Oakland · Berkeley · Alameda · Family-owned since 2004
Interior, exterior and cabinet painting for Bay Area homes — from Victorians and Craftsman bungalows to mid-century remodels. Every project starts with a complimentary on-site consultation and a written quote, and finishes with a 5-year warranty backed by yearly check-ins.
Tell us about the project. We come out, look at it properly, and put a firm price in writing.
Free, no-obligation written estimate. No hard sell — if we can’t solve it the right way, we’ll tell you upfront.
Reviewed by your neighbors
Homeowners in Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda and Walnut Creek keep calling us back — not because something went wrong, but because they trust us with the next project. Alongside Nextdoor, we’ve been recognised by Best of Oakland and Houzz, and we’re a Google Guaranteed painting contractor.
In writing on every project — and we come back for yearly check-ins, so the relationship does not end when the paint dries.
What we quote is what you pay. The number you agree to at the start is the number on the final invoice.
CA C-33 Painting & Decorating Contractor License #1085077, fully insured, and Google Guaranteed.
Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Renner and Cabinet Coat — over 60,000 gallons applied across the Bay.
Residential painting services
Bay Area homes are not new builds. Victorians, Craftsman bungalows, mid-century hillside houses — each one needs different preparation, and preparation matters more than the paint itself. We sand, patch, prime and protect your floors and furniture before a single brush touches a surface.
Bay fog, sun, wind and winter rain all work against a finish applied over a surface nobody prepared. Our exterior process includes full surface prep, lead-safe practices for older Oakland and Berkeley housing stock, proper priming, and coatings chosen for the Bay’s microclimates.
A single room or the whole house. Walls, ceilings, trim, doors and moulding — plus plaster and drywall repair, wallpaper removal, and custom stain matching on historic woodwork. Floors and furniture are masked and protected before we start, and cleaned up daily.
A kitchen transformed for a fraction of what replacement costs. Doors and drawer fronts are degreased, sanded and finished with Cabinet Coat and Renner products built for the wear a kitchen actually takes — not wall paint on a cabinet door.
Wood restoration, waterproofing, caulking and sealing on the surfaces that take the most weather. Decks, fences and exterior wood get cleaned back, repaired where needed, and sealed so the next few winters do not undo the work.
Also handled in-house: plaster & drywall repair · wallpaper removal · wood restoration · waterproofing · caulking & sealing · commercial interiors and exteriors.
Why homeowners choose Arana
You have heard the horror stories — painters who ghost you mid-project, crews who show up late or not at all, bids that balloon once the work starts. After 4,000 projects across the Bay, we have learned that trust is not built with marketing. It is built with consistency.
Meet the owners
Catherine Baldi did not set out to run a painting company. In 2004 she and her husband founded Arana Craftsman Painters because they saw too many homeowners getting burned by contractors who overpromised and underdelivered.
Twenty-one years later, that frustration has turned into a standard: treat every home like it is your own, stand behind the work, and never take on a project you cannot do right. We are not a franchise and not a national chain — we are a family-owned business serving the same neighborhoods we live in.
If we can’t solve your painting challenge the right way, we’ll tell you upfront. No hard sell, no cutting corners.Catherine Baldi, co-founder
Craftsmanship
Great painting is not just about colour — it is about doing right by the architecture you have already invested in. Whether you are working with an interior designer or trusting your own eye, we bring technical precision to creative choices.
From custom stain matching on historic woodwork to flawless cabinet finishes in modern kitchens, we have spent 21 years mastering the details. Our crews understand the difference between “close enough” and “exactly right”.
How it works
We know you are busy. We have refined this process over 21 years to eliminate confusion, delays and surprises.
Tell us about your project and we come out for a complimentary on-site consultation — then put the cost and timeline in writing.
We finalise scope, colours and products together, and schedule your crew. You know exactly what is happening and when.
Our team protects the space, does the prep properly, cleans up daily, and walks the finished job with you before we call it complete.
Recent projects
Victorians in Alameda, Craftsman homes in Oakland, kitchens in Berkeley and hillside remodels in Lafayette — every one of these is our own crew’s work.
Common questions
Our workmanship, in writing, for five years — and it comes with yearly check-ins. We come back and look at the work rather than waiting for you to find a problem. That is deliberate: our relationship with a home does not end when the paint dries.
Yes. The consultation is complimentary and there is no obligation. We come to the property, assess it properly, and give you a written price. If we cannot solve your painting challenge the right way, we will tell you upfront and we will not take your money.
No — that is our No-Surprise Guarantee. The number you agree to at the start is the number on your final invoice. If something genuinely unexpected turns up behind a surface, we stop and talk to you about it before any extra work happens.
Yes. Much of Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda’s housing stock predates 1978, and lead-safe work practices are required. They are part of our standard exterior and interior process on older properties, not an add-on.
Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Renner and Cabinet Coat. We have applied over 60,000 gallons across the Bay Area and we do not substitute cheaper product to make a bid look better.
Yes. Quality painting is an investment, so alongside cash, check, credit and debit we offer financing options — ask about them during your consultation.
Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, San Leandro, Lafayette, Kensington, Albany, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Blackhawk and Walnut Creek, plus San Francisco, Richmond, Mill Valley, Castro Valley, Hillsborough and Tiburon. Not sure if you are in range? Call and ask.
We do — interior and exterior, from offices and storefronts to multi-unit buildings. It is the same meticulous process we use on high-end residential projects, scheduled around your business so we minimise disruption.
Complimentary on-site consultation, a firm written price, and a five-year warranty with yearly check-ins. Serving the Greater San Francisco Bay Area since 2004.