Tucson, Arizona

Painting and roof coats for the Tucson sun.

We're a small crew here in Tucson. The person who prices your job is the same one on site while it's being done.

Free estimates, good for 30 daysOwner on site, start to finishFixed price, in writing

Brushes, rollers and tape laid out ready on a drop cloth
Why us

Most people who call us have had a bad time with a contractor before.

Somebody came out, promised a bid, and never sent it. Or a crew showed up for two days and then vanished onto another job for a week. It happens enough that people expect it.

We keep the company small so it can't. We walk every estimate ourselves, we write down what was agreed, and we're on site while the work is happening. When you call the number on this page, you get the people doing the work.

The other thing worth saying is that out here you are not really buying paint, or coating. You are buying the prep underneath it. Sun and monsoon are what pull a finish apart in Tucson, and both of them go straight for the spot that got skipped. That's the slow part of the job, and it's the part that decides whether it still looks right in five years. We'd rather spend the extra day than come back.

  • Two coats. Always.
  • Everything masked before the first tool comes out.
  • Cleaned up at the end of every day.
  • The price doesn't move unless you say so, in writing.
  • We walk it together before we send an invoice.
What we do

Two things, and that's on purpose

Paint and roof coating are the same job in two places: clean it, fix it, then put a film on it thick enough to survive out here. If you need something outside those two, we'll say so and point you at somebody who does it properly.

Trade oneA freshly coated stucco wall in low sun

Painting

Inside, it's the furniture moved and wrapped and the floors covered before anything is opened, then two full coats cut in by hand rather than trusting tape. Outside, everything gets washed, patched and primed first, and the product is picked by which way the wall faces.

Covers walls, ceilings, closets, trim and doors inside. Stucco, block, siding, fascia and steel outside. Cabinets too, sanded and sprayed in place.

Trade twoA flat desert roof after a bright white coating, seen from above

Roof coats

Flat and low-slope roofs, washed down and left to dry properly. Then the seams, parapets and penetrations get detailed by hand before a drop of coating goes out across the field, and the field goes on at the thickness the manufacturer asks for. We recoat roofs. We don't re-roof them.

Covers foam and built-up roofs, and the bright white finish that keeps the roof from sitting there holding the afternoon heat.

The process

How a job actually goes

01 First

We come and look

At the whole property, not just the one thing you called about. It costs nothing and there's nothing attached to it.

02 Then

You get it in writing

Every room and surface named, the prep spelled out, the number of coats, and one fixed price. Good for 30 days.

03 While we're there

The same crew, every morning

Covered up, done the way it's written down, and your house handed back to you every evening.

04 At the end

We walk it together

You point at anything you want fixed, we fix it, and then we send the invoice. Not before.

An empty room part way through a job, walls prepped
Questions
How do you price a job?

It comes down to size, the condition of what's already there, and how much prep sits in front of the finished work. A three bedroom repaint is a different job from the same house with a roof that also needs stripping back and coating. We'll come and look, and you'll have one fixed number in writing. That part costs nothing.

How soon can you start?

We can usually get out to look within a couple of days. Start dates depend on what's already booked, and you'll get the real one rather than an optimistic one.

Does my roof need a coating or a roofer?

We'll come and look, and we'll tell you either way. If the old coating has chalked, cracked or worn back in patches and the roof underneath is still sound, a recoat is the right call and it's the cheap moment to do it.

If water is already getting through the deck, or it's tile, shingle or anything structural, that's a roofer's job rather than ours. We'll say so rather than sell you a coat that won't fix it.

Can you do the painting and the roof on the same visit?

Yes, and it's the easier way round. One crew, one setup, one number, and one person to call if something isn't right afterward. Exteriors get washed before they're painted anyway, so a lot of the setup is already done by the time we get on the roof.

What do I need to do before you start?

Not much. We move the furniture, wrap it and put it back, and everything inside the work area gets masked before a lid comes off. If something is fragile or you'd rather nobody handled it, set it aside and we'll work around it. For roof work we just need access and the cars off the drive.

How does payment work?

There's a deposit line on every estimate, and on smaller jobs it's often zero. Whatever it is, you see it written down before you agree to anything, and what it buys is your start date on the calendar. The balance is due once the job is finished and we've walked it together.

Can you help me choose colors?

Yes. Picking off a two inch chip under store lighting is a bad way to decide, so we narrow it down and then paint real samples on your wall. You get to look at them in your own light, morning and evening, before anything is committed.

Can I supply my own paint?

You can. Two things worth knowing. Get it on site before we start and buy enough of it, because if we run out halfway down a wall the extra trip is real time and it goes on the invoice. And color, sheen and how well it covers come down to the product you picked rather than the work.

What should I get in writing before any work starts?

Three things, and you should ask them of anyone who quotes you. A scope that names the surfaces, the product and the number of coats. One fixed price. And the warranty on paper. You'll have all three from me before you spend a dollar.

We work across Tucson and Southern Arizona.

TucsonCatalina FoothillsOro ValleyMaranaDove MountainCasas AdobesTanque VerdeVailSahuaritaGreen ValleySaddleBrooke

If you're a little outside that, call anyway. It's usually a yes.

Get in touch

Tell us what needs doing.

Call, text or email us. We'll come out, have a proper look, and put a price in your hands. Free, and there's nothing attached to it.

Call or text us(520) 334-5691Emailrichardsoncopaint@gmail.com