What Do Painters Charge per Hour Near Me? Typical Rates and Cost Factors
If you are pricing a painting project in Edmonton, you will see a wide spread of hourly rates and flat bids. Some quotes look surprisingly low; others seem steep. The truth sits in the details: surface prep, substrate, height, coatings, access, and warranty. As commercial painters in Edmonton, we price hundreds of projects per year and track the local numbers closely. This article breaks down typical hourly rates near you, what drives cost up or down, and how to read a proposal so you pay for real value, not guesswork.
The quick answer: typical hourly rates in Edmonton
Across Edmonton and surrounding areas, residential painters often quote between $45 and $70 per hour for labour. Commercial painters in Edmonton usually run between $55 and $95 per hour for standard interior work, and $75 to $120 per hour for high-access or specialty coatings. Union sites, night shifts, and swing-stage work trend higher.
Those are labour rates. Your total cost will also include materials, equipment, site protection, waste handling, and overhead. Many reputable companies prefer fixed or “per square foot” pricing, because production rates vary with the conditions on site. An hourly figure helps you compare, but the scope tells the real story.
Why some painters quote hourly and others bid by the job
Hourly billing looks simple, yet it pushes risk to the client. If the walls need more prep, the clock keeps running. Flat bids push risk to the contractor. If we missed the extent of patching, we absorb the extra labour. This is why good estimators spend time on site, run moisture readings where needed, probe failing coatings, and specify a system that matches the substrate and use.
For small service calls — a few doors, a quick office repaint, a graffitied CMU wall — hourly billing with a minimum charge makes sense. For anything with real scope, a clear fixed price with measurable inclusions protects both sides. You still should understand the implied hourly, so you can judge productivity and value.
What drives the rate: nine cost factors that matter
The hourly rate is the result of inputs we can map. Here are the levers that move your price up or down in Edmonton.
Surface condition and prep requirements. A clean, sound, dull, and dry surface is fast to coat. Glossy alkyd on trim takes sanding and deglossing. Hairline cracks on stucco need elastomeric patching. Peeling drywall tape or water damage requires repairs and drying time. Prep work often consumes 40 to 70 percent of total labour on repaint projects.
Height and access. Ladders to 12 feet are routine. Once we bring in scaffolding, scissor lifts, or swing stages, both labour and equipment costs go up. A 30-foot atrium or a tilt-up exterior on a windy site can double the time compared to ground-level interiors.
Occupied vs. empty space. Painting a vacant unit is efficient. Painting an active restaurant, a medical clinic, or a downtown office needs off-hours work, staging, and more protection. Moving furniture and setting containment zones takes time.
Coating type and number of coats. Standard acrylic wall paint builds coverage fast. Stain-blocking primers, epoxies, urethanes, elastomerics, dryfall for ceilings, and intumescent coatings have longer recoat windows and stricter application specs. Dark-to-light or light-to-dark colour changes often mean an extra coat.
Substrate. Drywall, plaster, CMU, metal, wood, EIFS, galvanized steel, and aged alkyd all behave differently. Bonding to a chalky exterior or slick handrail is not the same as rolling a feature wall. Production rates vary from 50 to 600 square feet per hour depending on the substrate and method.
Season and site logistics. Exterior season in Edmonton is short. Spring and fall book up quickly, so rates reflect demand and weather risk. Winter interiors are steady but can be slower in occupied spaces because of ventilation and cure-cycle constraints.
Crew composition. A well-run team with one lead, two journeypersons, and one apprentice covers a lot of ground safely. Solo operators charge less per hour but take longer. A cheap rate is not cheap if production drags.
Warranty and insurance. Reputable commercial painters in Edmonton carry WCB, $2–5M liability, lift certifications, and COR or equivalent safety programs. They also back their work with a written warranty. That compliance adds cost, but it protects you on site and after we demobilize.
Admin and mobilization. Estimating, colour sampling, project management, daily cleanup, and waste handling are not “on the brush,” but they are essential. Larger jobs spread these costs better than tiny service calls.
What Edmonton clients actually pay: real-world scenarios
Small office refresh in Oliver. Two rooms, 700 square feet of paintable wall. One colour, no repairs. Typical invoice: $900 to $1,300 all-in. This reflects roughly 10 to 16 labour hours plus materials and a small mobilization fee.
Retail unit turnover in Strathcona. 1,200 square feet, high-traffic walls with scuffs, some drywall dents, and a black accent wall going to light grey. Typical invoice: $2,200 to $3,000. Two coats plus spot priming, one long day to prep, one to finish.
Exterior stucco repaint in Glenora. 2,000 square feet of surface area, hairline cracking on south elevation, two-storey height, eaves protection, elastomeric topcoat. Typical invoice: $8,500 to $13,000 depending on scaffold or lift needs.
