# Altadena Painting Contractor for Repaints and Fire Rebuilds | Huff Painting Co.

Altadena sits directly against the San Gabriel Mountains just north of Pasadena, and it is one of the communities we know best. Huff Painting Co. is based a few minutes away in Sierra Madre, and we have painted Altadena homes and businesses for decades. The housing stock here runs heavily to Craftsman bungalows, Spanish Revival, and mid-century homes, many of them built well before 1978, which changes how a repaint has to be prepped and handled. Since the January 2025 Eaton Fire we have also been doing smoke damage and rebuild painting throughout Altadena. Whether you are restoring a home that took smoke and heat, finishing a new build, or simply repainting a house that has not been touched in fifteen years, we handle the full job from prep to final walkthrough.

## Neighborhoods we serve in Altadena
Christmas Tree Lane, Janes Village, The Meadows, La Vina, Altadena Country Club, Farnsworth Park

## Permits and older homes
Altadena is unincorporated Los Angeles County, so building permits go through LA County rather than a city hall. Standard interior or exterior repainting does not require a permit. If your home was built before 1978 and the work will disturb existing paint, EPA RRP lead-safe certified work is required, and we are certified for it. On a full rebuild your general contractor pulls the permits and we work to their schedule.

## What to Know Before You Paint in Altadena
Since the January 2025 Eaton Fire, painting in Altadena falls into three kinds of work: homes that survived but took smoke and soot, homes being rebuilt from the ground up, and the older foothill houses that simply need a repaint. Each needs a different plan. This is how we approach them.

### Smoke and soot damage in homes that survived
A house that made it through the fire can still carry smoke residue in the walls, ceilings, trim and cabinets, and the smell comes back through fresh paint if the surfaces are not handled first. The walls get cleaned of soot and residue, then sealed with a shellac-based or odor-blocking primer, and only then painted. Exteriors that took heat and ash get washed, checked for blistered or failed paint, and repaired before recoating.

Painting is usually one of the last trades in a smoke restoration, after cleaning and any repairs, so we coordinate with your restoration company or contractor on timing.

The full list of fire recovery work is on our [Eaton Fire painting and restoration](https://huffpainting.co/eaton-fire-painting) page.

### Painting new construction rebuilds
On a rebuild we work to your general contractor's schedule. New drywall gets a primer made for new surfaces before any finish coats, and new stucco has to cure before it will take paint, so exterior painting is scheduled around the plaster work rather than rushed in behind it.

If you are choosing colors for a rebuild, we can put samples up on the new walls so you can see them in real light before the whole house is done.

Primers, timelines and what to ask a painter are covered in our [guide to repainting Altadena after the fire](https://huffpainting.co/resources/repainting-altadena-after-eaton-fire-smoke-sealing-primers-timelines).

### Older Altadena homes
Most of Altadena's housing stock is Craftsman bungalows, Spanish Revival and mid-century homes, and a large share was built before 1978. Old paint layers on those homes should be treated as lead paint until tested, and federal rules require lead-safe work practices when that paint is disturbed, which changes how scraping, sanding and cleanup are done.

Sitting right against the mountains, these homes take strong sun and wind. Wood siding and trim peel and split first, so that wood gets scraped, sanded, repaired where boards have rotted, and primed before topcoats. Stucco gets its cracks patched and primed so they do not show back through.

The full exterior process is on our [exterior painting](https://huffpainting.co/services/residential/exterior-painting) page.

### Commercial painting in Altadena
Commercial painting in Altadena covers storefronts and offices along Lake Avenue and Fair Oaks Avenue, apartment buildings, and businesses reopening after the fire. We schedule around open hours so the doors stay open, and on occupied apartment buildings we coordinate with residents unit by unit.

Scheduling and coatings for working buildings are on our [office building painting](https://huffpainting.co/services/commercial/office-buildings) page.

### Permits and insurance paperwork
Altadena is unincorporated Los Angeles County, so permits go through the county rather than a city hall, and a standard repaint does not need one. On a rebuild, your general contractor pulls the permits and we work to that schedule.

If insurance is paying for the work, our written, itemized estimate lists the surfaces, the prep and repairs, the number of coats and the products, which is the level of detail adjusters ask for.

To set up a walkthrough, request a [free written estimate](https://huffpainting.co/contact) or call (747) 888-8314.

## FAQ
### Do you paint homes in Altadena after the Eaton Fire?
Yes. We have been doing fire recovery painting in Altadena since the January 2025 Eaton Fire. That includes cleaning and degreasing smoke-affected surfaces, sealing in smoke odor with commercial-grade odor-blocking primers, exterior restoration, and full interior and exterior painting on new construction rebuilds. Painting over smoke damage without the right primer will let the odor come back, so this work uses different products than a normal repaint.

### My Altadena home was built before 1978. Does that change anything?
Yes. Homes built before 1978 can contain lead paint, and disturbing it during prep is regulated. We are EPA RRP lead-safe certified and follow containment, cleanup, and verification requirements on those homes. A lot of Altadena's housing stock predates 1978, so this comes up often here.

### What paint do you use on Altadena exteriors?
We use Sherwin-Williams Duration and SuperPaint along with Dunn-Edwards Evershield on exteriors. These hold up to the UV exposure and heat this side of the foothills gets. We also offer low-VOC and zero-VOC options for interiors, which matters if you have kids, pets, or anyone in the house with respiratory sensitivity.

### Do you handle stucco and wood siding in Altadena?
Both. Stucco needs crack repair and the right elastomeric or masonry-appropriate coating so hairline cracks do not telegraph back through. Wood siding and trim needs scraping, sanding, dry rot and wood repair where it has failed, then priming bare wood before topcoats. Most Altadena houses have some combination of the two and each surface gets prepped its own way.

### Do you paint commercial buildings in Altadena?
Yes. We paint offices, retail storefronts, and apartment and multi-unit buildings throughout Altadena and the San Gabriel Valley. Commercial work is scheduled around your operating hours so we are not painting through your busiest part of the day, and we handle tenant coordination on occupied multi-unit properties.

### Are you licensed and insured to work in Altadena?
Yes. Huff Painting Co. holds California Contractor License number 451832 and we are insured and bonded. You can verify the license on the CSLB website. We are a family-owned company, based in Sierra Madre since 1980, with over 40 years of work across Altadena, Pasadena, and the surrounding foothill communities.

### Do you refinish kitchen cabinets in Altadena?
Yes. Cabinet painting and refinishing is one of the most common interior requests we get. It updates a kitchen for a fraction of a replacement. Doors and drawer fronts are prepped, primed and finished properly rather than rolled in place, so the result holds up to daily use.

### How much of an Altadena repaint is prep work, and what does it include?
Prep is roughly 60 percent of the job and it is where the result is won. Power washing, scraping and sanding failed paint, wood rot repair where boards have gone, caulking, stucco crack patching, and priming every bare and repaired surface before any finish coat.

### What is included in your estimate, and do you warranty the work?
Written and itemized. It lists the surfaces being painted, the prep and repair included, the number of coats, and the specific products and product lines. Free and no obligation, and the finished work is backed by a written warranty with a final walkthrough before we call it complete.

### How do you schedule commercial jobs so they do not disrupt my Altadena business?
We paint offices, retail storefronts, restaurants, and apartment and multi-unit buildings around your operating hours so painting does not run through your busiest part of the day. On occupied multi-unit properties we coordinate unit by unit and keep tenants informed, and exteriors get weather-resistant finishes built for the foothill sun.

## Contact
Huff Painting Co., 503 W Montecito Ave, Sierra Madre, CA. License 451832. Phone (747) 888-8314 | https://huffpainting.co/contact