Table of Contents
What it costs
A 1-bedroom condo paint job in Toronto runs about $900 to $1,500 in 2026 for walls only, two coats of Benjamin Moore on standard prep and one or two colours. The full unit, walls plus ceilings plus trim and doors, lands closer to $1,800 to $2,800. Numbers are pre-13% HST. Empty units land at the bottom of each band; furnished, occupied, or high-ceiling units at the top.
Key Takeaways
- Walls only: $900 to $1,500 in 2026.
- Walls + ceilings: $1,200 to $1,950.
- Walls + ceilings + trim and doors: $1,800 to $2,800.
- The 1-bedroom is the most-quoted unit size in Toronto; ranges are tightly grouped.
- Building type (glass tower vs heritage loft) moves the price by 10 to 25 percent.
The 1-bedroom is the most-quoted unit type in our Toronto work, and the ranges are the tightest of any unit size because the floor plans cluster around predictable wall-area ratios. Below, what shifts a 1-bedroom quote inside the band, and the building types that put you toward the top or the bottom. For the broader cost picture across all unit sizes, start with our 2026 Toronto condo painting cost guide.
The wall-area math behind a 1-bedroom quote
Here's something the painter you hire will know but you might not. We quote per floor square foot because it's easy to talk about, but the actual job runs on wall surface area. Those are very different numbers. A typical 1-bedroom:
- Floor area: 500-750 sq ft (what your listing says)
- Wall area (the surface we actually paint): floor area × 3.2 to 3.8, depending on ceiling height
For a 620 sq ft 1-bedroom with 9-foot ceilings, that's 620 × 3.4 = about 2,108 sq ft of wall to paint.
How much paint a 1-bedroom actually needs
This is the number that tells you whether your quote is honest. Benjamin Moore Aura's TDS lists coverage at 350-400 sq ft per US gallon at the recommended 4.3 mil wet film. For 2,108 sq ft of wall, two coats:
- First coat: 2,108 ÷ 375 = 5.6 gallons
- Second coat: another 5.6 gallons
- Total: about 11 gallons (42 litres)
That's the math. If a painter tells you they'll do your 1-bedroom with 2 gallons, they're planning one thin coat. Maybe they're planning to thin the paint with water, which I see more than I should. Either way, you're not getting two real coats out of two gallons on a typical 1-bedroom. Same math applies to the ceiling: a 620 sq ft ceiling needs 3-4 gallons total for two coats of flat ceiling paint.
Five factors that move the quote inside the band
Square footage. A 500 sq ft compact 1-bedroom is at the bottom, a 750 sq ft 1-bedroom is at the top. Most of the band variance comes from wall area, which we measure directly rather than estimating from the listing square footage. Sliding doors, large windows, and built-ins all reduce paintable area.
Building type. Glass towers quote at the bottom (CityPlace, Fort York, Humber Bay Shores have efficient layouts, standard ceilings, and freight elevators). Heritage hard-lofts quote at the top (Distillery District, King West, Liberty Village with tall ceilings, exposed brick, irregular angles). Older mid-rises sit between, with asbestos testing on pre-1990s ceilings as a wildcard.
Furnished vs empty. Empty units finish in 8 to 10 hours of active work. Furnished and occupied units add 2 to 4 hours for moving, protecting, and working around contents. Difference is $200 to $400 in our quotes.
Colour count. One colour throughout is the cheapest. Two colours adds $150 to $300 for the extra cutting-in time and second product. A dramatic colour change (dark to light, or light to dark) often needs three coats for full coverage on some walls, adding $200 to $400.
Ceiling height. 8-foot ceilings are standard. 9-foot adds 8 to 12 percent. 10-foot adds 20 to 30 percent because the cutting-in stage becomes a step-ladder operation rather than a reach operation. 11-foot and above (hard lofts) pushes the unit firmly into the upper band.
