HISTORY OF COSTA & SONS PAINTING COMPANY:: In 1915, nearly eight years after immigrating from a small village in Sicily named Spada fora, Charles Costa Sr. began Costa Painting by walking the streets of South Philadelphia. With his push cart paint wagon he painted doors, railings, windows and steps as well as displaying his artistic ability with wood graining. He did this for several years buildin
g his reputation until he finally bought his first truck. After having nine children, six of whom were boys quickly growing into men, he changed the name to Costa & Sons Painting, which it remains today for that reason. He supported his family very well through the depression years painting and wall papering houses and graining doors. After WWII several of his sons and sons-in-law came home and helped build the company up with four more trucks, each manned with a crew of five. The company continued to thrive through the late 1940's and into the 1950's dominating the local house painting industry in such neighborhoods as: Girard Estates, Society Hill, Center City, Upper Darby, Doylestown, and Cherry Hill. By 1960 the post war building boom, supplied by the GI Bill, was long ended. throughout the 1960's and 1970's continued the painting and home improvement business with the same excellence in quality and dedication to hard work. Joined by several of his sons in the 1980's and 1990's doing remodeling and painting, Pete Sr's reputation rose as one of the best, if not the best, wood grainer in the Philadelphia area. Although semi-retired he holds that distinct title today. With the dawn of a new millennium, Pete Costa Jr., AKA PeteyDoors, became the successor to the home improvement, painting and wood graining legacy. Pete Jr has joined this elite group of artisan woodgrainers using the same technique, materials and tools. Such as single brush stroke tree growth ring wood grain patterns; pure triple ground oil pigments, linseed oil, japan drier; and genuine Grumbaucher cross grained natural bristle 2-1/2 inch liner quills. Pete's work varies from extremely detailed residential doors and woodwork, to very large house renovations or exterior paint jobs. As well as commercial paint jobs such as spraying 100 gallons of paint in a warehouse or the like.
