How Much Does It Cost to Paint an Office, How Often Should You Repaint, and How to Launch a Painting Business
Edmonton offices absorb a lot of wear. Chairs bump walls, handprints collect near doors, and the winter-to-spring thaw brings dust, grit, and salt indoors. Fresh paint helps your workspace feel clean and professional, supports brand colours, and can even reduce tenant churn. If you manage a building in downtown Edmonton, run a clinic in Terwillegar, or own a small firm in St. Albert or Sherwood Park, understanding costs and repaint cycles saves time and money. If you are thinking about starting a painting company here, the business side is different from residential, with scheduling windows and product choices that keep operations running without disrupting staff.
This article covers three practical topics: what office painting in Edmonton costs and why, how often to repaint each area of your workplace, and the first steps to launch a painting business that actually survives our climate and market. Along the way, I will share benchmarks, trade-offs, timeline planning, and a look at the paints that hold up in Alberta. If you need numbers tailored to your space, call Depend Exteriors. We quote fast, we work nights or weekends if needed, and we keep your staff moving while we paint.
What drives the cost of office painting in Edmonton
Most commercial office interiors in Edmonton fall into a per-square-foot price once you pass the minimum charge. For an average-sized office, you can expect $1.70 to $3.50 per square foot of painted wall area for standard walls and trim, including surface prep, materials, and labour. That range widens with night work premiums, security clearance requirements, access issues, and specialty coatings.
Painters usually calculate off the wall square footage, not the floor footprint. A simple way to estimate: take your floor square footage and multiply by 3.5 to 4.2 to approximate wall area in a typical 9-foot ceiling space with average door and window openings. For example, a 2,000-square-foot office with 9-foot ceilings might have 7,000 to 8,400 square feet of wall area. Using $2.25 per square foot of wall area, that puts you in the $15,750 to $18,900 range for standard repaint conditions. If your walls are in rough shape or you want scrubbable coatings with a higher solids content, expect the high side of the range.
Ceiling work, high walls, and accent details get priced separately. Acoustic tile ceilings are rarely painted unless stained or yellowed, while drywall ceilings with ductwork and open plenum designs cost more due to masking and spray work.
Line-item factors that change the quote
Prep complexity matters most. Fresh drywall that only needs a scuff sand and prime is fast. Existing office walls with years of tape residue, picture hooks, dings near workstations, and grease near kitchenettes take more time. In Edmonton, one recurring issue is scuffs from winter boots and rolling chairs on low partitions. If your office has a lot of low-height dividers and tight corridors, expect more cut-in time and touch-ups.
Product choice changes cost and lifespan. Budget eggshell might save a little upfront but wears down in high-traffic areas like corridors, elevator lobbies, and boardrooms. A premium acrylic latex with higher resin content costs more per gallon but hides better, resists burnishing, and cleans without flashing. On purely price grounds, the difference in materials for a mid-size project might add $0.20 to $0.40 per square foot, yet it can extend repaint cycles by a year or two in busy areas.
Schedule and access affect labour. After-hours work is common for office painting in Edmonton. Expect an off-hours or weekend premium of 10 to 25 percent depending on the window, security checks, and noise limits. If your building requires union-only work or security escorts, plan for longer timelines and higher labour costs. Downtown towers with tight loading docks add time for parking and material handling. Ground-floor offices with easy access, like many in South Edmonton Common or West Edmonton communities, run smoother.
Colour choices and sheen levels also play a role. Dark colours and reds usually need more coats. Switching from dark navy to a light greige can add a coat of primer plus two top coats to prevent shadowing. Eggshell or matte hides imperfections better, while satin gives better cleanability in kitchens and washrooms but can show roller marks on large, well-lit walls if the painter does not maintain a wet edge and consistent pressure.
Edmonton price snapshots from recent projects
A 1,200-square-foot chiropractic clinic in Riverbend with 10 patient rooms and a central corridor ran about $8,500. That included drywall patching around anchors, two coats of premium acrylic eggshell, and satin enamel in washrooms. Work was done over two evenings and one Saturday.
A 4,800-square-foot open-concept office in downtown Edmonton with a mix of drywall and exposed ductwork cost $31,000 for walls and $11,000 for spray-painting the open ceiling flat black. Schedule was two consecutive weekends, plus two evenings for cut-ins around glass fronts.
