Condo Painting That Works Around Your Building

Strata Requirements, Access and Your Building’s Rules

We’d rather find out what your building needs before day one than on day one. Before we schedule, we’ll want to know:

• Whether your strata requires advance notice of contractor work
• Whether the elevator needs to be booked and padded
• Permitted working hours and quiet hours
• Where the crew can park and unload, and any loading bay time limits
• Building access — fobs, concierge, buzzer codes, or you letting us in
• Whether proof of insurance needs to be filed with the strata

One boundary worth naming up front: the inside of your unit is yours. Hallways, lobbies, exterior siding, and often balcony ceilings and railings are common property — painting those is a strata decision, not an owner decision. If you’re unsure which side of the line something falls on, ask your strata first. If your strata council is looking at common areas, hallways, stairwells or the building envelope rather than an individual unit, that’s covered on our strata painting page.

The Ceilings and Stairwells You Can’t Safely Reach

This is one of the most common reasons condo and apartment owners call us, and it comes up constantly: a loft with 16 or 18 foot ceilings, a two-storey entry, or a stairwell wall running the full height of the unit. There’s nowhere safe to set a ladder, the wall is usually one continuous plane so touch-ups and lap marks show badly, and it’s often the first thing anyone sees walking through the door.

Plenty of owners paint the reachable parts themselves and hire out the rest. That’s a sensible split and we’re happy to quote it that way — just the loft, just the stairwell, just the vaulted living room. If the previous owner left the paint behind, we can use it or colour match to it.

Skylight wells, vaulted peaks and the tall walls above kitchen cabinets fall into the same category. If you can point at it and say you’d rather not be up there, that’s the part to hand over.

Why Condo Owners Choose Pride Painting

Reviews from Condo Owners

JANE PECK-HAY

“We contacted several painting firms in Nanaimo for quotes on painting the trim for our strata. Pride Painting provided a detailed quote in a timely fashion, came when they said they were going to, which is often not the case with trades on Vancouver Island, were very professional, and did an excellent job in painting the trim.”

PMI A

“The experience with Pride in painting an entire condo before I moved to the Island was excellent, start to finish. The detailed estimate Melissa did gave me confidence in the cost and Jack was very responsive in scheduling to ensure the work was done prior to my move. Painters Jaycee and Jimmy accommodated my requests for FaceTime ‘tours’ as the work progressed given I was not able to be on site in-person.”

How Much Does It Cost to Paint a Condo?

Square footage tells you less in a condo than it does in a house. Two units of identical size can price very differently depending on how many separate rooms the space is divided into, ceiling height, whether ceilings are included, and how much of the work is hand-cutting around cabinetry, bulkheads and trim.

Wall condition, the number of colours, whether the existing paint is oil-based, and access limitations at your building all affect the price too. We don’t quote condos by the square foot for that reason — we look at the actual unit and price the actual surfaces.

Most of the condos and apartments we paint on the Island fall between 800 and 1,200 square feet, and a walls-only repaint in a single colour is usually the fastest and most economical option — a common choice for investment units, or when you’re getting a place ready to list.

No access to the unit yet? If there’s still a tenant in place, you haven’t taken possession, or you’re buying from off-Island, send us the address along with the MLS or realtor listing, any photos and a floor plan. We can start the conversation from those. An on-site review is still needed before the final scope and price are confirmed.

Can You Stay in the Unit While We Paint?

Yes, and most owners do. It just changes how the project has to be organized. We plan condo projects in stages so there’s always a liveable area — somewhere to sleep, somewhere to sit, and a path to the kitchen and bathroom that isn’t covered in drop sheets.

That may mean completing bedrooms first so you have a finished room to sleep in, keeping one living area clear while the other is being painted, or consolidating the messiest preparation into specific days. We clean up and pack our equipment down at the end of each day.

If you can be out of the unit for the duration, the work usually moves faster and finishes sooner — and an empty condo between owners or tenants is the easiest kind to paint. But it isn’t a requirement, and we’d rather plan around your life than ask you to leave it.

Before You Live With Those Walls Another Year…

The thing about a condo is that you see all of it, all the time. There’s no spare wing to ignore. No basement to close the door on.

The scuffed hallway is the hallway you walk down twelve times a day. The colour you never chose is in the room you sit in every evening.

It also happens to be one of the more achievable painting projects there is — smaller footprint, self-contained, and finished faster than most people expect.

Send us the building, the unit and what you’re thinking of painting. We’ll tell you what’s involved, what your strata will likely need, and what it will actually cost.

No inflated promises. No pressure to paint things that don’t need painting. Just a clear conversation about your condo and the best way to get it done.

A Condo You Actually Want to Come Home To.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need strata approval to paint the inside of my condo or apartment?

Usually not for the interior of your own unit, since that’s typically your responsibility under the strata plan. What your strata may require is advance notice of contractor access, elevator booking, proof of insurance, or that the work stay within permitted hours. Common property — hallways, lobbies, exterior surfaces and often balcony ceilings and railings — is a strata decision, not an owner one. Check your bylaws, and let us know what your building requires.

Can I stay in my condo while it’s being painted?

Yes, and most owners do. We plan the sequence so there’s a liveable area at all times and pack down at the end of each day. The project generally moves faster in an empty unit, but staying is entirely workable.

Can you paint just the high areas I can’t reach myself?

Yes, and it’s one of the most common calls we get from condo owners. Loft ceilings, two-storey entries and stairwell walls are the parts people sensibly decide not to attempt from a stepladder. If you’re happy painting the rest yourself, we can quote the high or awkward areas on their own. If you already have the colours, we can match or use your existing paint.

Do you paint popcorn or textured ceilings?

Yes. Textured and popcorn ceilings can be painted, and spraying is often the better method because it avoids the rolling that can pull loose texture off the surface. Ceilings are priced separately from walls so you can see what including them costs before you decide. Texture removal is a different job from painting, so tell us which you’re after and we’ll be clear about what’s involved.

Can you quote if I don’t have access to the unit yet?

Often, yes. If the unit is still tenanted, you haven’t taken possession, or you’re buying from off-Island, we can start from the address, the MLS or realtor listing, photos and a floor plan. An on-site review is still needed to confirm the final scope and price, but you don’t have to be standing in the room to get the conversation moving. Video walkthroughs and progress photos can keep you involved throughout.

Whatever your need, we always Paint with Pride!

Pride Painting is a recognised, highly reviewed painting company serving Nanaimo to Victoria, offering reliable interior and exterior house painting services to homeowners and businesses.