A clean finish. Kept in the loop. Done when he said it would be.
Gliding Brush is Keith. One painter, one house at a time, inside and out. The person who picks up the phone is the person who does the walkthrough, and the person holding the brush.
Three things come up in every review. They happen to be the three things you worry about.
Speed, without the corners cut
A basement in a day sounds like a boast until you watch how it happens: the job gets planned properly, the prep gets done first, and nobody vanishes halfway through to start someone else's house. Keith works one place at a time, so the job that started on Monday is the job he's on come Wednesday.
from a dark purple to a warm cream in 24 hoursSarah Leddin
You always know what's happening
One number, one person. You hear when he's coming, what he found once the furniture moved, and what's left to do. No dispatcher, no crew you've never met turning up in a van, no wondering whether today is a painting day.
arrived when he said he would, and kept me informed throughout the jobDave Reid
Straight lines, clean edges
Where the wall meets the ceiling. Where the trim meets the floor. The awkward strip behind a radiator and the door frame that hasn't been square since 1962. Precision is the whole difference between a room that has been painted and a room that looks finished.
dependable and preciseJoanne Dormody
Inside
Interior painting
Walls, ceilings, trim, doors, feature walls and basements. Furniture moved and covered, floors protected, switch plates off, and the room put back the way it was before he leaves.
Interior work
Outside
Exterior painting
Siding, trim, porches and front doors. Washed down, scraped and primed where it needs it, then painted in a proper run of Nova Scotia weather rather than squeezed in before rain.
Exterior workDark purple. Warm cream. One day.
Going several shades lighter is the hardest thing to ask of a wall. It needs the right primer, enough coats, and someone who knows when the first one is actually dry. Sarah's basement went the whole way in twenty-four hours.
Keith took out basement from a dark purple to a warm cream in 24 hours. He did a great job, was easy to communicate with and professional. Will use him again in the future.Sarah Leddin · Five stars
The panel opposite is a drawing of that change, not a photograph of Sarah's basement. The two colours are the ones she describes.
Bring the chips home. Keith will tell you which one works.
Halifax light does strange things to paint. A north-facing room pulls the grey out of everything, a south-facing one warms it up two shades, and a basement with two small windows is a different problem again. A chip that looked perfect under the shop lights can look like putty on your wall.
Warm creamLifts a dark room without going cold
A screen is not a wall — these are indicative only. Pick two or three you like, tape the real chips up, and leave them a day. Then talk them through on the walkthrough, before you commit to five litres of it.
Four steps, and you're in the room for two of them.
Nothing about painting a house should be a mystery. Here is what actually happens between the phone call and the furniture going back.
The walkthrough and the colours
Keith comes round, looks at every room on the list, and tells you what he would do. If you're stuck between two shades, he'll say which one holds up in that light. You get a price for the whole job before anything starts.
Prep and masking
Furniture into the middle and covered, floors down, trim and switch plates masked, nail holes filled and sanded flat. This is the unglamorous part that decides what the finish looks like in six months.
Paint
Edges cut in by brush, walls rolled out, and back for a second coat once the first is properly dry rather than nearly dry. Doors and windows go on last so nothing sticks shut overnight.
The walkthrough, again
Tape off, furniture back, and the two of you go round the rooms together in daylight. Anything you're not happy with gets sorted there and then, not on a list for another week.
Five stars, four times over.
Four reviews, all of them five stars. It's a small sample and we're not going to pretend otherwise — but read them and you'll notice they all say the same three things.
“I recently hired this company to paint my house and was very impressed with both the quality of the work and the professionalism of Keith. He was reliable, arrived when he said he would, and kept me informed throughout the job. The work was completed to a high standard, and I would recommend his company to anyone looking for a dependable painter who takes pride in doing the job well.”
“Keith took out basement from a dark purple to a warm cream in 24 hours. He did a great job, was easy to communicate with and professional. Will use him again in the future.”
“Been using Keith for a few year's now and there is no one I trust more with my home! Great personable guy, dependable and precise. I have already recommended to all my friends and they will all say the same!”
Reviews from the Gliding Brush Facebook page, quoted word for word.
Rooms, trim and front doors.
These photographs show the kind of work Keith does. Ask him for recent local references and he'll point you at real jobs nearby.
The questions people ask first
Do I need to move all the furniture out?
How long does a room take?
Can you paint outside in Nova Scotia?
Do you supply the paint?
Do you do just one room, or does it have to be the whole house?
A quick note is usually enough.
Roughly what needs doing and roughly when. Keith will come back to arrange a walkthrough — or just call, which is faster.
Tell Keith what you're painting.
A quick call is usually enough to know whether it's a day, a week, or something to book for the spring.