A law firm in Old Strathcona with historic trim and wainscoting needed more precise prep, oil-to-waterborne transition, and a bonding primer. The 2,200-square-foot space landed at $17,400, with most of the extra cost in detailed sanding, caulking, and fine-finish enamel on woodwork.
These numbers assume standard site conditions, furniture shifted by staff ahead of time, and clear access. If your team needs full furniture protection and moving included, add a modest allowance. We can roll that into the quote and coordinate with building management.
How often should you repaint an office in Edmonton
There is no single timetable because usage varies. A quiet accounting office in Windermere ages differently than a 50-person call center in the Brewery District. Paint quality, colour, sheen, light exposure, and cleaning habits all affect wear.
Reception and lobby spaces are your brand’s front door. Expect to repaint every 2 to 3 years if foot traffic is steady. Dark feature walls near seating show scuffs earlier, especially in winter. If you choose a mid-tone neutral matte of good quality, you can often stretch to 3 years with occasional touch-ups.
Corridors typically need paint every 2 to 4 years. High-traffic floors feed more traffic into hallways that take bag slings, shoulder brushes, and cart wheels. Corner guards help, but paint still suffers at hand height. A scrubbable eggshell or low-sheen acrylic enamel reduces visible wear.
Meeting rooms can hold for 3 to 5 years, especially if they see less movement and you keep chairs from banging the walls with simple bump strips. Whiteboards, if mounted, can leave ghosting on nearby paint. Use a higher-quality paint to resist staining from markers or choose dry-erase paint for zones that double as brainstorming areas.
Washrooms and kitchens benefit from moisture-resistant products and higher-sheen finishes. Repaint them every 2 to 3 years, sooner if you see peeling at caulk seams or grease staining near appliances. Proper ventilation matters. If your kitchen’s fan underperforms, grease will age the paint fast.
Private offices often last 4 to 6 years. Many businesses coordinate these rooms with staff changes or lease renewals. If a partner leaves or a room gets repurposed, repaint then, and you can often reset the whole floor in phases.
Stairwells trend closer to 2 to 3 years due to heavy use and temperature swings. If you manage a multi-tenant building in Edmonton, stairwells also take winter grit and salt. A durable acrylic or waterborne alkyd on handrails and kick plates extends service life.
Seasonal timing matters in Alberta
Winter interior painting is common and often ideal, provided your HVAC runs and humidity sits between 30 and 50 percent. In very dry stretches, static and fast evaporation can leave lap marks if the crew does not adjust technique. In spring and fall, freeze-thaw brings humidity swings that slow cure times. Your contractor should check conditions and choose a product that cures well at the ambient levels in your space.
If you plan tenant improvements with painting near year-end, booking early helps. December schedules fill with offices trying to use remaining budget. We hold slots for clients in downtown Edmonton, Whyte Ave, and Westmount each year to avoid rush fees.
Paint types that perform well in Edmonton offices
For most office areas, a premium acrylic latex in an eggshell sheen strikes the best balance between washability and hiding. Look for products with higher volume solids and good burnish resistance. In kitchens and washrooms, upgrade to satin or a waterborne enamel that resists moisture and frequent cleaning. On doors and trim, waterborne alkyd enamels provide a harder finish with less yellowing than traditional oils and fewer odour issues in occupied spaces.
Low-VOC and low-odour paints make a big difference during business hours. They still need airflow, but most modern formulas let staff return to work faster, especially if we paint zones in a sequence that keeps fumes minimal. If your office has staff with sensitivities, we can source zero-VOC options and review Safety Data Sheets in advance.
Dark feature walls often benefit from a dedicated colour foundation primer, especially reds and deep blues. This reduces the number of finish coats and improves colour consistency. If you are matching brand colours, bring a swatch rather than a phone screen. Lighting changes everything. We always sample two spots in your actual space before committing.
What a realistic timeline looks like
Timelines depend on size, prep, and scheduling windows. For a 2,000 to 3,000-square-foot office with standard prep, two coats, and minor patching, most crews need two or three evenings plus a Saturday. For larger spaces, we break the job into zones: executive offices first, then open areas, then corridors and shared spaces. This keeps staff moving.
Occupied offices take longer than vacant ones because of masking, protection, and daily resets. If we can get one clear swing space to shuffle staff, we move faster. If you are coordinating across floors, the freight elevator schedule matters. We work with building security to reserve windows so materials move without blocking traffic.
