What we take on
On the exterior side, we paint and stain apartment and townhome buildings: siding, trim, fascia, soffit, decks and railings, entry doors and garage doors, along with the rot and trim repair that comes with a building that has not been touched in a while. Townhome associations in Rogers, St. Michael, Maple Grove and Plymouth tend to have engineered lap siding and a lot of identical decks, which is repetitive work we can plan efficiently. On the interior side, it is common areas: hallways, stairwells, entries, laundry rooms and unit turnovers between tenants, plus small commercial interiors such as offices, waiting rooms and retail floors. We also handle the building-side work that comes up during a paint cycle, such as replacing rotten deck boards and railings, because our crew is licensed for it. What we do not chase is large commercial, industrial coatings, or anything that needs a lift crew and a night shift for weeks. We would rather tell you that on the phone.
- Apartment and townhome exteriors: siding, trim, decks, railings, doors
- Association repaint and restain cycles
- Common areas, stairwells, unit turnovers
- Small commercial interiors: offices, waiting rooms, retail
- Rot, trim, deck board and railing repair by our licensed crew
Scheduling around tenants and business hours
Painting a building people live or work in is a scheduling job as much as a painting job. On multi-family exteriors we work one building or one elevation at a time and give the manager a written sequence so residents know when the crew is outside their windows, when decks are off limits while the stain dries, and where the ladders will be. Entries stay open. On interiors we stage hallways so one side is always passable and use low-odor waterborne products so nobody has to move out for the day. Unit turnovers are scheduled to the manager's move-out and move-in dates, and we can usually turn a unit in a day or two. Commercial interiors get done outside business hours where that matters, evenings or a weekend, and we mask and clean each night so the space opens on time. Our crew shows up when it said it would. Punctuality is one of the things our Google reviews mention most, and it matters more on a building with thirty tenants than on a house with one.
The same prep standard as our houses
Multi-family exteriors are where corners get cut most often in this business, because the boards are high, the elevations are long and the owner is not standing in the yard watching. We do them the way we do a house. Wash, scrape, sand, replace the rotten fascia and deck boards, caulk, prime bare wood, and two finish coats sprayed and back-brushed on siding and brushed on trim. Engineered lap siding on 2000s townhomes has to be recoated before the factory finish wears through at the joints, and we flag the buildings that are close to that point. Interiors get the same patching, sanding and priming as a home, with scrubbable finishes in hallways and stairwells that take a lot of traffic. The estimate is written the same way too, with paint and repairs as separate line items per building, so an association board can see exactly what it is approving and compare it against a proposal that hides the carpentry.
When we would talk you out of it
- High-rise, industrial or large commercial work that needs a lift crew and weeks of night shifts. That is not our size, and we will say so on the first call rather than stretch to fit.
- Buildings with siding that is rotten or delaminated across whole walls. Paint will not hold it together. We would quote siding replacement, which our crew is licensed to do, or point you to it.
- A repaint that is only being done to pass a listing photo. If the finish has two or three years left, a wash and touch-ups are the better spend and we will tell the owner that.
What you get
- Written sequence per building or elevation so residents know what to expect
- Rot, trim, deck board and railing repairs by our own licensed crew
- Same wash, scrape, prime and two-coat standard we use on houses
- Low-odor waterborne products for occupied interiors
- Unit turnovers scheduled to move-out and move-in dates
- Estimates with paint and repairs as separate line items per building
How it goes
Site walk and written proposal
We walk the building with the owner or manager, note the repairs, and write a proposal that lists paint and carpentry separately per building, with a sequence residents can be told.
Notice and staging plan
Before we start, the manager gets a schedule by building or elevation, with the days decks and entries are affected, so notices can go out to residents or staff.
Repair, prep and paint
Rotten fascia, trim, deck boards and railings are replaced, surfaces washed, scraped and primed, and two finish coats applied. Interiors are staged so one side of every hallway stays open.
Walkthrough and punch list
We walk the building with the manager, work the punch list, and leave labeled touch-up paint for the maintenance staff.
What does multi-family or commercial painting cost in the northwest metro?
Multi-family and commercial estimates come from a site walk, and they are itemized per building so a board or an owner can see what is paint and what is repair. Building count, height and the amount of siding versus trim set the base. Condition sets the rest: a townhome association that has kept up its cycle needs a wash and two coats, while a building that has gone a decade needs scraping, priming and a real list of rotten fascia and deck boards. Access matters, since long elevations and decks on the second story take staging. Occupancy and hours matter too, because interiors done outside business hours and exteriors sequenced around residents take more coordination. Repairs are always separate line items, and since our crew is licensed for that work there is no second contractor to bid. We do not publish figures because no two buildings are alike, but the proposal is written and the site walk costs nothing.
- Number of buildings, stories and total siding and trim area
- Condition: on cycle versus years overdue
- Rot, trim, deck board and railing repairs, quoted separately
- Access and staging for long elevations and upper decks
- Occupied interiors, after-hours work and sequencing around residents
- Number of colors and whether the body color is changing
From the reviewsWhat customers say about this work
★★★★★We hired Cedar Tone Properties & Painting to paint the exterior of our house and to repair some roofing on the peak of our house (which was done incorrectly by a different roofing company). CTP did excellent work on both projects. The painting crew was meticulous and accommodating. They made sure we were completely happy with the final result. The roofing crew matched the shingles perfectly and finished the roof peak correctly. Our house looks wonderful! We are extremely satisfied with Cedar Tone and recommend them for your painting or roofing needs.
★★★★★Cedar Tone Painting was recommended to me by a potential client. They quickly got back to me and came out for an estimate at a time that suited my needs. The estimate that I received was complete and thorough. Expectations and completion time frame were clearly conveyed to me and there were no surprises. Quality of work and willingness to complete the project on my terms was important to me. I would certainly use Cedar Tone Painting again in the future for any painting projects that I have. Their willingness to help me move a few pieces of furniture was a pleasant surprise and contributed to a great experience. I enjoyed the friendliness and professionalism of the crew. Thank you Cedar Tone Painting!
Questions we get on the phoneStraight answers.
Do you paint apartment buildings and townhome associations?
Yes. Apartment buildings, townhome and homeowner associations, and small commercial buildings are the commercial side of our work, alongside the houses that make up most of our year. We handle the exteriors, common-area interiors and unit turnovers, and our crew is licensed to replace the rotten trim, deck boards and railings that come up during a building's paint cycle.
How do you work around tenants?
With a written schedule. Exteriors are done one building or elevation at a time, and the manager gets a sequence that says when the crew is outside which windows and when decks are off limits. Interiors are staged so one side of every hallway stays open, with low-odor products. Unit turnovers are scheduled to move-out and move-in dates.
Can you paint a commercial interior after hours?
Yes, where it matters. Offices, waiting rooms and retail floors can be painted evenings or over a weekend so the space opens on time. We mask and clean up each night. Low-odor waterborne paint means the smell is gone by morning. For larger spaces we sequence rooms so the business can keep operating around the work.
What size of commercial job is too big for you?
High-rise work, industrial coatings, and anything that needs a lift crew and weeks of night shifts. We are a residential painting company that also does multi-family and small commercial, and a twelve-unit building or a storefront interior is our size. If a project is bigger than that, we will say so on the first call.
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Where we do this work
Commercial painting from our shop in Rockford across Greenfield, Delano, Corcoran, Buffalo, Medina, Rogers, St. Michael and Albertville, and the rest of the northwest metro. See the full service area.