Whether it’s an office, retail, or clinic space, interior commercial painting in Edmonton is often the final task before handing the unit over to the next tenant.
Unfortunately, lease turnovers rarely happen at a convenient pace. Your previous tenant is still trying to get all of their things out of the space, your next tenant is waiting on keys, and you need to get everything turned over in time. Ideally, the space should be turned over by Monday morning.
This tight timeframe means that proper planning is required to avoid noticeable roller lines in bright lighting, drips and sticky paint around high traffic areas (especially near door handles), and having to run around doing touch-ups while movers are coming and going.
Scope and Site Conditions
- Repair work: wall and ceiling repairs (including holes, dents, cracks in drywall seams, bubbling from previous water damage, etc.), corner bead repairs, caulking repairs (Edmonton’s dry winter air can cause caulk around windows and trim to shrink and pull away), drywall paper repairs, wall prepping, etc.
- Paint prep: wall and ceiling cleaning, scuffing/sanding of shiny walls and ceilings, masking, protection of floors and built-in cabinetry/fixtures, etc.
- Finish decisions: colour choice (trim, walls, accent/feature walls, etc.), sheen, specialty coatings, etc.
Depending on the type of commercial space, you may also want to discuss whether or not additional prep/finishes are required (i.e., high-visibility safety line/marking paint around warehouse pedestrian and equipment traffic areas, extra durable/high traffic wall and floor paints, etc.).
Facility-Specific Needs
- High-traffic areas near parking lots/garages (especially entry vestibules) may be subject to unsightly mud/salt stains from boots/shoes.
- Locker rooms in recreation centres may benefit from paint that can withstand frequent cleaning/scrubbing.
- Corridors, washrooms, and other high-traffic areas in hockey arenas can present a challenge due to the need to work around events, practices, and regular maintenance.
Weekend Turnover Schedule
Friday Evening
- Floor protection
- Remove switch plates/outlet covers and other hardware as needed
- Wall/ceiling repairs as necessary
- Wall/ceiling cleaning
- Priming of wall/ceiling repairs
Saturday
- Ceilings and/or walls
- Accent/feature walls (as applicable)
- Doors and trim, first coat
Sunday
- Final wall/ceiling coats
- Doors and trim, final coats
- Remove masking, clean up, touch up as needed, and do a final inspection (turn on all the lights!)
Before Your Next Tenant Takes Possession
- Discuss with your tenant the best ways to avoid scuffing/damaging the new paint while moving in (i.e. timing of carpet cleaning, moving schedule, etc.)
- Alarm codes, elevator reservations, after-hours access information, and who is your point of contact over the weekend?
- Will you need to share elevator/loading door access with your tenant’s moving company? (Especially important if your suite is on an upper floor and you’ll both be using the same elevator to get paint, equipment, etc. into the suite!)
- Will you be required to paint common corridors/hallways?
Proper drying/cure times are important! While some water-based paints (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/water-based-paint) can be recoated within a few hours in ideal conditions, this could take longer depending on humidity/ventilation/temperature in the suite. Once your final coat is applied, your commercial painting contractor will want to make sure the paint is fully cured before your tenant pushes furniture up against the walls, because the paint is dry to the touch doesn’t mean it can’t be dinged or scuffed!
Preparation and Handover
After-Hours Prep
Depending on the scope of work, some prep/clean-up work may need to take place after-hours. Proper prep includes:
- Removing residual oils from walls (common in office environments where walls are repeatedly touched by employees/visitors or smudged by carts, office equipment, etc.)
- Carefully removing any existing painter’s tape/masking
- Protecting baseboards, outlet/switch plates, sprinkler heads, floor coverings/transitions, glass partitions, etc.
Note: While this level of detail may be overkill for, say, painting one repaired wall in an otherwise empty office, if you are painting an entire suite, it is important to invest the time to properly prep/mask, otherwise you will just end up doing even more cleanup at the end of the weekend!
Depending on the type of commercial space, your commercial painting contractor will want to take extra care in certain areas, for example, for retail, around the storefront, fitting rooms, cash wrap area, etc., as these are customer-facing areas where drips, splatters, sheen inconsistencies, etc. will be more noticeable.
Similarly, a medical office calls for extra care around the reception area, treatment rooms, and medical equipment, and an Edmonton interior painting specialist should select finishes suited to these demanding commercial interiors. Your painting contractor will also want to keep as tidy a worksite as possible so that other trades can access the site without disturbing wet paint or masking!
Product Selection
Where possible, using low-odour/low-VOC products (more details) may be a good option if the space will be immediately occupied once your Edmonton commercial painting contractor is finished, especially in an enclosed retail unit, medical clinic, or open-plan office!
That said, not all areas should be finished with the same sheen/durability level. For example:
- Washable/durable paints make sense for high-traffic areas (hallways, washrooms, etc.)
- Flatter sheens may work best for ceilings, as they help to mask imperfections and reduce glare
- Doors/trim may also require a more durable product, as they’re continually touched/pushed by employees/visitors/carts/equipment, etc.
Colour Decisions
As noted above, you may want to use feature/accent colours to help define specific areas (e.g., reception area, showroom, etc.). Your commercial painting contractor will typically paint these last (after surrounding walls are complete), followed by the trim (once the accent-coloured walls have had some time to dry/set). Not only does this reduce the chances of accidentally disturbing/tampering with painter’s tape, but it also minimizes the chances of the darker/bolder colour accidentally smearing onto freshly painted white trim!
Final Inspection
Don’t forget to perform a final walkthrough using normal interior lighting, as subtle colour/sheen inconsistencies, drips, and missed spots may otherwise go unnoticed. may not be readily visible! Walk through the space the way your tenants/employees/customers will, paying particular attention to areas around windows/doors (including behind closed doors!), window sills, entryways (especially watch for salt/water marks around entry vestibules where these may immediately scuff/mess with the new paint!), baseboards, patched holes, etc.
Touch-Up Paint
Ask your commercial painting contractor to leave behind any leftover paint (properly labelled with the corresponding room/area, of course!). Ideally, they should also provide some of this with the final paperwork so that you/the property manager have it on hand for future reference!
Property Handover
Again, coordinate in advance with the property manager so that they can perform a final walkthrough/inspection prior to you officially passing along possession/the keys!