How to plan your repaint without disrupting operations
Start with a walkthrough and a list of no-go times. If your sales team runs a weekly call blitz every Tuesday morning, we block those hours. If your clinic books late appointments on Thursday, we shift that zone earlier in the week. Map the office into segments that can be turned around in 24 hours so staff return to clean desks the next day.
Move or protect equipment. We ask clients to clear desks and walls of personal items and unplug electronics. If that is not practical, we include protection in the scope. For IT rooms and server closets, we avoid painting above racks during operating hours. Dust control is critical near sensitive equipment.
Communicate colours ahead of time. Staff buy-in helps reduce the flood of change requests mid-project. A simple sample board in the lunchroom with two or three options and a clear deadline works well. We then place medium-sized samples on actual walls to see how light affects them during the day.
If your lease includes a repaint clause, share the language. Some property managers require certain sheens in corridors, approved colour families, and brand-neutral tones for multi-tenant areas. We coordinate with them so you remain compliant.
A quick framework to budget your next office painting project
Use a bottom-up estimate. First, categorize spaces: open office, private offices, corridors, reception, washrooms, kitchen, stairwells. Second, assign repaint frequency based on use. Third, choose paint quality based on those cycles. Higher upfront cost in high-traffic areas usually pays back through longer intervals and fewer touch-ups.
Then, apply cost per square foot ranges. Standard walls land between $1.70 and $3.50 per square foot of wall area. Trim and doors might add $45 to $90 per door set depending on the finish and condition. Ceilings range widely, but a typical flat drywall ceiling sits at $1.25 to $2.50 per square foot. Add 10 to 25 percent for after-hours work if required. Finally, hold a 10 percent contingency for unknowns https://dependexteriors.com/our-services/commercial-painting/ behind furniture and inside storage rooms that no one has opened for a while.
If that sounds like a lot to juggle, we can handle the count and present a phased plan. Many clients spread work over quarters, starting with reception and corridors, then moving to staff areas.
Thinking about launching a painting business in Edmonton
If you are a tradesperson or project manager considering a painting company here, your success will hinge on scheduling discipline, product knowledge, and relationships with property managers. Residential marketing alone won’t sustain a commercial book. Office painting in Edmonton has steady demand, but repeat work comes from predictable service and clean sites.
Start by getting your legal and safety base in order. Register your business, secure WCB coverage, and carry general liability insurance. Many downtown and institutional buildings will not let you on-site without certificates and a safety orientation. Invest in fall protection and lift training if you plan to handle stairwells and open ceilings.
Build a small kit that matches commercial needs. You need dustless sanding options, low-odour primers, quality rollers that do not shed under bright lighting, and sprayers with fine-finish tips for doors and cabinets. Keep floor protection and door jigs on hand for speed and cleanliness. In winter, heated water buckets for clean-up and a plan for ventilating without freezing staff are essential.
Price for sustainability, not for the job alone. Lowball bids burn cash once you factor in off-hours premiums, parking, extra elevator time, and touch-up trips. Track labour hours by zone so you learn your true production rates: cut-and-roll walls, accent walls, ceilings, and trim. Edmonton’s commercial market is tight-knit; property managers notice crews that finish when they say they will and leave no mess.
Finally, learn to scope with clarity. Define what is in and out: number of colours, areas included, repair level, protection responsibilities, work windows, and touch-up thresholds. Include a site protection plan, an odour management note, and a post-job walk-through date. This clarity reduces friction and builds trust.
Why businesses across Edmonton repaint even if the walls “look fine”
Fresh paint is a maintenance task, but it is also a signal. Clients read your office the moment they enter. A clean, consistent wall colour and a crisp finish along glass partitions tell a story before a meeting begins. Staff morale rises when the workspace looks cared for. In my experience, repainting reception and corridors can shift the feel of a space overnight, even if the furniture stays the same.
It also protects drywall. Minor dents and scratches expose paper that wicks moisture. Edmonton’s humidity swings can exaggerate those flaws. A stable coating protects edges, seals minor repairs, and helps you avoid future skim coats.
From a lease perspective, a proactive repaint often costs less than a forced refresh at move-out. If you stagger work and budget annually, you avoid last-minute spikes. Some landlords will cost-share on corridor and stairwell projects because they benefit multiple tenants. It never hurts to ask.
