Professional Exterior House Painters in Crystal Lake, IL
Siding, trim, doors, shutters and garage doors, prepped for Illinois winters. We fix what last winter opened up before any color goes on.
Free written estimate · no pressure
Free estimate
Itemized, in writing
Two coats
Brand & line named
Clean every day
Floors & furniture covered
2-yr warranty
In writing
Exterior House Painting Company in Crystal Lake, IL and Surrounding Areas
Level Best Painting paints house exteriors in Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, Crystal Lake and the rest of the northwest suburbs. We're run from Huntley, with our office in Crystal Lake. We paint everything from 1950s ranches to newer two-story homes in big subdivisions, and each one gets prep that fits its siding.
Northern Illinois is rough on paint. Water gets into small cracks, freezes, expands and pushes the paint off. A few winters of that and you get peeling trim and open joints. That's why most of an exterior job is prep. If a bid is a lot cheaper than ours, it's worth asking which prep steps got left out.
Full-Service Exterior House Painting
Every exterior gets the same order of work. We wash the house and let it dry. We scrape and sand failing paint back to a sound edge, spot-prime bare wood and cut out and re-caulk open joints. Then we put on two coats of 100% acrylic exterior paint. Your windows, walkways and plants stay covered while we work.
- Low-pressure wash with mildew treatment
- Scrape, sand and spot-prime bare wood
- Re-caulk joints, seams and trim gaps
- Siding, trim, soffits and fascia
- Front doors, shutters and garage doors
- Two coats of 100% acrylic, brand and line on your estimate
Full Exterior Repaints
A full repaint covers the body of the house, the trim and the details. We start by walking the house with you, side by side, and pointing out what's failing and why. The south and west sides usually take the most sun and need the most work. The north side often has mildew.
On paint day we brush and roll where it matters and spray and back-roll where that gives a better coat. We only paint when the surface temperature, the overnight low and the humidity are right for the paint we're using. If the weather turns, we wait. Painting in bad conditions is how good paint fails early.
Siding & Trim
Homes around here are built from a lot of different materials. Vinyl two-stories where the trim, doors and shutters carry the color. Aluminum-sided ranches from the 50s and 60s. Cedar homes out toward Barrington and along the Fox River. Newer fiber cement. Each one preps and paints a little differently.
Aluminum needs its chalky film washed off and a bonding primer. Cedar needs mildew treatment and the right primer so tannins don't bleed through. Vinyl can be painted, but only with a vinyl-safe color no darker than the original, or the panels can warp in the sun. We'll tell you what your siding needs at the estimate.
Brick Painting
Painting brick is a big decision because it's hard to undo. Once it's painted, it stays painted. Some homeowners only want a dated brick front or chimney brought up to date. Others want the whole house done. Either way, we'll talk it through honestly before you commit.
Brick has to be clean and dry, and any loose mortar should be fixed by a mason first. We use a masonry primer and a paint made for brick that lets moisture out instead of trapping it. Trapped moisture is what makes painted brick peel and flake after a winter or two.
Doors, Shutters & Garage Doors
Sometimes the siding is fine and only the details look tired. A fresh front door, shutters and garage door can change how a house looks from the street for a lot less than a full repaint. These are some of the most common smaller exterior jobs we do.
Front doors get sanded, primed where needed and finished in a durable exterior enamel. Shutters come down when they can so we can paint every side. Steel garage doors get cleaned, primed where they're rusting and painted in a color that can handle the sun. We mask the hardware and weatherstripping.
Protecting Your Home While We Work
A good exterior job shouldn't leave any sign we were there except the new color. We mask windows, light fixtures and hardware. We cover walkways, decks and the roof edge where we're working, and we lay drop cloths over plants and landscaping.
The site gets tidied every day and cleaned all the way at the end. Paint chips from scraping get picked up, not left in your mulch. When we're done, we walk the whole house with you and touch up anything we missed before we pack up.
The Illinois Exterior Painting Season
Exterior paint needs warm surfaces, mild nights and humidity low enough for the paint to cure. In northern Illinois that means a real season, about May to early October. June through September is the most dependable stretch, and September is often the most reliable month of all.
