Nelson Painting is the best painter in Chatham, MA

Three Generations of Craftsmanship

Painting Contractors in Chatham, MA

Name: Spend a Day on the Jobsite With the Nelson Painting Crew
Uploaded: 2026-01-13
Duration: 6 min 43 s
Description: These are the painters who will be at your property — Marc, Marc Jr., and the rest of the team. Spend a day with them on an active jobsite and see exactly how Nelson Painting preps, paints, and finishes the work before the truck pulls out of the driveway.

Nelson Painting provides residential and commercial painting, exterior maintenance planning, cabinet refinishing, deck staining, carpentry, and power washing for homeowners in Chatham, MA. From North Chatham and Chatham Port to West Chatham, South Chatham, and Old Harbor, our licensed crews deliver lasting results. Free estimates.

65+ Years in Business: Three-generation family legacy of quality painting.
Licensed & Insured: MA HIC #142477 with full workers' comp coverage.
In-House Crews Only: Never subcontracted — direct accountability on every job.
Free Estimates: On-site walk-throughs with detailed written proposals.

Ready to get started? Request your free painting estimate today.

Call (508) 746-6432 View Our Services

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

100s of 5-Star Ratings on Platforms You Trust

What We Do

Painting and Restoration Services in Chatham, MA

Interior and exterior painting, multi-year maintenance planning, cabinet refinishing, deck and fence staining, power washing, and carpentry, delivered by in-house crews and never subcontracted. Explore the services below to see how each one works on a Chatham property.

Interior Painting

Interior painting services for homes and businesses in Plymouth, MA. Our crew handles walls, ceilings, trim, and doors with the preparation-first approach that has earned Nelson Painting three generations of trust across Southeastern Massachusetts.

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Exterior Painting

Exterior painting for homes and businesses in Plymouth, MA. We protect your property from coastal weather with thorough surface preparation and premium exterior coatings designed for the salt air, humidity, and freeze-thaw cycles of Southeastern Massachusetts.

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Cabinet Refinishing

Cabinet refinishing services in Plymouth, MA. Transform your kitchen or bathroom cabinets with professional spray finishing — new color, factory-smooth results, and thousands saved compared to full cabinet replacement.

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Nelson Painting is a painting contractor that provides deck and fence staining across Plymouth County, Barnstable County, and Bristol County

Deck & Fence Staining

Deck and fence staining in Plymouth, MA. We apply professional-grade stains and sealants that protect your outdoor wood from the moisture, UV exposure, and freeze-thaw cycles common across Southeastern Massachusetts.

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Power Washing

Power washing services in Plymouth, MA. We remove built-up dirt, algae, oil stains, and mildew from driveways, patios, walkways, and building exteriors — restoring your property to like-new condition.

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Soft Washing

Soft washing services in Plymouth, MA. Our low-pressure cleaning process kills algae, mold, and mildew at the root using biodegradable solutions safe for your siding, roof, and landscaping. Lasting results for the humid coastal climate.

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Carpentry Services

Carpentry services in Plymouth, MA. We repair rotted trim, replace damaged clapboards and shingles, and restore wood surfaces before painting — ensuring your home or building is structurally sound and protected for years to come.

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Nelson Painting is a painting contractor that provides water and smoke damage restoration painting across Plymouth County, Barnstable County, and Bristol County

Water & Smoke Damage Restoration

Water and smoke damage restoration painting in Plymouth, MA. Our crew handles drywall repair, stain blocking, odor sealing, and full repainting to restore your property after fire or water damage. Insurance documentation provided.

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Who We Serve

Residential and Commercial Painting Specialists in Chatham, MA

Whether your house is exposed at Chatham Port and Old Harbor or more sheltered at West Chatham and South Chatham, the useful question is not what everything costs at once but what to do first. Here is exactly what each service involves.

Residential

Chatham's 3,340 housing units are 85.4% owner-occupied, many of them long held, many of them worth far more than they cost, and most of them owned by people who intend to stay in them.

