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Marvelous Painters vs Mcdermaid Painting
Santa Clara Painting Contractors Comparison · Updated February 2026
Mcdermaid Painting brings 24 years of licensing versus Marvelous Painters' 6 years, both fully insured but with different specialty capabilities.
| Marvelous Painters | Mcdermaid Painting | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 5.0 | ★ 4.8 |
| Years Licensed | 6 years | 24 years |
| License # | 1063150 | 803672 |
| Workers' Comp | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Bond Amount | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Location | San Jose, CA | Palo Alto, CA |
| Website | www.marvelouspainters.com | www.mcdermaidpainting.com |
Key Differences
What Customers Say
Marvelous Painters
Customers emphasize Edgar's personal involvement from color consultation through completion, with strong praise for thorough prep work and meeting committed timelines.
Mcdermaid Painting
Customers describe long-term relationships spanning decades, with emphasis on detailed planning, precise execution on challenging restoration projects, and exclusive continued use.
Key Takeaway: Mcdermaid's customer base includes clients returning for 5 to 25 years, suggesting sustained quality over time, while Marvelous receives praise for responsive service but with a shorter relationship history.
Customer Reviews
Marvelous Painters
Tommy did a great job at the dry wall and mudd! Looks amazing! Also prepared it for us to paint! So happy with the end product! Thank you so much!
Edgar and his crew painted the complete exterior of the house recently. Work also involved fixing some dry rot damage in multiple places - windows / eaves / siding, painting our Iron gate. Additionall...
Had a kitchen that needed painting due to a recent plumbing repipe. Edgar and his crew did an outstanding job. Can highly recommend Marvelous Painters.
Mcdermaid Painting
Last month, McDermaid Painting painted the exterior of our two-story house, installed gutter guards, and repaired/painted kitchen interior ceiling from a water leak. Gus quickly provided an extensive...
We have used McDermaid for three painting projects over the past five years: one the house exterior and two interior projects. They are great to work with, often coming up with ideas that make the wo...
I have used McDermaid Painting at least 5 times over the last 25 years. In conjunction with another project I'm doing, they came out to do some touch-up painting indoors and outdoors. As usual, the ...
Consider Marvelous Painters if...
- ✓ Your project is straightforward residential painting (interior or exterior repaints) without specialized restoration needs
- ✓ You value working with a smaller company where the owner provides direct color consultation and maintains close involvement throughout
- ✓ Your budget may be tighter and you want competitive pricing from an established but newer company
- ✓ You're located in San Jose proper rather than the broader Peninsula area
Consider Mcdermaid Painting if...
- ✓ Your project involves specialty work like cabinet refinishing, furniture restoration, window restoration, or concrete staining
- ✓ You have an older home where decades of experience diagnosing hidden structural issues matters significantly
- ✓ You're planning a complex remodel requiring coordination with other contractors and designers
- ✓ You value the track record of a company customers have trusted exclusively for up to 25 years, suggesting consistent quality over time
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
- → Ask each company for references from projects similar in scope to yours, particularly if your work involves restoration or specialty finishes
- → Ask how they handle unexpected discoveries like extensive dry rot or structural damage once work begins
- → Ask about their current crew's tenure with the company and whether the same team will complete your entire project
- → If considering specialty work with Mcdermaid, ask to see examples of completed cabinet refinishing or restoration projects
The Bottom Line
For straightforward residential interior or exterior painting in San Jose, Marvelous Painters offers solid capability with attentive owner involvement at potentially competitive pricing. However, Mcdermaid Painting's 24-year track record provides substantially greater depth for complex projects, older homes with hidden issues, or specialty work like cabinet refinishing and restoration. If your project involves anything beyond standard painting, or if your home is older and may reveal complications, Mcdermaid's veteran experience justifies serious consideration. For basic repaints without restoration needs, either company appears well-qualified based on customer feedback.
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Frequently Asked Questions
For a simple interior repaint with no complications, both companies appear capable based on customer feedback. The experience gap becomes meaningful when painters discover hidden damage like extensive dry rot, stucco cracking, or structural issues requiring judgment calls about repair scope and methods. Mcdermaid's 24 years means they've likely encountered and solved a wider range of complications.
Marvelous Painters doesn't list cabinet refinishing among their documented services, focusing instead on standard painting and drywall repair. Mcdermaid explicitly advertises cabinet refinishing and furniture restoration with customer reviews confirming this work. If cabinet work is part of your project, ask Marvelous directly about their capability or plan to use Mcdermaid.
Mcdermaid's 24 years of licensing provides substantially more exposure to diagnosing problems in aging homes, including experience with historic window restoration that suggests capability with older construction. While Marvelous handles dry rot and structural prep work competently based on reviews, Mcdermaid's veteran status means greater likelihood they've encountered whatever your older home reveals.
Both companies receive consistent customer praise for daily cleanup practices and respectful treatment of homes during projects. Both maintain workers compensation insurance protecting you from liability. Customer feedback doesn't reveal meaningful differences in worksite protection practices between the two companies.
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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 February 27, 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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