A small crew of restoration painters for old and premium homes on the Connecticut shoreline. Most of our work happens before a single finish coat goes on — and that's exactly the point.
Cutting trim by hand · 1892 colonial, Guilford
A wall that lasts is built in layers, each one earned. Drag the slider to see everything that happens under a finish that still looks right in fifteen years.
Anyone can put paint on a wall. The difference is what happens in the two days before — the sanding, the caulking, the repairs you'll never see. We photograph it anyway.
Clapboard · shingle · brick · masonry
Scraping, repair, and repaint on old exteriors — the kind of prep that stops peeling from coming back next season.
Walls · trim · doors · staircases · crown
Careful interior work where the cut lines are straight, the sheens are right, and the furniture comes back where it was.
Built-ins · kitchen cabinets · paneling
Sprayed and hand-finished cabinetry and millwork with a furniture-grade finish that holds up to hands and dishes.
Cracks · water damage · skim coat
Real repair of old plaster and drywall before we paint — so the wall is sound, not just covered.
Benjamin Moore · Farrow & Ball · custom
Period-appropriate colour work, matched to what the house wants — not just what's on the fan deck.
We walk the house with you, note the trouble spots, and talk through what the surfaces actually need.
A line-by-line scope — surfaces, prep, products, colours, coats. No mystery items.
We put real samples up in your light before anything is committed.
Protect, repair, sand, caulk, prime. The part that decides how long it lasts.
The right number of coats, cut by hand, rolled or sprayed to suit the surface.
We walk every room with you, touch up, and don't call it done until you do.
Heartwood & Lead started in 2009 when Daniel Reese got tired of being sent back to repaint exteriors that had peeled in a single winter — because the crew before him skipped the prep to hit a number.
We're a small, employee crew — no rotating subs — and we take a handful of homes at a time. We're licensed and insured, we protect your house like it's ours, and we leave it cleaner than we found it.
Based in Milford; working the shoreline from Greenwich to Old Saybrook.
"They spent two full days before a drop of paint went on. When they finished, our 1900 farmhouse looked like it had never peeled. Second season now — still perfect."
"Daniel put three sample colors on the wall and made us live with them for a week. We'd have picked wrong. The cut lines on the trim are unreal."
"Furniture came back exactly where it started. Floors spotless. You'd never know a crew had been here — except the kitchen looks brand new."
We start every job in person. Send the details and we'll set up a time to come look and write you an honest scope.