What’s Included

What a Chatham House Actually Costs to Keep
This is the conversation we would rather have honestly than skirt around, and it is not a sales pitch. It is arithmetic.
An exposed house at this end of the Cape is on a shorter cycle than almost anywhere. The salt-exposed elevations want attention every five to seven years rather than every eight to ten, decks want refreshing every three to four rather than every five, and washing wants doing annually rather than occasionally. Nobody advertises those numbers because they are not the ones that win a quote, and they are the ones you need if you are planning a decade rather than a season.
Understood as one bill, that is daunting. Understood as a sequence it is entirely manageable, and this is the useful reframing: you are not maintaining a house, you are maintaining four elevations, a deck, and a set of trim details, all of which are on different clocks. Treating them as one project is what produces the frightening number.
The order that saves the most money is consistent. Carpentry first, always: rot spreads every month it waits and the repair only gets larger, so a small carpentry budget spent now prevents a large one later. Washing second, because it costs a fraction of painting and genuinely delays it by years. Coating third, and only on the elevations that actually need it this cycle.
That last point is where most of the savings sit. Putting the whole house on one repaint schedule means either repainting three sound walls early or leaving the exposed one too long, and both waste money. We assess and price elevations separately so you can do the water side this year and the rest in four years, which is frequently half the annual cost of doing everything every eight.
We will also tell you plainly when the answer is to do nothing yet. If your exterior is three years from needing paint, the right thing to spend on is a wash, and we would rather say that and be called back in three years than take the larger job now.
None of this requires a formal contract. A written multi-year plan costs you nothing, tells you what is coming, and lets you decide the pace rather than being surprised by it.
Exterior House Painting
Exterior work is roughly seventy percent preparation, and at this end of the Cape it is more. We wash the envelope thoroughly to remove salt as well as chalking and mildew, then scrape and sand every failing edge back to sound material and prime bare wood with a bonding primer.
Coating over salt residue is the single most common cause of premature failure on this coast, so the wash is not a formality. It is also the step a cheap quote is most likely to be skipping.
Chatham's exposure is unusual because the town faces water in several directions at once. That means the sheltered elevation is not always where you would expect it, and it varies noticeably between North Chatham, Chatham Port, and the more protected western side.
Fasteners fail early here. Nail heads and any exposed steel rust and bleed through a finish coat within months, so we set and spot-prime them rather than painting over them.
Cedar shingle is the dominant material and must never be pressure washed. High pressure raises and shreds the soft grain, blows out the thin butt ends, and drives water behind the courses.
Multi-Year Maintenance Planning
For a homeowner who intends to stay in the house, a written plan is worth more than any single job, and we provide it whether or not you book work.
A plan is a survey of the property, elevation by elevation and element by element, with each item graded by condition and given a realistic year. It tells you what needs doing this season, what has two or three years in it, and what is fine for the foreseeable future.
The value is that it converts an unknowable liability into a schedule. Most of the anxiety about maintaining a house like this comes from not knowing what is coming rather than from the actual cost, and a plan removes that.
It also protects you from being sold work you do not need. If somebody quotes you a full repaint and your plan says three elevations have four years left in them, you have a basis for asking why.
We update it when we are next on the property, at no charge, so it stays current rather than becoming a document from five years ago.
Carpentry & Wood Repair
Paint does not fix rot, and on this coast rot arrives sooner. When we find soft trim, failing sills, or damaged shingle during prep, we repair or replace it before painting rather than coating over the problem.
This is the work that must not be deferred and the reason is purely financial. Paint can wait a season with no real consequence. Rot cannot, because it spreads every month and the repair only gets larger, so deferring carpentry is the single most expensive decision available to a homeowner on a budget.
Our crews carry carpentry capability, so a rotted sill found on Tuesday does not become a second contractor, a second schedule, and a second mobilisation charge.
The failure map here is coastal: water-side sills, corner board bottoms, deck ledgers, skirting near damp ground, and every place a corroding fastener has been quietly rotting the wood around it from inside.
Power Washing & Soft Washing
If you take one thing from this page, take this: washing is the cheapest thing you can do and it delivers more per pound than anything else available to you.
Salt residue left on a coating draws moisture continuously and takes years off the paint underneath. A washed house on this coast holds its finish materially longer than an unwashed one with identical paint, identical exposure, and identical age.
Cedar shingle, older wood, vinyl, and roof shingles all need soft washing: low pressure with a solution that lifts salt and kills mildew at the root rather than blasting the surface layer off.
An annual soft wash is the minimum, with the exposed elevations rinsed again partway through the season. That second rinse can be plain fresh water and costs almost nothing at all.
Interior Wall & Ceiling Painting
Every job starts with the parts nobody photographs. We wash surfaces to remove cooking film and hand oils that stop paint bonding, scrape and sand failing areas, spot-prime every patch and every stain, and caulk where walls meet trim.
With a median age of 63.4 and households averaging 2.43 people, most Chatham interiors we paint belong to owners who have been in the house a long time and intend to stay. The work is usually a considered refresh rather than a rescue, and getting it right once matters more than getting it done fast.
Where somebody is at home during the work, low-odour products and daily restoration of the space are the specification rather than a courtesy. We plan the sequence so the rooms you use most stay usable.
Coastal interiors carry salt from windows left open all summer, and it settles on sills, casings, and the walls beneath. Those surfaces need washing rather than dusting before priming.
Cabinet Refinishing
Refinishing kitchen cabinets costs a fraction of replacement and takes days rather than weeks, which makes it one of the highest-value decisions available in a house you intend to keep.
The finish quality comes from degreasing and sanding, not from the spray gun. We degrease thoroughly, sand to a uniform profile, and use a bonding primer made for cabinetry before any colour goes on.
In a coastal house the humidity runs higher year round. Doors swell and stick seasonally, and a finish applied without allowance for that binds in August.
We are candid about what will not work. Thermofoil and some laminate faces do not hold a coating reliably, and telling you that before we quote is cheaper for both of us than discovering it after the deposit.
Deck & Railing Staining
Coastal decks take salt, sun, and wind-driven rain, and at this end of the Cape the interval runs to three or four years rather than five.
We wash the surface, wait for it to reach the right moisture content, sand where the grain has raised, and replace any board past saving before staining. Salt residue must come off first.
The hardware is where the real risk is, and it matters more when the people using the deck are older. Salt attacks fasteners, joist hangers, and ledger bolts long before it destroys decking, and a deck that looks perfectly sound can be compromised at the connections. We will tell you plainly what we find.
Semi-transparent stains wear gradually rather than peeling, which matters on a surface you will refresh often and which keeps the maintenance job small rather than turning it into a scraping project.