Warehouse deck and columns in Acheson. 6,000 square feet of dryfall ceiling deck at 22 feet, plus steel columns. Night shift, lift rental, overspray protection. Typical invoice: $12,000 to $20,000, with hourly equivalent often landing between $75 and $105 per painter due to access and containment.
Condo corridor repaint in Downtown Edmonton. Eight floors, 1,500 linear feet of corridor, doors and frames, low-VOC spec, strict quiet hours. Typical invoice: $18,000 to $30,000 depending on door count and patching.
Numbers vary with site conditions, but these ranges reflect what we see in Edmonton bids that include proper prep, equipment, and warranty.
Hourly rates versus productivity: what actually moves the needle
A $60 hourly rate with 350 square feet per hour on clean walls beats a $45 rate with 150 square feet per hour on the same surface. Production is the hinge. Look for proposals that specify expected production rates by task: wall rolling, trim brushing, masking, patching per square foot, spray rates for ceilings, and dry times. When we show these metrics, clients can see how we will finish on time without living on site for a week.
Materials: brand, sheen, and why “good paint” saves money
In Edmonton’s freeze-thaw cycles and dry winters, coating choice matters. On interiors, higher-solids acrylics like premium lines from Sherwin-Williams, Dulux, and Benjamin Moore give better hide and scrub resistance. You pay more per gallon, but you often use fewer coats, and the finish holds up longer in hallways and break rooms.
For exteriors, elastomeric on stucco bridges hairline cracks and survives the UV exposure we get on south and west faces. Alkyd primers still earn their keep on rusted steel, but we often finish with waterborne acrylics or urethanes for durability without heavy odour. In food prep and healthcare spaces, ask for low-VOC and low-odour products that still meet the durability spec, so you can reopen fast.
Material costs usually land between 10 and 25 percent of the total invoice on repaint work. If a quote looks suspiciously low, the savings often hide in cheaper coatings or skipped primer.
How we build a fair quote in Edmonton
We start with a site walk. We test adhesion where paint is failing, check for moisture, look at sunlight exposure, and assess traffic patterns. We measure surfaces, not just floor area. We note access points, hours, and security protocols. Then we price by task: prep, prime, paint, protect, and clean.
On commercial jobs, we share a schedule and identify any shut-down windows. We plan noisy tasks during acceptable hours and use low-odour products near staff. For multi-tenant buildings, we stack work to reduce time on each floor. These management decisions are part of the cost and the value.
Reading a painter’s proposal: what should be in writing
A clear scope protects your budget. Ask for these items, and you will filter out vague bids.
- Surface prep steps and repair allowances with limits
- Coating schedule: brand, product line, sheen, and number of coats
- Access plan: ladders, lifts, scaffolding, and who pays for rentals
- Protection measures: flooring, furniture, fixtures, and dust control
- Warranty terms, WCB and liability coverage, and estimated timeline
With these details, you can compare apples to apples and catch missing prep or under-specified products.
Edmonton neighbourhood factors that affect cost
Downtown, Oliver, and Ice District. Depend Exteriors Parking, elevator use, and security checks add time. After-hours work is common in offices and retail. Expect slightly higher labour rates and mobilization fees.
South Edmonton Common and Windermere. Big footprints and open spaces can improve production, but active retail hours often mean night or early-morning shifts.
Strathcona and Old Glenora. Older homes and heritage storefronts need more prep. Plaster repairs and window glazing add hours. Exterior access can be tricky due to landscaping and limited staging areas.
West Edmonton and Acheson industrial. High ceilings and structural steel require lifts and sometimes fireproofing or specialty coatings. Safety compliance and equipment rentals are a larger slice of the budget.
University and hospital-adjacent areas. Low-odour and infection control protocols shape the spec. Expect more protection and coordination with facility managers.
How to keep costs under control without cutting corners
Prep the space. If you can clear walls and move small items ahead of time, we start faster. We bring floor and furniture protection, but an open room is a productive room.
Decide colours early. Last-minute changes trigger rework. Ask for drawdowns and sample walls so you can see the colour in your light.
Group work. If you plan to paint two floors this quarter and two next quarter, you might save by bundling. Fewer mobilizations and better material buys lower the per-unit cost.
Aim for “good” where “perfect” is unnecessary. Back-of-house spaces can use a mid-grade coating that scrubs well without the premium price of a designer line. Public, sun-exposed, and high-touch areas deserve the upgrades.
Book shoulder seasons strategically. For interiors, late fall and winter often offer better availability and steady crews. For exteriors, be ready early in spring to grab weather windows.
Red flags in ultra-low quotes
We all like a sharp price. Still, some savings come from shortcuts that cost more later. Watch for bids that skip primer on stained or glossy surfaces; assume one coat on dark-to-light changes; omit lift rental when work exceeds safe ladder height; exclude protection and cleanup; or avoid clear warranty terms. If a contractor cannot show WCB clearance and liability insurance, you shoulder the risk.
