BLC Painting

A homeowner with a 215-year-old house in Salem went looking for a painter who would treat it like a preservation job — and in a 2021 review said BLC's crew spent "an amazing amount of time prepping and thinking of every tiny detail." That is the through-line here: old North Shore houses, and the prep that goes into them. BLC Painting works out of Salem and says it was founded in 2006 by Brooke Cambridge, who runs it as a woman-owned business; Porch's stats line puts it at 20 years, consistent with that founding date. Interior and exterior painting is the core, with color consulting, cabinet and ceiling work, deck staining, wallpaper removal, plaster and drywall repair, floor coatings and paint stripping around it. The written history runs from 2013 to August 2025, and it reads like real customers rather than a collected batch. Brooke turns up by name repeatedly, and so does a crew member — one 2015 reviewer signed off with "Santos brings us tamales." Several writers are repeat clients: one said in a 2023 review they had hired the company three times over the years. In a 2024 review, a homeowner who took quotes from four firms wrote that BLC "was not the lowest price" but was by far the easiest to communicate with, that painters showed up on the promised timeline, and that one day the crew worked until nearly 8pm. A 2015 reviewer who bid an exterior job to three firms described a full scrape-and-repaint of a Dutch Colonial with the owner on site daily for quality control, and a punch list cleared at walkthrough. Two things to sort out before booking. Price is one: more than one customer put BLC in the middle or upper part of their bids and decided the contract and communication were worth it, so expect to compare on scope rather than on the lowest number. Licensing is the other. The company itself prints Home Improvement Contractor registration 172643, and BuildZoom lists that same number — but BuildZoom's own licence block is muddled, showing an issue date that falls after the month it says it checked the licence, and listing a second, older HIC number, 157868, as inactive and at one point cancelled. None of that has been confirmed against the state here, so look up 172643 with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation yourself. The company also describes itself as an RRP lead-safe certified contractor, which matters on a pre-1978 house — ask to see that certificate too. Good fit if you own an older Salem-area home and want careful prep, color guidance and a crew that shows up on schedule. Confirm the registration, get the scope in writing, and ask for a recent local reference — the most recent published review is from August 2025.