Painters for lakefront, peninsula and custom homes
The houses that get looked at closely. A finish you can run your hand over, color chosen in your own light, and a crew that treats the place like it is theirs.
M22 Fresh Coats does finish-grade painting for lakefront, peninsula, custom and historic homes around Traverse City, Old Mission, Leelanau and Torch Lake. Cabinets, trim and built-ins are sprayed to a glass-smooth enamel, exteriors are specified wall by wall for lake weather, and the work is scheduled around when you are home and when you are not.
What premium means on our jobs
A finish you can feel
Trim, doors, built-ins and cabinets are sprayed with Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane, a trim enamel that levels out flat and cures hard. No brush lines, no roller stipple, no drip at the corner of a door. Close your eyes and run your hand along it.
Walls that hide nothing, because there is nothing to hide
Low afternoon sun off the water shows every flaw in a wall. We fill, sand, prime and sand again before the first coat, then lay down two full coats cut by hand at every edge.
Specified wall by wall
A west wall over the lake takes the sun and the spray; a north wall under the pines does not. Each elevation gets the film it needs, Emerald or Duration Exterior, over bare cedar primed and cut ends sealed.
Your color, in your light
We paint samples on the wall, not on a card, and look at them with you morning and evening. When the color you want is a cushion, a stone from the beach or the hull of a boat, we match it.
Your house, treated like ours
Floors, counters, furniture and landscaping covered before a can opens. Hardware removed and bagged, never taped over. Rooms usable at the end of the day, the house clean at the end of the job.
Scheduled around your season
Exterior work planned inside the May to October window. Interiors done while you are away, with a locked house and photo updates, finished before you are back.
A written scope
What is included, what is not, products by name, and a start and finish window, before any work begins.
The homes we are set up for
Lakefront and bay-front houses
Cedar shingle, clapboard and composite siding facing Lake Michigan, Grand Traverse Bay and Torch Lake, where freeze-thaw and UV do the damage.
Old Mission and Leelanau peninsula homes
Farmhouses, bay cottages and new builds between the bays, often seasonal, often with a caretaker.
Custom builds
Tall walls, tall trim, coffered and tongue-and-groove ceilings, built-ins and stair parts that need one consistent, flawless finish.
Historic downtown Traverse City
Plaster repair, old-growth trim, many-paned windows and porches that need a careful hand and the right primer.
Kitchens and cabinetry
Doors off and numbered, degreased, sanded, primed and sprayed in our shop, back in the house in days.
Cabins and log homes
Breathable stains for cedar and log, matte painted trim, and decks that are stained, not painted.
How a premium job runs
Walkthrough and written scope
We look at every elevation and room with you, name the products, and give you a start and finish window.
Color
A consultation on site, in your light, with samples painted on the wall, not held up to it.
Protection
Floors, counters, furniture, plants and hardscape covered; hardware removed and bagged.
Prep
Wash, scrape, sand, repair, prime, caulk and fill, then a second look before any topcoat.
Finish
Two coats of the specified line, sprayed where it shows, cut by hand where it meets.
Walkthrough
We walk the house with you, touch up anything you point at, and leave it cleaner than we found it.
The lines we reach for on these homes
- Emerald Exterior and Duration Exterior on lake-facing elevations, for peel and blister resistance through freeze-thaw.
- Emerald Interior and Emerald Designer Edition on feature walls and formal rooms.
- Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel on trim, doors, built-ins and cabinets.
- WoodScapes and SuperDeck on cedar, log and decks.
- Extreme Bond and PrepRite ProBlock primers on glossy, stained and problem surfaces.
The full table, and why each line is chosen, is on Paint and process.
Questions about lakefront and custom homes
Can you paint our lake house while we are away for the season?
Yes. We agree on access and alarm codes first, lock the house each day, send photo updates, and finish before you come back.
Do you work with builders and designers on custom homes?
Yes. We take a finish schedule from your builder or designer, paint to it, and coordinate with the other trades on site.
Why do you spray trim and cabinets instead of brushing?
A brush leaves strokes and a roller leaves texture. Spraying Emerald Urethane lays the film flat and level, so trim and cabinets look like they were finished in a factory.
How far ahead should we book exterior work on the water?
Exterior season runs roughly May through October, and lake-facing jobs take the most planning. Call in late winter or early spring to hold a window.
Talk to us about the house
Send a few photos and the town. We will tell you what it needs, which lines we would use, and when we can start.
Based in Traverse City
Written scope before any work