Colour strategies that work in Edmonton offices
Natural light varies widely across the city. Downtown towers can be bright on south-facing sides and dim on north-facing interiors. Snow reflection in winter cools the light temperature. Warm neutrals in the greige family often keep spaces feeling balanced year-round. For brand accents, choose a deep, saturated note on one wall rather than multiple medium tones that fight with each other under different light.
Open offices with exposed ceilings benefit from a consistent field colour that reduces visual noise, with bolder accents in break areas or collaboration nooks. In clinics, softer off-whites with high LRV keep spaces bright and calm. In professional services, avoid stark white unless your lighting design supports it; otherwise, you will see shadows and roller patterns more easily.
We always sample at least two shades on the actual wall and check them at 9 a.m., noon, and 4 p.m. The Edmonton sky changes fast, and so does your paint.
A simple, low-disruption repaint plan that works
- Book a walkthrough and set your zones: reception, corridors, open office, private offices, support rooms.
- Choose products by area: eggshell for walls, satin or enamel for washrooms and trim, specialty primers if changing dark colours.
- Schedule around operational peaks: evenings for open areas, early mornings for small offices, Saturday for corridors.
- Prep and protect: clear desktops, mask glass and floors, set up dust control near sensitive equipment.
- Walk the site, leave a punch list, complete touch-ups, and label paint for your records.
This sequence keeps your team working while the space steadily improves. It also makes budgeting easier by splitting the project into predictable chunks.
Red flags that tell you it is time to repaint
If you see burnished stripes at shoulder height in hallways, your paint has lost surface integrity from cleaning and friction. If you notice flashing patches where maintenance touched up with the wrong sheen, the wall needs a full coat. Stains near ceiling diffusers or above baseboard heaters signal airflow and heat patterns that age paint; an appropriate primer and a higher-quality finish will hold up better.
Peeling near caulk lines in washrooms points to movement or improper previous prep. We cut out failed caulk, use a paintable, high-quality replacement, and bridge the joint properly before repainting. If you see nail pops or stress cracks near window corners, movement from temperature swings is the reason. We set the fastener, apply joint compound, sand, prime, then refinish.
How Depend Exteriors handles office painting in Edmonton
We focus on clear scoping, clean sites, and workable schedules. That starts with a site visit and photos. We measure wall area, check surface condition, review building rules, and map a plan that respects your workday. Then we give you a written quote with products by area, colours if known, timelines, and any after-hours premiums.
On painting days, we protect flooring and furniture, cut and roll in sections, and keep a tidy footprint. If we are painting while staff work, we set quiet zones and rotate. If the job calls for weekend work, we scale up the crew to finish quickly. After final coats, we do a walkthrough with you, correct any concerns, and leave labelled touch-up paint. You get a short report that lists colours and products so you can match them later.
We handle office painting in Edmonton, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, and nearby communities. Whether you manage a floor downtown or a clinic in south Edmonton, we can price, plan, and complete your repaint with minimal disruption.
Ready for accurate numbers for your space
Every office has quirks that change the price. You might have glass-fronted rooms that need precision cutting, or a server room that cannot shut down, or a stairwell that only opens at set hours. The right plan saves time and avoids surprises. If you want exact costing for your office painting in Edmonton, call Depend Exteriors. We can meet on-site, bring sample boards, and propose a schedule that fits your calendar.
And if you are starting a painting business and want a second opinion on equipment or quoting structure for commercial work, we are happy to share what we have learned. Edmonton’s best projects happen when trades communicate. Whether you need the work done for your office or you are building a company to serve offices, the same principles apply: clear scope, right products, clean execution, and timelines that respect the people using the space.
The next step is simple. Reach out with your square footage, a few photos, and your desired timeline. We will return a clear quote and a plan that lets your team keep working while your space gets the update it deserves.
Depend Exteriors provides commercial and residential stucco services in Edmonton, AB. Our team handles stucco repair, stucco replacement, and masonry repair for homes and businesses across the city and surrounding areas. We work on exterior surfaces to restore appearance, improve durability, and protect buildings from the elements. Our services cover projects of all sizes with reliable workmanship and clear communication from start to finish. If you need Edmonton stucco repair or masonry work, Depend Exteriors is ready to help.