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Northstar Painting vs Painters Plus
Solano Painting Contractors Comparison · Updated March 2026
Northstar Painting offers full insurance protection with two years of licensing, while Painters Plus brings 29 years of experience but lacks workers compensation coverage.
| Northstar Painting | Painters Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 5.0 | ★ 4.1 |
| Years Licensed | 2 years | 29 years |
| License # | 1124468 | 729363 |
| Workers' Comp | ✓ Yes | — |
| Bond Amount | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Location | Fairfield, CA | Fairfield, CA |
| Website | painterfairfield.com | www.paintersplus.com |
Key Differences
What Customers Say
Northstar Painting
Northstar customers consistently praise meticulous preparation work, punctual arrivals, and organized processes that respect occupied homes.
Painters Plus
Painters Plus customers highlight rapid project completion with exterior jobs finished in a single day and responsive office staff handling scheduling efficiently.
Key Takeaway: Northstar receives consistent praise for preparation thoroughness, while some Painters Plus customers questioned surface prep quality on specialty applications despite appreciating speed.
Customer Reviews
Northstar Painting
A job well done for sure! The owner and the crew paid attention to every detail of the job.
Jose and his incredible team did an outstanding job. From his professionalism responding to my request for quote and quick responses to every question. The team showed up on time every day and went a...
Jose from NorthStar painted my home and did an amazing job! Him and his team were amazing to deal with!
Painters Plus
Painters Plus made painting our 20 year-old, single story house very easy. From getting the estimate to scheduling to answering interim questions to paint day, everything went smoothly. Melissa in t...
Painters Plus was the Best! They were professional, fast and caring all at the same time! I got other bids that were 3k more than them and want 5 days to do the job. Painters plus worked with us to ge...
I highly recommend Painter's Plus! They painted the exterior of our house white and did a wonderful job (pictures of before and after included). I appreciated how efficient and professional the experi...
Consider Northstar Painting if...
- ✓ Your home is older and may require extensive surface preparation, repair work, or problem-solving for issues like moisture damage or failing substrates where thorough prep matters more than speed.
- ✓ You want to eliminate liability risk regarding worker injuries and prefer a contractor with all insurance credentials clearly documented and current.
- ✓ You value detailed communication throughout the project and prefer a contractor known for meticulous organization and attention to preparation details.
- ✓ Your project includes specialty work like popcorn ceiling removal or cabinet refinishing where careful execution is prioritized over rapid completion.
Consider Painters Plus if...
- ✓ Your project is straightforward exterior or interior painting on a home in good condition where speed of completion is a priority and you're comfortable with a one-day turnaround.
- ✓ You're willing to verify your own homeowner's insurance covers contractor injuries and accept the additional liability exposure in exchange for accessing three decades of field experience.
- ✓ Your project involves complications like dry rot repairs or unusual substrate issues where pattern recognition from 29 years of troubleshooting provides value.
- ✓ You need a contractor whose extensive tenure suggests operational stability and who has handled thousands of projects across various home types and conditions.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
- → For Painters Plus: Ask directly about their workers compensation status and request written confirmation. Contact your homeowner's insurance to verify what coverage you have if a contractor's worker is injured on your property.
- → For Northstar: Ask for references from projects completed more than a year ago to assess long-term paint durability and for projects similar in scope and complexity to yours.
- → For both: If your home has challenging surfaces, moisture issues, or requires dry rot repair, ask specifically about their process for diagnosing hidden damage and their warranty for prep work.
- → For Painters Plus: Given feedback about preparation concerns on specialty applications, ask about their surface prep protocol for your specific project type and how they ensure long-term adhesion.
The Bottom Line
For most homeowners, Northstar Painting offers the better risk profile with full insurance protection, thorough preparation practices, and proven capability across standard residential projects. Their two years of licensing is sufficient for typical painting work, and workers comp coverage protects you from significant liability exposure. Choose Painters Plus only if your project involves genuinely complex complications where 29 years of experience provides clear diagnostic value, you've verified your homeowner's insurance adequately covers contractor injuries, and you're comfortable accepting that additional risk. If you're deciding this week and want straightforward protection, Northstar provides the credentials and approach that eliminate unnecessary liability while delivering detailed workmanship.
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Frequently Asked Questions
That depends on your project complexity and personal risk tolerance. For straightforward repaints on homes in good condition, Northstar's two years may be sufficient, especially with workers comp protection in place. For complex projects involving extensive repairs, hidden damage diagnosis, or specialty applications, Painters Plus's three decades of pattern recognition could prevent costly mistakes, but only if you're comfortable with the liability exposure and verify your own insurance coverage.
Speed can indicate efficiency, but customer feedback suggests different priorities. Painters Plus focuses on rapid execution, which works well for straightforward repaints but has drawn some concerns about prep quality on specialty work. Northstar's approach emphasizes preparation thoroughness, which takes more time but consistently receives praise for detail work. Consider whether your home's condition requires extensive prep or if a faster turnaround meets your needs.
It's a genuine liability concern. If a worker is injured on your property and the contractor lacks workers comp, you could face a lawsuit or claim against your homeowner's insurance. California law allows injured workers to sue property owners when their employer lacks coverage. Before hiring Painters Plus, call your insurance agent to understand your exposure and consider whether any premium savings from competitive pricing offset this risk.
Two years of licensing demonstrates they've successfully operated through multiple seasons and projects. Customer feedback shows they handle complex work on older homes competently and maintain proper credentials. The main limitation is less exposure to unusual complications compared to a 29-year veteran. For most residential painting projects, their thorough preparation approach and full insurance coverage provide adequate protection, but ask for references from projects similar to yours.
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See our ranked list of top painting contractors in Solano.
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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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