What commercial and strata painting involves
Commercial painting covers offices, shops, hospitality venues, warehouses and building facades. Strata painting covers the common property of a unit or apartment scheme, such as lobbies, stairwells, external walls and fences. Both involve larger areas, staged access around occupants and more formal paperwork than a house repaint.
What commercial painting costs in Hobart
As of September 2026, a published Hobart commercial painting cost guide puts commercial painting at $12 to $35 per square metre of wall and ceiling area, GST included. After-hours work, high-access equipment and heavy surface preparation are usually quoted as separate line items on top of the area rate.
The same guide lists:
| Item | Hobart range |
|---|---|
Interior commercial repaint, walls and ceilings | $7.83 to $23 per m² |
Exterior commercial repaint, facade and render | $20 to $47 per m² |
Surface preparation (wash, sand, patch, prime) | $6.26 to $20 per m² |
High-access loading (platform or scaffold) | $390 to $1,575 per day |
After-hours painting loading | $275 to $705 per day |
Strata common-area repaint, whole project | $11,750 to $46,950 |
How long commercial and strata jobs take
Timeframes depend on area, access and when work is allowed. A small office or a few corridors may take a day or two, while a strata facade can run for weeks once scaffolding, weather and resident access are allowed for. Ask for a written program before any work starts.
Hobart-specific considerations
Commercial and strata work in Hobart often involves heritage controls, older building materials and exposure to weather. The city centre is a local heritage precinct, older buildings may contain lead paint or asbestos and facade work needs a realistic allowance for rain and wind.
Heritage. The Hobart Local Provisions Schedule (effective 22 October 2025) lists the Hobart City Centre as a local heritage precinct and includes hundreds of individually listed places in the city itself. Repainting a previously painted exterior in a similar colour is exempt from a planning permit under the heritage code, but new colour schemes are not. Buildings on the Tasmanian Heritage Register need Heritage Council approval for repainting.
Asbestos and lead. The Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency says buildings built or renovated before 1990 can contain asbestos, and that tradespeople, including painters, must follow work health and safety laws around it. Lead Alert says lead paint was common before 1970.
Weather. Bureau of Meteorology averages for Hobart show spring has the most rain days and afternoon winds are strongest from October to January, which matters for spray work and facades.
Strata and body corporate duties
In Tasmania, the body corporate is responsible for common property. The Strata Titles Act 1998 requires it to maintain common property in good condition and keep it in good and serviceable repair. The Land Titles Office gives painting buildings on common property as an example of this duty.
The Act also requires a fund kept at a level sufficient for reasonably foreseeable expenditure, with contributions levied in proportion to unit entitlements. A major repaint is exactly that kind of expense. Our guide to strata and body corporate painting in Hobart covers the process step by step.
Questions to ask a commercial painter
Comparable quotes need a common specification. Give every painter the same scope, areas, access limits and working hours. Then ask them to price preparation, access equipment and after-hours loadings as separate lines, so it is clear what is included and you can hold the painter to it.
- What is your rate per square metre, and what preparation does it include?
- How will you stage the work around trading hours or residents?
- Are you licensed and insured, and can you provide a certificate of currency? (Check any licence on the CBOS register.)
- How will you manage asbestos and lead risks in an older building?
Commercial and strata FAQs
Can painting be done outside business hours?
Usually, yes, but it costs more. The Hobart commercial guide lists after-hours loadings of $275 to $705 per day as of September 2026. Many businesses accept the loading because it avoids closing. Ask for the after-hours cost as a separate line so you can compare it with a staged daytime program.
Who pays for painting in a strata building?
The body corporate pays for work on common property from its fund, which is built up from owners' contributions in proportion to unit entitlements under the Strata Titles Act 1998. Painting inside an individual lot is normally the owner's cost. Check your strata plan and by-laws for exactly where the boundaries fall.
How many quotes should a body corporate get?
Start with your by-laws and any policy your committee has adopted, since they may set a process. Getting two or three written quotes on the same specification helps owners see that the choice was fair. Keep the quotes with the meeting minutes for future reference.
Do we need approval to change the colour of our building?
It depends on the building. If it is heritage listed, the council or the Heritage Council may need to approve a new colour scheme. Within the strata scheme, check your by-laws for how decisions about the appearance of common property are made and what kind of resolution they require.
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