How long does it take to paint a commercial building? What does it cost to paint a commercial exterior and interior?

If you are thinking about having one of your commercial properties painting, then you likely have a fair few questions on your mind. For example: how long does it take to paint a commercial building? And what does it cost to paint a commercial exterior and interior? 

In this article, we’ll aim to answer these questions as best we can for your convenience. Ultimately, for the most accurate estimations on cost and time taken for a project, your best bet will be to contact your local commercial painting company. In any case, let’s dive a little deeper into the subject! 

How long does it take to paint a commercial building?

How long does it take to paint a commercial building? It’s a good question, particularly if you are working to a tight schedule, need to get your commercial building in a safe and suitable condition to open to the public, and want to keep the amount of disruption to your business to an absolute minimum. 

The time that it will take to paint a commercial building however, depends on a variety of different factors: 

  • How big is the building in question?
  • Do you need both the interior and the exterior of the building painting?
  • How qualified is the painter / painting company that you are hiring for the project?
  • What quality of paint will they be using? / How many coats are required? 
  • And what are the weather conditions like? (a commercial exterior painting project can be brought to a stand-still throughout long periods of heavy rain). 

With that in mind, putting together a plan for your commercial painting project can help you determine roughly how long it will take to complete. 

As a rule of thumb, if an average painter can cover about 150 to 200 square feet per hour, times that by the amount of square feet (including additional hours for preparatory work and clean-up) and you’ll have a rough idea. 

What does it cost to paint a commercial exterior and interior?

So, what does it cost to paint a commercial exterior and interior? The easiest way to estimate a commercial paint job cost depends on the following three factors:

  • How much paint are you going to need?

The first thing you need to do is calculate the total square footage of the interior and exterior areas that require painting. Following that, bear in mind that one gallon of paint will typically cover about 300 square feet of smooth wall surface. That, and for a premium quality paint, you should expect to pay between $50 and $75 per gallon. 

Thus, for 4,800 square feet of surface space, you could end up spending up to $1,200 for paint. 

  • How much labour will be required to complete the project in the time-frame you are aiming for? 

When figuring out labour costs, bear in mind that an average painter can cover about 150 to 200 square feet per hour. Since labour costs are typically charged on an average basis, you may end up having to pay some $60 to $100 an hour, per labourer (though this can vary depending on the quality and experience of the tradesmen). 

  • What condition is the building in? (e.g., if the walls are in disrepair, then a fair amount of preparation work may be involved, which can influence the overall cost of your commercial exterior and interior painting project)

You should also factor in additional time for wall painting preparatory work such as priming, trimming, caulking, scraping, filling, etc. – depending on the condition of the commercial building itself. In addition to that, factor in the time required at the end of the project for cleaning up. 

Following that, you can calculate the average cost of an interior / exterior commercial painting project by adding the materials required, the time it is likely to take, and how much labour is involved. 

Conclusion  

Again, the time it will take to complete a commercial painting project, and how much it will cost for both the exterior and interior of your commercial building is highly dependent on a number of different factors. As such, your best bet is to contact award-winning commercial painters such as Platinum3Painting for the most accurate quote on a premium-quality finish. This will often require your chosen commercial painting company to visit your site and carry out a thorough evaluation of the building itself.