Restaurants don’t close for a paint job. Every service day matters, the kitchen has to be operational the next morning, and the dining room needs to look right for the next reservation. Restaurant painting means working overnight, using paint products that handle kitchen conditions, and coordinating with the lease and the landlord on COI and access.
Here’s how we approach restaurant work.
Overnight scheduling, by section
We work between close and the next day’s prep — typically 10 PM to 5 AM, depending on the restaurant’s schedule. For full interior repaints, we phase the work over multiple nights. Dining room one night, bar area the next, back of house separately. Each section gets fully cleaned up and ready for service before we leave.
The right paint for each surface
Dining room and front of house
Premium interior wall paint in the colors you want — usually satin or eggshell for cleanability. Trim and accent work in semi-gloss or cabinet-grade enamel where the situation calls for it.
Kitchen-adjacent surfaces
Kitchen walls, hood-adjacent ceilings, prep areas, and back-of-house surfaces need washable, grease-resistant paint. We spec satin or semi-gloss enamel in a kitchen-rated product line (Sherwin-Williams Sher-Cryl, Benjamin Moore Scuff-X, or comparable). These handle daily wipe-down cleaning and steam without chalking or peeling.
Restroom and high-traffic walls
Restroom walls and high-traffic hallway walls need scuff-resistant paint that can be cleaned with commercial cleaners. We spec scuff-resistant product lines for these surfaces.
Exterior facade and accent
Restaurant exterior repaints — stucco facade, trim, awning frames, signage backgrounds — use premium exterior paint with UV holdout. Anti-graffiti coatings available for high-traffic walls or street-facing surfaces vulnerable to tagging.
Working with the lease and landlord
For leased restaurant spaces, we coordinate with the landlord on:
- Working hours allowed in the building.
- COI with the landlord and property management listed as additional insured.
- Building-wide rules (elevator use, dumpster access, parking, signage).
- Any landlord approval requirements for visible exterior changes.
Pricing
- Interior dining + bar (single space) — pricing varies by size and scope.
- Full interior (front + back of house).
- Exterior facade — pricing varies by size and prep.
- Anti-graffiti coatings (where included in scope).
Pricing is determined by an on-site walkthrough and the resulting written proposal.
Common restaurant painting questions
Yes — that's standard. We work overnight, between close and the next day's prep. Low-VOC products so there's minimal odor when the kitchen team arrives. For larger repaints, we phase the work over a few nights and complete each section by morning.