If you are budgeting a commercial paint project before requesting bids, you want a realistic sense of what moves the number. There is no flat web price for commercial work that would be honest, because no two facilities are the same. Here is what actually drives the cost, how commercial jobs are priced, and where you can save without buying a problem.
What drives commercial painting cost
The price is a function of several variables stacking together:
- Square footage. The biggest single driver. More surface area, more material and labor.
- Interior vs. exterior. Exterior work adds access, weather rating, and prep that interior work does not.
- Surface type and condition. Smooth drywall is fast. Block, metal, stucco, and damaged or previously failing surfaces need more prep and the right coating.
- Height and access. Lifts, scaffolding, and hard-to-reach areas add equipment cost and slow the work.
- Coating system specified. A standard interior paint and a high-performance protective coating are very different line items. See our guide to industrial coatings.
- Surface prep. Pressure washing, scraping, patching, priming, the unglamorous work that determines how long the finish lasts.
- Scheduling. After-hours, weekend, or phased work to keep an occupied building running carries a premium over an empty-building free run.
- Prevailing wage on public or certain institutional projects, where applicable.
How commercial jobs are priced
Commercial painting is usually quoted per square foot or per project after a walkthrough, not off a phone call. A flat per-square-foot number from a website is unreliable because it cannot account for your substrate, condition, height, coating, or schedule.
The document that makes a price trustworthy is a detailed written scope. It spells out exactly what is being painted, how it is prepped, which coatings and how many coats, and what is excluded. Two bids are only comparable when both are scoped the same way. A low number with a thin scope is not a better deal; it is a gap waiting to become a change order.
Budgeting a project and need a real number? We walk the site, write a detailed scope, and price it honestly with no surprise change orders. Call (206) 250-9193 or request a free estimate.
Cost ranges by project type
These are relative ranges to set expectations, not quotes. The actual number comes from a walkthrough.
| Project type | Relative cost driver | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Office interior | Lower per SF | Mostly drywall, scheduling around staff |
| Retail / storefront | Low to moderate | Sales-floor protection, business hours |
| Warehouse / industrial | Varies widely | Height, floors, performance coatings |
| Exterior building | Moderate to high | Access, weather-rated systems, prep |
| Multifamily / HOA | Varies by scope | Multiple buildings, rot repair, sealing |
| Free written estimate | No cost | On-site walkthrough and a firm price in writing |
For community and multifamily budgeting specifically, see how HOAs should budget for a community repaint.
Where to save (and where not to)
There are smart savings and false ones:
- Do not cut prep. It is the cheapest place to save on paper and the most expensive place to save in reality. Coating failures are usually prep failures.
- Do phase scheduling smartly. Aligning work with natural slow periods or empty zones can reduce after-hours premiums.
- Do bundle related work. Handling rot repair, sealing, or multiple buildings under one contractor and one mobilization is more efficient than separate trades and trips.
- Avoid the underbid trap. The lowest bid that wins on a thin scope tends to recover its margin through change orders. The honest, detailed bid is the predictable one.
The Pacific Northwest angle
Exterior commercial work in the Seattle metro is constrained to dry-weather windows, which affects both scheduling and cost. Plan exterior projects around that calendar to avoid stalled jobs. And because Puget Sound marine air and persistent moisture are hard on building envelopes, higher-spec coatings are often justified here. They raise the material cost up front but extend the recoat cycle, which lowers lifetime cost.
How Hedlund prices it
We do not quote commercial work over the phone, because an honest number requires seeing the building. As a licensed Seattle-area contractor, we walk the site, write a detailed scope, and price it honestly up front, no low bid followed by change orders. Every project is backed by our 10-year workmanship warranty. The estimate is free and the number in it is the number you can plan around.
What our clients say
“We used Hedlund painting to perform painting services at our office and were very happy with the professionalism of the team.” SERVPRO of Edmonds, 5 stars (Google)