How long should a job take? Reasonable production benchmarks
These are ballpark figures for Edmonton projects under typical conditions with a trained crew. Production varies, but these help you sanity-check timelines.
Interior walls in good condition: 300 to 450 square feet per painter hour, including rolling and cutting. Add time for patching and caulking.
Trim and doors: 1 to 2 doors per hour depending on style and existing finish; 100 to 200 linear feet of trim per hour if surfaces are smooth and accessible.
Ceilings: 200 to 350 square feet per hour rolled; 800 to 1,500 square feet per hour sprayed with proper masking.
Exterior stucco: 80 to 150 square feet per hour including back-rolling, more with spray rigs on open walls.
Metal railings and small steel: 20 to 60 square feet per hour including wire-brush prep and spot priming of rust.
If a proposal suggests production rates far outside these ranges without explanation, ask how they will achieve it.
Commercial painters Edmonton: what you gain with a specialized crew
Commercial spaces carry different risks than a living room. We coordinate with tenants, protect electronics and fixtures, and manage dust and odour. We know the fire code implications of intumescent coatings, the wear patterns in corridors, and the pinhole risks in epoxy systems. We stage work so a lobby stays open, a clinic keeps seeing patients, or a warehouse runs picks and packs during a shift.
For property managers and business owners, time is money. A crew that hits a promised window, shows up with the right lift tickets, and delivers a clean turnover is worth more than a bargain rate that drags for days. That is the core value in hiring experienced commercial painters in Edmonton: predictable execution and finishes that stand up to real use.
How we quote hourly if you need it
Some clients prefer a time-and-materials model for unpredictable work: water damage that may grow after demo, tenant improvements with evolving scope, or test areas on a sensitive substrate. Our typical T&M structure in Edmonton:
Base labour rate per painter, with different rates for journeypersons and apprentices. Minimum charge covers the first two hours to offset mobilization. Materials at cost plus a small handling percentage. Equipment rental pass-through with quoted daily rates. Daily timesheets and material logs for transparency.
If we see a path to a fixed price after day one, we recommend switching to protect your budget.
Comparing quotes: a quick, fair process
You do not need to become a coating expert to pick the right contractor. Ask for a site walk with each bidder. Request the same scope language be used across proposals. Confirm insurance and WCB. Verify product lines by name, not generic categories. Ask about crew size, start date, expected daily hours, and who will be your on-site lead. Finally, request two recent local references with similar scope.
If a contractor is vague or slow to provide these details, your project will likely feel the same. If they provide clear answers and a thoughtful schedule, your project will run like the estimate reads.
What about paint-and-primer-in-one?
This label can be confusing. Many quality finishes have strong hide and can bond well to clean, dull, and sound surfaces. That is fine for repaints in good condition. It is not a replacement for primer when you have stains, raw substrates, glossy alkyd, efflorescence on masonry, or rust. If you see “no primer needed” in a bid where the site shows these conditions, press for a product data sheet and a written warranty on adhesion.
Weather, temperature, and cure in Edmonton
Exterior work needs a surface and air temperature that meets the product spec, usually 10°C or higher with no freeze for 24 hours. Spring winds in Edmonton can complicate spray work; overspray control adds time. Early fall often gives the best windows: stable temps, lower sun intensity, and dry air. Interior winter work requires ventilation. Low-VOC products help, but cure times still follow temperature and humidity. We build these realities into schedule and cost so you do not fight peeling or flashing later.
How Depend Exteriors approaches pricing and delivery
We respect budgets and schedules because we run crews and sites every day. Our estimators measure carefully, specify products by brand and line, and write scopes that fit how your space runs. We show you where you can save without risking failures. We stand behind our work with a written warranty and proper insurance. For multi-site managers, we keep records of colours, products, and past issues so the next service call is efficient.
If you need clear, competitive pricing from commercial painters in Edmonton, we would be glad to walk your space and quote both hourly and fixed options where it makes sense.
Ready for an accurate number?
Send a few photos and rough dimensions, or book a quick site walk in Edmonton, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, or Spruce Grove. We can often provide a ballpark the same day and a formal proposal within 24 to 48 hours for straightforward scopes. For larger commercial projects, we coordinate with your facilities team or GC and align with your timeline.
You deserve a quote that explains the cost, not just a total. Let’s build one that fits your job, your schedule, and your standards. Reach out to Depend Exteriors to schedule your estimate with a local team of commercial painters in Edmonton.
Depend Exteriors provides commercial and residential stucco services in Edmonton, AB. Our team handles stucco repair, stucco replacement, and masonry repair for homes and businesses across the city and surrounding areas. We work on exterior surfaces to restore appearance, improve durability, and protect buildings from the elements. Our services cover projects of all sizes with reliable workmanship and clear communication from start to finish. If you need Edmonton stucco repair or masonry work, Depend Exteriors is ready to help.