Cicarelli Contractors is a painting contractor for Bay Area homes, providing interior and exterior house painting: walls, ceilings, trim, doors and cabinets inside, and siding, stucco, brick and wood outside. Most of the job is preparation, so surfaces are protected, repaired and primed before the first coat goes on.
Interior and exterior painting
Interior painting covers walls, ceilings, trim, doors and cabinets, from a single room to a whole house. Exterior painting covers siding, stucco, brick and wood trim, and protects them from sun, fog and winter rain. Both depend on the same thing: a clean, sound, primed surface under the paint.
That is why good house painters spend most of a job before painting. Furniture and floors are covered, loose paint is scraped, cracks and holes are filled, glossy surfaces are sanded and bare spots are primed. Skipping those steps is what makes new paint peel or show every flaw within a season.
Many Bay Area homes were built before 1978, when lead paint was still in use. On those houses, paint-disturbing work follows federal lead-safe rules, and Oakland adds its own permit. Painting often finishes a kitchen or bathroom remodel, and we serve homes from San Francisco and Oakland to San Jose and Walnut Creek.
Six Google reviews quoted word for word about how our team works at customers' homes. None mentions a painting job yet. Swipe or use the arrows.
Athalyson did great work at my house and backyard. Very happy with the result. Highly recommend.
If I had another project, I wouldn't think twice and they would hire them again because they are clean people at work, flexible with hours and very professional.
Great Job. Good communication. Hard working crew.
We had a good experience with the company, the team was professional and made us feel confident about it. The job was done on time. Definetely would recomend their services!
Excellent job and ZERO complaint. The project was done on time.
This Company is amazing there work is Better then I could have imagined! and there employees the nicest!
Painting services
Inside, outside or both. Each one starts with the prep the surface needs.
Interior painting for walls, ceilings, trim and doors, one room or the whole house, with furniture and floors protected throughout.
Exterior house painting for siding, stucco, brick and wood, scraped, repaired and primed first so the new coats hold up to Bay Area weather.
Kitchen and bathroom cabinet painting as a lower-cost alternative to replacement, with doors cleaned, sanded and primed first.
Color consultation that weighs your existing finishes, light and the mood you want, so you choose a palette before the first coat.
Replacing the cabinets instead of painting them? See kitchen remodeling.
Why prep matters
Paint sticks only as well as the surface under it. These steps are what separate a finish that lasts from one that peels.
Opening walls as part of a remodel? Painting is the last step of our remodeling projects.
Painting step by step
The coats you see take the least time; the prep underneath takes the most.
Start With A Free EstimateWe walk the rooms or exterior, help with colors and write the estimate.
Floors and furniture are covered, trim is taped and loose paint is scraped.
Cracks and holes are filled, sanded and primed so the finish is even.
Lines along ceilings, trim and corners are brushed by hand.
Walls get even coats, with drying time between them.
We remove tape, touch up, clean and walk the job with you.
Pricing
Painting cost follows the surface area and the prep it needs. These are the items we measure.
Square footage of walls, ceilings and siding.
Peeling, cracks and repairs before painting.
Doors, windows, cabinets and decorative trim.
Color changes and how many coats coverage needs.
Two-story walls, stairwells and ladders.
Lead-safe practices and permits before 1978.
Planning a bigger change first? Our kitchen remodel value guide may help, or send photos for a written painting estimate. Get a written quote
Permits and rules
Usually not; Oakland and Berkeley list painting as exempt work. The exception is an older home: in Oakland, painting that disturbs paint on a building from before 1978 needs a lead-based paint permit, and federal rules require a lead-safe certified firm for paid work.
A painting-only job falls under the C-33 specialty license; a B general contractor takes one only with that license or a licensed C-33 subcontractor, per the CSLB.
House painting answers
Homeowners searching for house painters near me or a local painting contractor ask what an interior paint job costs, whether inside or outside is cheaper, when to paint and what changes on an older home. These answers come from how we paint and from federal and Oakland rules.
The floor area is only a starting point. The real figure depends on wall and ceiling square footage, ceiling height, how much trim and how many doors there are, the repairs needed, color changes that take extra coats and whether the home was built before 1978. A walkthrough or photos give a written number.
We price walls, ceilings, trim and cabinets on separate lines.
It depends on the house. Exterior jobs often need more prep, ladders or lifts for height and weather windows, while interiors carry more trim, doors and furniture to protect. A single room is far smaller than a whole exterior, but a full interior with every ceiling and door can rival it.
Pricing both in one estimate shows the real comparison for your home.
For exteriors in the Bay Area, the dry months from late spring into fall are best, because paint needs dry siding and mild temperatures to cure. Fog, morning dew and winter rain shorten the working day. Interior painting can be done any time of year with good ventilation.
We schedule exterior work around the forecast and surface moisture.
For a whole room or house, a price for the job is easier to compare than a day rate, because it fixes the scope: which walls, ceilings, trim and doors, how much prep and how many coats. A day rate leaves the total open if the work runs long. Ask any painter to put the full scope in writing.
Our painting estimates are written per job, with each surface on its own line.
Yes, for pay. Federal rules require a firm paid to disturb paint in a home built before 1978 to be EPA lead-safe certified and to follow lead-safe work practices. In Oakland, that work also needs a city lead-based paint permit. Ask any painter for their firm certificate before work starts.
Details are on the EPA RRP program page.
| Painting situation | Official rule |
|---|---|
| Painting, most homes | Exempt from a building permit in Oakland (city page) |
| Paint disturbed, pre-1978 building | Lead-based paint permit in Oakland (city page) |
| Paid work on a pre-1978 home | EPA lead-safe certified firm (EPA) |
| Up to 6 sq ft inside or 20 sq ft outside | Minor repair under the EPA rule (EPA) |
| Painting-only contract | C-33 license or licensed C-33 subcontractor (CSLB) |
Summarized from the official pages linked above.
Updated · By Athalyson Bernardo, Owner of Cicarelli Contractors · CSLB #1109419
FAQ
Send photos of the rooms or the outside of the house, the year it was built if you know it and the colors you have in mind, and we will reply with a written estimate. Our phones are open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm.
Call (650) 404-7049Yes. As a painting contractor, inside we paint walls, ceilings, trim, doors and cabinets; outside we paint siding, stucco, brick and wood trim. You can book one or both, and pricing them together in one estimate makes it easy to compare and to schedule the exterior for dry weather.
Yes. Color consultation is part of our painting service. We look at your floors, cabinets, furniture and the light in each room, then suggest a palette. Testing samples on the actual wall before the full job is the best way to avoid surprises.
If the cabinet boxes are solid and the layout works, painting can refresh a kitchen or bathroom for much less than new cabinets. The finish lasts when doors are cleaned, sanded and primed first. If the boxes are damaged or the layout is changing, a remodel makes more sense.
Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint, and federal rules require paint-disturbing work there to follow lead-safe practices by a certified firm. In Oakland a city lead-based paint permit applies too. Tell us the year your home was built when you request an estimate.
Move small items, valuables and anything fragile. We move or cluster larger furniture away from the walls and cover it, along with the floors and fixtures. Exterior jobs need clear access around the house, so moving planters and outdoor furniture helps.
Call or text (650) 404-7049, Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm, or send photos through the free estimate form. Include the year the house was built if you know it. A written, itemized painting estimate follows within 24 hours of the photos or the walkthrough.
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