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CMS Painting vs Phillips Painting

Sacramento Painting Contractors Comparison · Updated March 2026

Quick Verdict

An established contractor with proven customer feedback versus a veteran company with workers comp but minimal review history.

CMS Painting: CMS Painting brings 8 years of experience with strong customer reviews highlighting communication, cleanliness, and thorough preparation, but lacks workers compensation coverage.
Phillips Painting: Phillips Painting offers 39 years of licensed experience and carries workers compensation insurance, but has limited customer feedback available to assess current performance.
Note: CMS Painting's lack of workers compensation insurance means you could be liable if a worker is injured on your property.
CMS Painting Phillips Painting
Rating 5.0 2.8
Years Licensed 8 years 39 years
License # 1037871 506216
Workers' Comp ✓ Yes
Bond Amount $25,000 $25,000
Location Elk Grove, CA Orangevale, CA
Website www.phillipspaintingco.com

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Key Differences

The most critical difference is workers compensation insurance: Phillips Painting carries it, CMS Painting does not. Without workers comp, if a painter falls off a ladder at your home, your homeowner's insurance may be your only protection from liability claims. Beyond insurance, these companies differ in verifiable track record versus tenure. CMS Painting's 8 years is meaningful experience for residential painting, and their reviews consistently describe thorough preparation, efficient crews, responsive communication, and clean work practices. Phillips Painting's 39 years demonstrates staying power through market cycles and suggests deep technical knowledge for diagnosing substrate issues or handling complicated historic exteriors. However, the limited review history makes it harder to assess their current crew quality, communication style, or pricing competitiveness. Both carry the same $25,000 bond and serve nearby Sacramento County areas.

What Customers Say

CMS Painting

Customers consistently highlight CMS Painting's thorough preparation work, clean practices, efficient project completion, and responsive communication throughout the job.

Key Takeaway: CMS Painting has substantial documented customer feedback verifying current performance quality, while Phillips Painting's service approach requires direct reference checks due to limited review history.

Customer Reviews

CMS Painting

Jul 2025

CMS Painting truly excels in exterior house painting, transforming homes with a fresh and durable finish. Their attention to detail in preparation, from thorough cleaning to meticulous taping, ensures...

Nov 2024

Carlos and his crew were amazing! Very professional. Painted my interior walls. They look great. Cleaned up afterwards and moved my furniture. Highly recommend them. Thanks for a great job.

Jan 2024

CMS did an amazing job with our interior paint. They were not only fast but clean which we loved. Definitely recommend them for your paint projects.

Phillips Painting

Nov 2024

Your painter Luis did a wonderful job painting today on 25th street

Consider CMS Painting if...

  • You want documented evidence of work quality, with multiple customers specifically praising preparation thoroughness, cleanup practices, and project communication
  • Your project is straightforward residential painting where 8 years of experience is sufficient for quality execution
  • You're willing to verify your homeowner's insurance covers contractor injuries and accept that liability risk in exchange for a contractor with proven recent performance
  • Responsive communication and follow-up are priorities, as reviews consistently mention CMS Painting's reliability in this area
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Consider Phillips Painting if...

  • Your project involves older construction, historic materials, or potential hidden complications where 39 years of experience provides valuable diagnostic judgment
  • Workers compensation coverage is non-negotiable for you, eliminating personal liability if someone is injured during your project
  • You're comfortable selecting a contractor with limited recent customer feedback and will rely on direct references and your own vetting
  • You prefer a contractor who has maintained continuous licensing through nearly four decades of industry and regulatory changes
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Questions to Ask Before Hiring

  • Ask CMS Painting about their liability insurance limits and confirm with your homeowner's insurance whether you're covered if a worker is injured on your property
  • Ask Phillips Painting for references from projects completed in the past 12-24 months to assess current service quality and communication style
  • Ask Phillips Painting how long their current crew has worked together and what their typical project timeline looks like
  • Ask both contractors for detailed preparation processes specific to your surface conditions and how they handle unexpected substrate issues

The Bottom Line

If you need workers compensation coverage for liability protection and your project involves older construction or potential complications, Phillips Painting's 39 years of experience and proper insurance justify the extra effort to obtain recent references. However, if your project is straightforward residential painting and you can verify your homeowner's insurance covers contractor injuries, CMS Painting offers documented evidence of quality preparation, efficient completion, responsive communication, and clean work practices. For most standard residential repaints where you can accept the workers comp risk, CMS Painting's proven recent track record provides more confidence about what you'll actually experience.

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Frequently Asked Questions

For straightforward repaints on newer homes, the practical difference is minimal. Where decades of experience becomes valuable is diagnosing hidden rot, matching historic finishes, or knowing how different Sacramento-area construction eras require different prep approaches. If your home is older or has complications, that deep experience helps avoid costly mistakes.

It's a real liability concern. If a painter is injured at your property and the company has no workers comp, they may sue you directly or file a claim against your homeowner's insurance. Before hiring CMS Painting, call your insurance agent to confirm your coverage limits for contractor injuries and whether you're comfortable with that risk.

Long-established contractors sometimes rely on repeat customers and referrals rather than online presence. It could also indicate lower current volume or less focus on digital reputation management. Either way, it makes verifying current performance harder, so asking for recent references directly becomes more important.

CMS Painting's reviews specifically mention timely completion and crew efficiency as strengths, suggesting they prioritize schedule adherence. Phillips Painting's review data doesn't address timeline performance, so you'll need to ask them directly about typical project duration and schedule reliability for a job like yours.

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How We Compare Contractors

License Verification

All license data is sourced from official California CSLB records and verified regularly.

Review Analysis

Customer reviews are aggregated from Google and analyzed to identify patterns in service quality.

Detailed Comparison

We analyze credentials, insurance, experience, and feedback to highlight meaningful differences.

Not all licensed contractors are created equal. While a valid license is the baseline requirement in California, contractors can vary significantly in experience, insurance coverage, and customer satisfaction.

  • Experience matters: A contractor with 15+ years of experience has likely encountered and solved problems that newer contractors haven't faced yet.
  • Workers' compensation protects you: If a contractor without workers' comp insurance has an employee injured on your property, you could be held liable.
  • Reviews reveal patterns: Individual reviews can be misleading, but patterns across many reviews often reveal a contractor's true strengths and weaknesses.
  • Bond amounts vary: A contractor's bond provides financial protection if they fail to complete work as agreed. Higher bonds offer more protection.

Taking time to compare contractors on these factors can save you from costly mistakes and help ensure your project is completed by a qualified professional.

Data Sources: License information from California CSLB. Ratings and reviews from Google. Last verified March 13, 2026.

This comparison is based on publicly available information. We recommend getting multiple quotes and verifying all credentials directly before hiring.

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