Every painter in the area works the same window, so summer dates fill up fast. The smart move is to get your estimate in late winter and lock in a date by spring. We watch the forecast and dew points in the days before your job and move the start if conditions aren't right.
Your Free Consultation
- 1
Free Estimate
We come out, look at the job with you, and you get a written, itemized price. No pressure.
- 2
Color Selection & Schedule
Pick your colors. We can help if you want it. Then we set a start date and tell you who's coming.
- 3
Prep, Paint & Clean-Up
Our crew covers your floors, furniture and landscaping, does the prep right, puts on two coats, and cleans up every day.
- 4
Final Walk-Through
We walk the job with you before we call it done. If something isn't right, we fix it.
Exterior House Painters You Can Count On
- Free written, itemized estimate
- Paint brand and line named on the estimate
- Two coats
- Floors, furniture and landscaping covered
- Clean up every day
- Final walk-through with you
- Locally owned, not a franchise
- 2-year workmanship warranty in writing
Why Choose Level Best Painting
We're a local company, not a franchise, and we call you back within 24 hours. You get a written, itemized estimate that breaks out the prep by side of the house, the number of coats and the paint brand and line. You can compare it line by line with anyone else's.
Our crews treat your property with care. We cover plants, walkways and decks, mask windows and fixtures and clean up the site every day. When the paint's done, we walk all the way around the house with you. If anything isn't right, we fix it before we leave.
Contact Our Exterior House Painters Today
Send the form or call. We call back within 24 hours and set up a time to see the job. Get My Free Estimate →
Exterior House Painting: Common Questions
When is the right time to paint a house exterior here?
About May to early October, with June through September the most reliable. Summer dates book up by spring, so reach out in late winter if you want a good pick of dates.
How long does an exterior paint job take?
Most single-family homes take about a week of working days, weather permitting. That covers washing and drying, prep and two coats. Bigger homes, heavy peeling and cedar siding add time.
Why is my paint peeling after only a few winters?
Usually the prep was rushed, or water got behind the paint through failed caulk and freeze/thaw pushed it off. When we repaint, we remove the failing paint, fix where the water is getting in, prime and then paint.
Do you power wash first?
Yes, every time. We use low pressure with a cleaner and mildew treatment, not a blast that tears up the wood. Paint won't stick to chalk, dirt or mildew, so washing is step one.
Can you paint vinyl or aluminum siding?
Yes. Aluminum gets washed and primed with a bonding primer. Vinyl can be painted with a vinyl-safe color that's no darker than the original, so the panels don't warp in the heat.
Do you help with HOA color approval?
Yes. We can work from your association's approved colors and give you a color sheet to send to the board with your estimate. That comes up a lot in Huntley, Lake in the Hills and Algonquin subdivisions.
How long should an exterior paint job last here?
With real prep and a quality acrylic, a good exterior job holds up for many years in this climate. How long depends on your siding, how much sun each side gets and the color. Prep and caulk matter more than anything else.
My house was built before 1978. Does that change anything?
Yes, and it should. Federal EPA rules (the Renovation, Repair and Painting rule) require lead-safe work practices whenever more than a small area of pre-1978 paint is disturbed. At the estimate we'll tell you plainly which parts of your project fall under those rules and how we'll handle them. No painter should be scraping old paint without that conversation, so ask anyone you get a bid from the same question.
Our Other Services
Interior House Painting
Walls, ceilings, trim and doors, prepped right.
Cabinet Painting
Sprayed, smooth finish on the cabinets you already own.
Deck & Fence Staining
Washed, prepped and stained to hold up to snow.
Drywall Repair
Patched, textured and painted so the repair disappears.
Commercial Painting
Offices, retail, HOA and multifamily.
Interior Commercial Painting
Offices, suites and common areas, around your hours.
Exterior Commercial Painting
Storefronts, buildings and HOA exteriors.
Proudly Serving McHenry, Kane, Lake & Northwest Cook Counties
Run from Huntley, with our office in Crystal Lake. Pick your town to see what we do there.