Quick answer: Tenant improvement (TI) painting in Columbus 2026 runs $2.50 to $6.50 per floor square foot depending on scope tier. Allowance tier (landlord standard color and finish) hits the low end. Brand-standard tier (national tenant colors and corporate finish specs) hits the middle. Deluxe tier (accent walls, feature finishes, custom colors, L5 substrate) hits the top. A clearly-tiered TI spec lets landlord and tenant negotiate the paint allowance without surprises at move-in.
In this guide
Updated June 2026. Built from real PaintWerks tenant improvement paint scopes at Easton Town Center, multi-tenant office buildings across Columbus, and retail centers throughout Central Ohio. Need a TI paint allowance estimate before negotiating a lease? Schedule a free walkthrough or call 614-582-4227.
The Three Tiers of TI Paint Spec
Every TI painting spec lands in one of three tiers. The tier dictates the allowance, the products, and the finish level. A clear-tier spec gives landlord and tenant a transparent path to negotiate the build-out paint allowance.
1. Allowance Tier — Landlord Standard
The landlord delivers paint in standard landlord palette (typically Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray, Accessible Beige, or Repose Gray walls + Pure White trim) with Level 4 drywall, flat ceilings and eggshell walls, and standard Sherwin-Williams ProMar 200 or Benjamin Moore Regal Select. Walls one color, ceilings flat white, trim semi-gloss white. Two coats. Cost: $2.50 to $3.50 per floor square foot. Best for: shell-condition buildings and tenants who do not require brand customization.
2. Brand-Standard Tier — National Tenant Spec
National tenant brings their own paint spec: specific Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore color matches by sign-shop number, specific sheens (often satin walls, semi-gloss trim, flat ceilings), and sometimes accent walls in branded colors. Level 4 standard, occasionally Level 5 in lobby and feature areas. Two coats over tinted primer for color changes from landlord palette. Cost: $3.50 to $5.00 per floor square foot. Best for: chain retail (Target, Best Buy, Apple inspired specs), national service brands, regional restaurants with corporate design standards.
3. Deluxe Tier — Custom and Feature Spec
Custom color palette including saturated accent walls, feature finishes (limewash, plaster look, metallic accents), Level 5 substrate on at least the lobby and conference room walls, premium product line (Sherwin-Williams Emerald or Cashmere, Benjamin Moore Aura). Custom door colors, sometimes hand-painted graphics. Three coat systems on saturated colors. Cost: $5.00 to $6.50+ per floor square foot. Best for: Class A office executive suites, restaurant front-of-house, high-end retail showrooms, hospitality lobbies, healthcare patient-facing areas.
"The fastest TI negotiations are the ones where landlord and tenant agree on the tier first, then talk dollars. Skipping that step is how the same job gets quoted at $40K and $90K depending on who interpreted the spec."
Allowance vs Upgrade: How to Write the Negotiation
A typical multi-tenant retail lease specifies a TI allowance (“$25 per square foot of leasable area”) that the tenant draws against to finish out the space. The paint line in that allowance should be transparent so the tenant can either accept the allowance tier or fund the upgrade themselves:
| Tier | Cost / SF | Upgrade Path |
|---|---|---|
| Allowance (landlord std) | $2.50 to $3.50 | Included in TI allowance |
| Brand-standard upgrade | +$1.00 to $1.50 | Tenant pays incremental |
| Deluxe upgrade | +$2.00 to $3.00 | Tenant pays incremental |
| Custom feature wall (per wall) | +$300 to $1,200 each | Tenant pays per item |
Turnover Repaint Between Tenants
When a tenant vacates, the space typically gets a turnover repaint before the next lease starts. The scope varies by lease and condition but the standard playbook:
- Patch and prime every nail hole, dent, and chair-rail mark. Two days of patch work on a typical 2,500 sf retail space before paint starts.
- Color reset to landlord standard. Branded accent walls primed with Extreme Bond and recoated to landlord palette. Custom colors over previous tenant branding need tinted-primer pass.
- Trim refresh. Doors, casings, baseboards washed, scuff-sanded, repainted in semi-gloss white. Replace failed caulk at wall joints.
- Ceiling spot prime and touch-up. Stain block any water marks. Spot prime drywall ceiling repairs. Roller touch-up where light fixtures were relocated.
- Hardware reinstall and final clean. Switch plates, outlet covers, and door hardware reinstalled. Floor sweep, vacuum, and walkthrough sign-off with property manager.
Cost: $2.00 to $3.50 per square foot for a standard turnover repaint. Heavily-branded prior tenant or significant damage pushes higher. For broader phasing and timing strategy in occupied buildings see our commercial schedule planning guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
The paint scope included in a commercial lease build-out (TI). Includes interior wall paint, ceiling paint, trim and door paint, and any landlord-required brand-standard finish. Excludes specialty finishes the tenant chooses to add at their own cost (accent walls, feature finishes, custom door colors).
For most Class B office and standard retail in Columbus, $2.50 to $3.50 per floor square foot is the allowance-tier cost. National brand-standard tenants typically add $1.00 to $1.50 per sf on top. Deluxe specs add another $2.00 to $3.00. A clear tier in the lease prevents disputes at move-in.
Two options: tenant funds the incremental cost above the allowance tier, or the landlord agrees to fold the upgrade into the TI allowance in exchange for longer lease term or higher rent. Always document the negotiated tier in the work letter.
2,500 sf in-line retail: 4 to 6 work days from prep to final coat. 5,000 sf anchor tenant: 7 to 10 work days. Multi-color brand-standard or deluxe spec adds 30 to 50 percent to the timeline because of additional cut-in time and tinted-primer passes.
After framing, drywall, electrical rough, HVAC rough, and ceiling grid; before flooring, fixtures, and final trim. Standard sequence is drywall finish -> prime walls -> paint ceilings -> install ACT grid -> paint walls -> install flooring -> install fixtures and final trim -> touch-up paint after fixture install.
Almost always the landlord. Standard commercial leases include a normal-wear-and-tear allowance. Damage beyond normal wear (heavily-stained walls, holes from large fixture mounts, custom branded colors that need full repaint) may be charged back to the outgoing tenant per the lease terms.
5 to 7 years for landlord-standard finishes in standard office and retail. 3 to 5 years for high-traffic retail with brand-standard finishes. 2 to 3 years for hospitality and restaurant front-of-house. The cycle is shorter on saturated colors because they fade faster.
Yes, and there are real cost savings. A single contractor mobilization across multiple TI projects in the same building runs 15 to 25 percent below the sum of independent bids because mobilization and supervisor overhead amortize across the larger scope. PaintWerks regularly runs multi-tenant TI programs for property management firms.
Get a TI Allowance Estimate
Negotiating a lease build-out and want a TI paint allowance number you can quote in the work letter? Or planning a multi-tenant repaint program across a property? We will walk the space, scope the work, and tell you what the allowance tier needs to cover. Forty-five minutes onsite. Educational walkthrough.
See our full commercial painting services or commercial services hub.