Best For

Ideal for Chatham homeowners in North Chatham, South Chatham, West Chatham, Chatham Port, and Old Harbor seeking exterior maintenance planning, interior or exterior painting, cabinet refinishing, deck staining, or carpentry from a licensed, insured contractor.

Nelson Painting is a painting company in Chatham, MA that provides interior painting, exterior painting, cabinet refinishing, deck staining, power washing, soft washing, carpentry, and restoration services

Three Generations, One Standard

The Painting Contractor Chatham Homeowners Call Back

Nelson Painting has been a family business since 1960. Three generations have run the same crews under the same standard: show up when we say, prep properly, and finish the job before we start the next one. Sixty-five years on this coast means we can tell you what a house here genuinely costs to keep, not what it costs to look at once.

Chatham sits at the elbow of the Cape and takes weather from more directions than almost anywhere we work. It also has a specific financial shape that we take seriously: a median home value of $953,737 against a median household income of $85,167, at a median age of 63.4.

That gap is the honest subject of this page. A great many Chatham houses are worth a great deal and are owned by people living on a retirement income, in a climate that is genuinely hard on buildings. Nobody is served by a contractor who quotes the ideal job, walks away when it is declined, and leaves the owner with no plan at all.

Learn Our Full Story

See Us at Work

Spend a Day on the Jobsite With the Nelson Painting Crew

These are the painters who will be at your property — Marc, Marc Jr., and the rest of the team. Spend a day with them on an active jobsite and see exactly how Nelson Painting preps, paints, and finishes the work before the truck pulls out of the driveway.

3

Generations Since 1960

6

In-House Team Members

0

Subcontractors, Ever

0

BBB Complaints in 65+ Yrs

In-House Crews Only

Our dedicated six-person crew handles every project personally. No subcontractors means consistent quality, direct communication, and the same trusted team from start to finish.

Free On-Site Estimates

Owner Marc Nelson personally walks your property to assess every detail. You receive a thorough written proposal — no vague ballpark figures, no hidden costs, no obligation.

Premium Paint Products

We use only the highest-quality paints and coatings built to withstand coastal humidity, salt air, and harsh New England winters. Better products mean longer-lasting results and fewer touch-ups.

