High-end finishes across mixed substrates left nowhere to hide

Big projects usually give you somewhere to hide a mistake. This one didn’t.

Across a sprawling Martis Camp home in Truckee, every surface seemed designed to expose flaws rather than forgive them. Cabinetry and ceilings demanded tight color control and perfectly tuned sheens. Outside, the margin narrowed even further. Transitions between materials had to read as one continuous surface despite being anything but.

For Kelly Brothers Painting, the job became less about covering square footage and more about controlling every inch of it.

The scope stretched across both luxury interior finishes and rugged exterior surfaces exposed to the changing conditions of the High Sierra. Over the course of eight months, crews moved between custom cabinetry, wood ceilings, cement walls, siding, and large exterior metal elements, each requiring its own preparation methods and finishing systems.

That level of control started long before the first coat. Inside, the team pushed every wall to a Level 5 smooth drywall finish, creating surfaces where even the slightest imperfection would be visible.

From there, the work turned highly technical. Architectural reglets around doors and cabinetry eliminated the option of hiding edges with caulk, so the crew cut razor-straight lines deep into narrow channels using custom-modified brushes. The work moved slowly and deliberately.

The wood package added another layer of complexity. Kelly Brothers sprayed a high-end lacquer finish on the custom cabinetry while using a one-step stain-and-topcoat system on interior doors to keep production moving without sacrificing appearance. Across the home, crews blended custom stains to match varying oak elements, adjusting for shifts in grain and tone.

The ceilings proved especially demanding. Multiple wood finishes, sheens, and stain colors had to transition cleanly across adjoining surfaces without disrupting the home’s modern architectural aesthetic. Achieving a dead-flat appearance on stained wood ceilings while maintaining depth and uniformity required extensive testing and careful application.