work is filling it, matching the texture and blending the finish into what surrounds it. Drywall hang and finish is construction. The framing is open, the board goes up, and it is taped and finished ready for paint. If the wall already exists, you want the first one.
Do you offer financing?
Yes, financing is available.
Get a free estimate
Tell us about the project. We assess it in person, or online when that suits the job, and your written proposal follows promptly. Call or use the form, whichever is easier.