Commercial Painting Cost in Chicago
Commercial painting is priced differently from residential work, and not mainly because the buildings are bigger. It is priced around access and downtime: whether a crew can work a full shift or only after close, whether the space stays open while it is painted, and how much has to be protected, moved or re-secured at the end of every day.
The figures below are typical Chicago-market ranges for 2026, not a quote. Commercial work is assessed on site — here is what our estimate covers.
Commercial painting cost per square foot
| Surface | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Interior walls | $0.70 – $4.00 / sq ft |
| Interior ceilings | $0.85 – $4.50 / sq ft |
| Exterior masonry and brick | $0.75 – $3.50 / sq ft |
| Exterior metal and steel | $1.00 – $5.00 / sq ft |
| Warehouse and industrial walls | $0.50 – $2.50 / sq ft |
| Epoxy floor coating | $2.00 – $8.00 / sq ft |
| Parking lot striping | $0.25 – $1.00 / sq ft |
Cost by property type
| Property type | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Office and corporate space | $1.25 – $2.50 / sq ft |
| Retail and restaurants | $1.75 – $4.00 / sq ft |
| HOA and condo common areas | $1.00 – $2.50 / sq ft |
| Warehouse and industrial | $0.50 – $1.25 / sq ft |
| Apartment turnover (per unit) | $300 – $1,200 per unit |
Offices and retail sit higher than warehouse space for the same square footage because of cut-in density — more doors, frames, partitions, glass edges and fixtures per square foot — not because the walls are different.
Labor rates and after-hours work
| Schedule | Typical labor rate |
|---|---|
| Standard daytime | $55 – $65 / hour |
| After-hours or overnight | $75 – $90 / hour |
| Weekend or holiday | $80 – $95 / hour |
| Specialty coatings | $70 – $110 / hour |
Commercial-grade paint typically runs $50 to $125 per gallon depending on the coating system.
Scheduling is usually the biggest lever a client controls. Painting a retail floor overnight costs roughly 30–50% more in labor than painting it on a weekday morning — and for most retail and restaurant clients, that premium is still cheaper than closing. The right answer depends on your revenue per hour, not on the painting.
What drives a commercial quote
Square footage and ceiling height. Anything above standard height requires lifts or scaffolding, which changes both the labor rate and how much area a crew covers per day.
Access and occupancy. Occupied floors, live retail, operating kitchens and secure areas all mean phased work with daily setup and teardown.
Surface condition and substrate. Previously coated drywall is the easy case; bare masonry, rusted steel and failing coatings each require preparation and a specific primer system.
Coating system. Standard commercial latex, epoxy, elastomeric, intumescent and anti-graffiti coatings are very different price points.
Compliance requirements. Certificates of insurance, badged crews, background checks, and low-odor or odor-free products in medical and school settings.
Minimizing disruption
Phased scheduling, evening and weekend work, and sectioning a floor so only part is out of service at a time are all standard for us. On occupied commercial work we agree the phasing plan before the first day, not during it — most cost overruns in commercial painting come from a schedule that turned out not to survive contact with the business.
For scheduled building work — hallways, lobbies, stairwells, unit doors and recurring repaint cycles — see property management painting.
Frequently asked questions
Interior commercial walls typically run $0.70 to $4.00 per square foot. Office space averages $1.25 to $2.50, retail and restaurants $1.75 to $4.00, HOA and condo common areas $1.00 to $2.50, and warehouse space $0.50 to $1.25.
Most office interiors run $1.25 to $2.50 per square foot, so a 5,000 square foot office typically lands between $6,250 and $12,500 depending on ceiling height, partition and door count, and whether work happens during or outside business hours.
Yes. Evening, overnight and weekend work is standard for retail, restaurants, medical offices and occupied commercial floors. After-hours labor typically runs $75 to $90 per hour versus $55 to $65 for standard daytime work.
Common-area work generally runs $1.00 to $2.50 per square foot. Hallways, lobbies and stairwells price toward the upper end because of door and frame density, height, and the need to keep exit routes usable throughout.
Yes — general liability and workers’ compensation, with certificates of insurance issued naming the property owner and management company as additional insured at the limits Chicago buildings typically require.
We quote a fixed project price after a site walk. The per-square-foot and hourly figures above are useful for budgeting and for sanity-checking other bids, but a real commercial quote comes from seeing the space, the substrate and the schedule.
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