Painting & Finishing — Muskoka & Georgian BayFinishes that survive the lake.
Starting from — our real book rate
What a finish costs here
$3.50/ sq ft + HST
Typical project $900 – $1,800200–400 sq ft of deck — washed, sanded & stained
05 specs00 photographs on file
Custom painting in Gravenhurst, Port Sydney & across cottage country
Sheet A-207 — The work
Painting done properly
Exterior staining and painting north of Barrie is a different sport: UV off the water, humidity, and long winters. We prep properly — wash, sand, prime — and use coating systems matched to the surface, so cedar stays rich and trim stays crisp for years, not seasons.
Specification — Painting
- A-207.01Exterior staining for cedar siding, decks, and log homes
- A-207.02Interior painting with cottage-schedule flexibility (we work while you're away)
- A-207.03Surface-matched systems: solid stain, translucent, marine-grade where it counts
- A-207.04Full prep every time — the finish is only as good as what's under it
- A-207.05Deck refinishing and restoration packages
The question — What gets coated
Stain or paint — and what's under it?
Prep is in every rate above — wash, drying time, sanding — because the finish is only as good as what is under it.
Sheet A-207 — rates from the bookPer unit
Exterior staining
$3.50/ sq ftSiding and log walls, per coat, with the prep in the rate.
Deck refinish
$4.50/ sq ftWash, sand and stain — the full deck refinish.
Interior walls and trim
$4.50/ sq ftOn a cottage schedule: we work while you're away and send photos as rooms finish.
Two-person crew, day rate
$1,150/ dayFor odd or mixed scopes that don't measure cleanly.
Book rates, supplied and installed. Your written quote is measured from your site and shows HST as its own line.
Sheet A-207 — Process note
How we approach a finish
Prep is the job; the coating is just the visible end of it. Every exterior starts with a wash and a dry spell, then sanding back anything loose or glossy, then masking that respects your gardens and your stone. Coatings go on inside their temperature and moisture windows — a stain applied to damp wood in October fails by June, and we won't do it. Interiors run on cottage schedules: we work while you are away and send photos as rooms finish.
Materials we trust
Penetrating stains for cedar and log — they wear away instead of peeling off, which matters when re-coat time comes. Solid, semi-transparent, or translucent, depending on how much grain you want to see and how much maintenance you will accept. Marine-grade products where the work faces the water hardest. On interiors, scrubbable low-sheen finishes that survive a cottage full of summer.
Sheet A-207 — Site conditions
Before we can put a number on it
Four things decide a painting quote. We walk them with you on site — bring what you have and we'll find the rest.
Wash, dry, sand, mask — then coat. Prep is the job; the coating is just the visible end of it.
No self-serve estimate
A finish is priced off measured surfaces and the state of what is already on them, so it starts with a look rather than a slider.
- A-207.01The wood
- Dry, and clean. Stain over mill glaze, dirt or damp wood has nothing to hold onto; that is why we check the wood before we open a can.
- A-207.02The forecast
- Temperatures inside the product's window, with time to cure before dew or rain. We would rather move your dates than apply a finish the weather will take back.
- A-207.03The season
- Exterior season here is realistically May through October, which is why it books up early.
- A-207.04The finish
- Solid, semi-transparent or translucent, depending on how much grain you want to see and how much maintenance you will accept.
Record photographs — Painting
Painting — no plates on file yet
We photograph work as jobs wrap up, and no painting plates have been filed yet. The rest of the book is open — decks, stonework, fences, siding and restoration are all photographed on the properties they were built for.
Sequence of work — 04 steps
Four steps, one point of contact
- 01Survey
Quote
We visit, measure, and send a written quote with HST shown — price honoured as quoted.
- 02Prep
Design & materials
We settle the layout together and price your material options side by side.
- 03Build
Build
One crew, a scheduled start date, and a tidy site every day we're on it.
- 04Finish
Walkthrough
We walk the finished work with you — it isn't done until you say it is.
We build painting across Gravenhurst, Port Sydney, Utterson, Windermere, and Rosseau — and everywhere north of Barrie. See our full service area.
Cost schedule — real book rates
What a finish costs here
Exterior staining runs $28 a square foot per coat, prep included. A full deck refinish — wash, sand, and stain — is $35 a square foot. Interior painting of walls and trim is $32 a square foot. For odd or mixed scopes we quote a two-person crew at $1,150 a day. These are our real book rates. Your written quote is measured from your site and shows HST as its own line.
Straight answers
Questions we get about painting
Stain or paint on cedar?
Stain, almost always. Paint sits on wood as a film, and films on exterior cedar eventually crack and peel — then every re-coat starts with scraping. Penetrating stain soaks in and wears away gradually, so maintenance is a wash and a fresh coat, not a rescue. Paint has its place on trim and doors. On cedar walls and decks we steer you to stain.
How often will I be doing this again?
It depends on the product and the exposure, and anyone quoting one number for the whole cottage is guessing. Translucent finishes show wear soonest; solid stains go longest. South-facing and water-facing sides age fastest — UV off the lake is real. We tell you the expected cycle for the system you pick, and it is an honest number, not a hopeful one.
Can you do the work while we're away?
That is how most of our cottage interiors happen. We schedule around your season, work while the cottage is empty, and send photos as the work moves. You come up to a finished, aired-out cottage, not a tarped one.
My last stain failed in two years. Why?
Nine times out of ten: prep, moisture, or the wrong product — often all three. Stain over mill glaze, dirt, or damp wood has nothing to hold onto. That is why our price includes washing, drying time, and sanding, and why we check the wood before we open a can. The finish is only as good as what is under it.
What weather do you need?
Dry wood, a dry forecast, and temperatures inside the product's window, with time to cure before dew or rain. Exterior season here is realistically May through October, which is why it books up early. We would rather move your dates than apply a finish the weather will take back.
Sheet A-500 — Request for quote
Get a number you can hold us to.
No obligation. A written quote with HST shown — price honoured as quoted.