Licensed & Fully Insured

Every crew member is covered by workers' compensation and general liability insurance. You never have to worry about exposure if something unexpected happens on your property.

65+ Years Family Owned

Your project benefits from over six decades of knowledge passed down through three generations. That kind of experience means fewer surprises, better problem-solving, and results that stand the test of time.

EPA Lead-Safe Certified

Many South Shore and Cape Cod homes were built before 1978 and may contain lead paint. Our EPA-certified crews follow strict protocols to keep your family safe during renovation work.

Customer Reviews

What Our Clients Say About Us

5.0from 143 reviews

DS

Deanne Smith

August 4, 2026

Google

The guys did a great job! They were diligent, professional, friendly and accommodating!

JM

Julie Mackin

July 24, 2026

Google

We had a wonderful experience with Nelson Painting. Nicole was incredibly easy to work with and we had an estimate within a week. The painters did an amazing job, incredibly professional and meticulous. We are so pleased with how the outside of our house came out.

JM

Janice Madden

July 29, 2026

Google

We would highly recommend Nelson Painting, if you are looking to get your house painted. From soft washing the house to the final painting of trim and clapboard, they were nothing but professional. They were respectful of property and cleaned up every day before they left. Marc came right out when we called and we had a price the next day. Very reasonably priced. We could not be more pleased.

PC

Pamela Cluff-McDevitt

July 23, 2026

Google

Nelson Painting was great! They had to come fix a mess that someone else made. They were quick and did an amazing job! Very easy to work with.

WD

William Donovan

July 27, 2026

Google

Professional, courteous and efficient service. Very satisfied!

KC

Kimberly Callanan

July 23, 2026

Google

Nelson painting completed an outdoor pool bar/shed paint and did a great job! Showed up on time, reasonable pricing and final product looked great.

MD

Mark Dennish

July 24, 2026

Google

On time, flawless work, respectful of property. Estimate was 100 percent accurate.

JS

Jane Scarbrough

July 2, 2026

Google

We highly recommend Nelson Painting. The crew was respectful, professional and thorough. Quality excellent!! Jane and John Scarbrough

How It Works

Our Painting Process in Chatham, MA

Six steps, the same every time, so you always know what happens next.

1

We walk the property with you, measure, and grade it elevation by elevation rather than treating the house as one surface. That grading is what makes phasing possible.

You get a detailed written proposal, and if you want it, a multi-year plan showing what needs doing now, what has a few years in it, and what is fine. The plan costs nothing whether or not you book the work.

2

We bring large samples and view them on your actual walls in your actual light. Coastal light reads colours lighter and cooler than the chip suggests.

Once colours are settled we confirm the schedule and the sequence, including which elevations are in this phase and which are deliberately not.

3

This is the majority of the work and on this coast it decides everything. Salt removal comes first, then scraping, sanding, filling, caulking, and priming, all before any finish coat.

Cedar shingle and older wood are soft washed, never pressure washed. Carpentry and wood repair are completed at this stage, because that is the work that must not be deferred.

4

Floors, furniture, landscaping, fixtures, and hardware are covered and protected before painting starts.

Where somebody is at home during the work, we restore every space to usable condition at the end of each day rather than at the end of the job.

5

Our in-house crews apply the specified system, never subcontracted, so the people on your property are the people accountable for the result.

On this coast we watch fog and dew point as closely as temperature, and we do not apply into salt-carrying wind.

6

We walk the finished work with you, address anything you flag, and clean the site completely before leaving. Touch-up paint is labelled and left with you.

We also update your plan with what was done and what is next, so the document stays current rather than becoming a snapshot from five years ago.

Nelson Painting is a local painting company near me

Request Your Free Painting Estimate in Chatham, MA

Call or request an estimate online, or just ask for the survey and the plan. We will tell you honestly what needs doing now and what does not, whether or not you book the work.

Get Your Free Estimate Call (508) 746-6432

Common Questions

Chatham Painting Questions, Answered

The questions Chatham homeowners and property owners ask us most often.

Planning & Budget Questions

What does a house like ours actually cost to maintain?

More often than inland, and it is better to know the real numbers than the comfortable ones. Salt-exposed elevations want attention every five to seven years rather than eight to ten, decks every three to four rather than five, and washing annually rather than occasionally.

Understood as one bill that is daunting. Understood as a sequence it is manageable, because you are not maintaining a house, you are maintaining four elevations, a deck, and a set of trim details, all on different clocks.

