Fresh Start Painting Solutions

Fresh Start Painting Solutions is a Salem, MA outfit whose name attaches to Erik in review after review — not just as a painter but as someone who takes over when a job needs rescuing. In a 2022 review, a homeowner described calling Fresh Start on short notice after another contractor abandoned a full first-floor renovation partway through; the crew finished the tile, painting, appliance installation, and flooring, reportedly improving on what was already done. Most of the written record is older — 15 of the 16 reviews on file date from 2015 through 2018, when the company held a 4.6★ average across 24 Angi ratings. Those years describe a similar pattern: Erik personally overseeing jobs (a 2016 review of a retail/office painting job with patching and color-matching called him "super responsive," saying the work "far exceeded expectations, finished on time, space left cleaner than when he started"), a 2015 review praising an "unbelievable craftsman" who sanded and refinished a hardwood staircase, and repeated mentions of crews cleaning up and showing up on time. Two accounts from that period stand out as real complaints. In a 2016 review, a customer said their ceiling started bubbling and cracking after being assured it wouldn't, and that photos emailed about the problem went unanswered. A 2015 review of a deck-sealing job said the owner wasn't familiar with the linseed-oil/turpentine process being used, leading to some miscommunication, and that the crew should have used drop cloths to keep stain off the wood. The company's BBB page carries an A+ letter grade (it is not BBB-accredited), and its Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration is registry-verified but currently shows as expired. Fresh Start's history points to a crew comfortable taking on more than paint — trim, staircases, full-room finishing — with Erik as the hands-on point of contact; given how dated most of the record is, it's worth confirming current licensing and availability directly before booking.