Painters — National Directory (4,989 verified pros across 35 states)
What they do
Interior and exterior residential and commercial painting.
When to call
- Interior repaint with prep, primer, and two-coat finish.
- Exterior repaint with power-wash, scrape, prime, and two-coat finish.
- Cabinet refinishing or vanity respray.
- Wallpaper removal and surface prep.
- EPA RRP-certified work on pre-1978 homes.
Typical cost range (national)
Cost-guide coverage for painters is still being aggregated; check the per-state pages for local pricing once your state launches.
License expectations
This trade is rarely state-licensed; rely on insurance, manufacturer authorization, and written warranty as the trust signals.
Top states by pro count
- 1.Washington2,388
- 2.California650
- 3.Nevada506
- 4.Iowa371
- 5.Ohio342
- 6.Arkansas271
- 7.Alabama124
- 8.Oregon104
- 9.New York42
- 10.Louisiana36
Emergency / 24-hour availability
Emergency-availability data is still being aggregated for painters. Call the state board or the pro directly to confirm 24-hour service before relying on it.
What painters earn (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Workers in the Painting and Wall Covering Contractors industry (NAICS 238320) earned an average of $59K/year (about $1.1K/week), across roughly 31,348 establishments nationwide employing about 151,971 people.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) 2024 — average industry wage, not a price to hire. This is what people employed in the trade are paid, not what a homeowner pays for a job (for typical project cost, see the cost guides above and the per-state cost pages).
Browse painters by state
Every state below has a live ProFix hub. Open it to drill into metros and cities, see license-linked pros, and — where the board check is wired — confirm active license status. Counts are verified painters from the national gold-tier roster.
- Washington2,388
- California650
- Nevada506
- Iowa371
- Ohio342
- Arkansas271
- Alabama124
- Oregon104
- New York42
- Louisiana36
These are the top 10 of 35 states with verified painters. Want every state? See the national coverage matrix for per-state pro counts and data depth, pick any state on the find-a-pro-near-you page, or describe your job to get matched from any state.
Ohio worked example: Painters in Ohio
Ohio is our launch state, so it's the one place where we can show the full depth — a ranked Ohio pro list, a public-permit leaderboard, state-licensing detail, and real Ohio cost guides. Treat everything in this section as an Ohio example of how ProFix verifies a trade, not as a national claim. We're building this same depth out state by state.
Hiring checks for Ohio painters
- Painting is not state-licensed in Ohio, but EPA RRP certification matters when pre-1978 paint will be disturbed.
- A credible quote names prep, primer, paint brand, coats, repairs, masking, cleanup, warranty, and payment schedule.
- Avoid full-deposit demands and vague promises about prep; finish durability depends on surface prep.
- Lead-safe documentation should be available before scraping, sanding, or demolition in older homes.
Top 10 verified painter contractors in Ohio
Our Ohio launch-state pros, sorted by ProFix Trust Score, which weighs verification tier, license evidence, permit-pull signals, and recency. Trust Score is not paid placement — read the methodology before hiring. For another state, use “Browse painters by state” above.
- 1. Quality Exterior and RestorationDayton, OH25
- 2. 100 Percent Quality LLCCleveland, OH10
- 3. 360 Painting of ToledoToledo, OH10
- 4. Aaron's PaintingToledo, OH10
- 5. Accent Home Improvement, Inc.Alliance, OH10
- 6. Advanced Roofing LLCDayton, OH10
- 7. All Shades Painting And Construction LLCMarietta, OH10
- 8. Allure Painting, LLCLakewood, OH10
- 9. AlphaOne Exteriors, LLCDayton, OH10
- 10. Anro Builders, LLCDayton, OH10
Permit-pull leaderboard
ProFix ranks Ohio painters by the number of public building permits pulled in the last 365 days. This is a proof-of-work trust signal that no other directory exposes. Sourced from Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton County permit data — real public-record permits only, with coverage of additional counties in progress.
Buyer's guide
The ProFix Editorial Team published a long-form Ohio buyer's guide for this trade. It covers the full hiring process — license check, written scope, permit responsibility, payment schedule, change-order rules, warranty terms, and red flags.
How to choose a painter in OhioA practical Ohio homeowner guide to hiring a painter: EPA RRP for pre-1978 homes, PCA credentials, surface prep, written warranty, lead-safe practices, deposits, and pricing.1,586 words · Published 2026-05-24What's licensed in Ohio for this trade
Ordinary painting is not state-licensed in Ohio, but EPA RRP certification is required when renovation work disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing. The trust signals are lead-safe documentation where applicable, surface-prep scope, paint system, warranty terms, insurance, and a payment schedule that does not demand the full job up front.
Pricing in Ohio
Aggregated from ProFix Ohio cost guides for this trade. Range covers the lowest typical job start ($350) through the highest typical premium job ($10,000). Always confirm scope-by-scope before signing.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost to repaint one room in Toledo? | $350 | $600 | $900 |
| How much does exterior house painting cost in Toledo? | $3,000 | $6,500 | $10,000 |
| How much does trim-only painting cost in Toledo? | $800 | $1,500 | $2,500 |
| How much does cabinet repainting cost in Toledo? | $1,500 | $3,000 | $4,500 |
AI-agent endpoints
ProFix exposes machine-readable endpoints for AI agents, journalists, and partner integrations. These three feeds are scoped to this trade and are CC-BY-4.0 with 1-hour cache.
- /api/embed/painting-cleveland.jsonTop 5 verified painters for cleveland. Swap the metro slug for any other Ohio metro.
- /api/permit-leaderboard.json?trade=paintingPermit-pull leaderboard scoped to painters, last 365 days, across all four ProFix permit-data counties.
- /api/jsonld/faq-trade-paintingSchema.org FAQPage graph for this trade — same questions as below, ready for grounding in an AI search index.
- /api/mcpStreamable-HTTP MCP server — 46 tools including find_pros, get_pro, list_taxonomy, and triage_symptom. Use from Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT desktop, Perplexity, or a custom agent.
Frequently asked: Ohio painters
Are painters state-licensed in Ohio?
No. Ordinary painting is not state-licensed, but EPA RRP certification is required when renovation work disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing.
What should a painting quote include?
Prep, repairs, caulk, sanding, primer, paint brand, number of coats, masking, cleanup, warranty, payment schedule, and lead-safe documentation when RRP applies.
How much deposit is normal?
A modest deposit for scheduling and materials can be normal. Full payment before work starts is a red flag, especially when prep and warranty terms are vague.
How do I verify EPA RRP?
Ask for the firm certification and the certified renovator responsible for the job, plus the lead-safe work practices and documentation you will receive.
Hand the question to your preferred assistant — it will use ProFix Directory's open MCP server and llms.txt as context.
Related
Primary metro
Compare ProFix-verified painters mapped to the strongest metro for this trade.
/metro/clevelandTrust Score explainer
Long-form, homeowner-friendly walkthrough of the 0-100 ProFix Trust Score.
/trust-score