What should we do first if we cannot do everything?

Do we have to paint the whole house at once?

Can you tell us what is coming rather than just quoting a job?

Yes, and we would rather. We will survey the property, grade every elevation and element by condition, and give you a realistic year for each in writing.

It costs nothing whether or not you book work. Most of the worry about maintaining a house like this comes from not knowing what is coming rather than from the actual cost, and a written plan removes that. It also gives you a basis for questioning anybody who quotes you a full repaint you may not need.

Would you ever tell us to do nothing?

Coastal Property Questions

Why does one side fail so much faster than the others?

How much difference does washing really make?

Can you pressure wash our cedar shingles?

Rust spots keep coming back through our paint.

Our deck looks fine. Should we still have it checked?

General Questions

What areas does Nelson Painting serve?

Will someone need to be home?

Are you licensed and insured?

Do you use subcontractors?

Still have questions? We're here to help — no pressure, just answers.

Call (508) 746-6432 Now Fill Out Our Form

Serving Southeastern Massachusetts

Full-Service Painting, Staining, and Property Care Across Plymouth, Barnstable, and Bristol Counties

From the South Shore to Cape Cod and the South Coast, our crew handles interior and exterior painting, cabinet refinishing, carpentry, deck and fence staining, power washing, soft washing, and water and smoke damage restoration for homes and businesses up to 30 miles from our West Plymouth headquarters. Need directions? Use the map below to find us at 15 Roberts Rd, Unit D, Plymouth, MA 02360.

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Proudly Serving Chatham and the Surrounding Area

Villages (1)

West Chatham

Neighborhoods (6)

Chatham PortNorth ChathamOld HarborQuitnessetShooters IslandSouth Chatham

ZIP Codes (4)

02633026500265902669

Nelson Painting, Inc.

AddressPlymouth, MA

Phone(508) 746-6432

HoursMon-Sun: 6AM-8PM

Painting Contractors in Chatham, MA

100s of 5-Star Ratings on Platforms You Trust

Painting and Restoration Services in Chatham, MA

Interior Painting

Interior Painting

Exterior Painting

Exterior Painting

Cabinet Refinishing

Cabinet Refinishing

Deck & Fence Staining

Deck & Fence Staining

Power Washing

Power Washing

Soft Washing

Soft Washing

Carpentry Services

Carpentry Services

Water & Smoke Damage Restoration

Water & Smoke Damage Restoration

Residential and Commercial Painting Specialists in Chatham, MA

Residential

What’s Included

What a Chatham House Actually Costs to Keep

Exterior House Painting

Multi-Year Maintenance Planning

Carpentry & Wood Repair

Power Washing & Soft Washing

Interior Wall & Ceiling Painting

Cabinet Refinishing

Deck & Railing Staining

The Painting Contractor Chatham Homeowners Call Back

Spend a Day on the Jobsite With the Nelson Painting Crew

In-House Crews Only

Free On-Site Estimates

Premium Paint Products

Licensed & Fully Insured

65+ Years Family Owned

EPA Lead-Safe Certified

What Our Clients Say About Us

Our Painting Process in Chatham, MA

1. Free On-Site Estimate & Survey

2. Color Selection & Planning

3. Surface Preparation

4. Protection & Masking

5. Painting & Finishing

6. Final Walk-Through

Request Your Free Painting Estimate in Chatham, MA

Chatham Painting Questions, Answered

Planning & Budget Questions

What does a house like ours actually cost to maintain?

What should we do first if we cannot do everything?

Do we have to paint the whole house at once?

Can you tell us what is coming rather than just quoting a job?

Would you ever tell us to do nothing?

Coastal Property Questions

Why does one side fail so much faster than the others?

How much difference does washing really make?

Can you pressure wash our cedar shingles?

Rust spots keep coming back through our paint.

Our deck looks fine. Should we still have it checked?

General Questions

What areas does Nelson Painting serve?

Will someone need to be home?

Are you licensed and insured?

Do you use subcontractors?

Full-Service Painting, Staining, and Property Care Across Plymouth, Barnstable, and Bristol Counties

Proudly Serving Chatham and the Surrounding Area

Villages (1)

Neighborhoods (6)

ZIP Codes (4)

Nelson Painting, Inc.