Cost by 1-bedroom configuration
| Configuration | Typical 2026 cost (walls only) | Full unit cost (walls + ceilings + trim) |
|---|---|---|
| Compact 1BR (500-550 sq ft), glass tower | $900 to $1,100 | $1,800 to $2,200 |
| Standard 1BR (600-700 sq ft), glass tower or modern mid-rise | $1,100 to $1,350 | $2,100 to $2,500 |
| 1BR in older mid-rise (1980s-1990s) | $1,200 to $1,500 | $2,200 to $2,800 |
| 1BR in heritage hard-loft (10+ ft ceilings) | $1,300 to $1,700 | $2,500 to $3,400 |
These ranges are from quotes we actually delivered in Toronto in 2026, not industry averages. Most 1-bedrooms we paint land in the standard-glass-tower band; heritage hard-lofts are the smallest share of our 1-bedroom volume.
A real quote example
A 1-bedroom job we ran in Fort York last month, fairly representative of the standard band:
- 620 sq ft, 9-foot ceilings, north-facing, furnished, owner staying in the unit during the job
- Walls only, two colours (Benjamin Moore Classic Gray throughout living/dining/bedroom, Simply White on the kitchen accent wall): $1,180
- Furniture protection and bedroom-first sequencing: included
- One ceiling fan disconnect and reinstall: included
- Trim and doors: $480 (semi-gloss enamel, baseboards plus three door frames)
Final invoice $1,660 plus HST. Job took 1.5 days, starting Monday morning, completing Tuesday early afternoon. Owner slept in the unit Monday night with the bedroom finished and dry.
What the "$799 1-bedroom" quotes actually include
You will see quotes online and in flyers offering 1-bedroom condo painting for $799 or even $699. The price is real but the scope is narrow. What that quote typically includes:
- Walls only, no ceiling, no trim
- One coat (not two) of contractor-grade paint
- One colour only
- Light prep (nail holes), no patching of larger damage
- Furniture moved and protected by the homeowner before the crew arrives
- No warranty or a 30-day warranty rather than the multi-year warranty the industry standard recommends
What you do not get at that price: the two coats that build a real film, the prep that handles meaningful damage, the protection of your contents, or any commercial-grade paint product. The price-difference between $799 and $1,200 is the work that makes a finish actually last more than a year. We have repainted many units two years after the discount job because the cheap coat had already worn through.
Building rules that affect 1-bedroom timing
Every downtown Toronto condo has rules that constrain when work can happen, and 1-bedroom jobs run inside those constraints just like larger units do. The four most common:
Freight elevator booking. Most downtown towers require freight elevator booking 7 to 14 days ahead. We book before quoting a start date.
Work hours. Most condo declarations restrict contractor work to weekday business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 4 p.m. depending on the building. No early starts, no evenings, no Saturdays in most buildings.
Insurance and WSIB. Every condo job requires the property manager to have current liability insurance and WSIB proof on file before day one. We file these 1 to 2 weeks ahead.
Renovation application. Some buildings (particularly newer luxury towers) require a renovation application for any contractor work, even a paint job. Approval can take 5 to 10 business days, so we file ahead of the planned start.
None of these are deal-breakers, but they explain why a 1-bedroom job that could technically finish in one day sometimes takes a week to schedule. We handle all of it as part of the quote process.
How to get a real number
Send photos of each room plus the square footage and the building name. For a 1-bedroom that is usually enough for an accurate written quote within the day. We confirm building rules and elevator access before quoting a start date.
Benjamin Moore on every job, 5-year warranty on the workmanship. To get a number for your 1-bedroom, send photos and the building name. For larger unit sizes, see cost to paint a 2-3 bedroom condo. For studios, cost to paint a studio condo.
Chad Saygili is co-owner of Condo Painters Pro, a Toronto condo painting specialist. He has spent years painting condos across Toronto and the GTA, works exclusively with Benjamin Moore, and backs every job with a 5-year workmanship warranty.
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