Norfolk’s identity as the home of the world’s largest naval station shapes its painting market in ways that are immediately apparent to anyone familiar with the industry: commercial coating projects here regularly include maritime infrastructure, shipyard-adjacent facilities, and waterfront structures that require industrial-grade coatings and applicators certified in specialized systems. The city’s tidewater location also means that its residential neighborhoods in Ghent, Larchmont, and Colonial Place experience elevated salt air and humidity levels that accelerate paint degradation on wood siding, metal trim, and masonry surfaces. Many of Norfolk’s older residential neighborhoods contain housing stock from the early twentieth century, where lead paint management and wood preservation are standard project considerations.
Homeowners in Norfolk’s established neighborhoods look for painters with experience in historic wood siding repair and restoration, and they often expect contractors to carry the OSHA certifications and lead paint credentials that projects in older homes require. The Navy community also generates consistent demand from property management companies overseeing rental housing near the base, where quick turnaround between tenants is a persistent operational need.
French Painting Company, Inc.
Founded: 1996
Address: 626 Naval Base Road, Norfolk, VA 23505
Phone: 757-714-4330
Website: https://frenchpaintingcompany.com
Services: Residential painting interior and exterior, commercial painting including government and industrial, multifamily and apartment painting, cabinet refinishing, color consultation, concrete staining and epoxy finishing, drywall repair, faux painting, power washing, stucco repairs, vinyl and aluminum siding painting, wallpaper removal and installation
Products Used: Sherwin-Williams
French Painting Company was founded in 1996 by Rahim Taheri and is now operated by his son Arash Taheri, making it a two-generation family business with nearly thirty years of history in the Norfolk market. The company’s address on Naval Base Road reflects its proximity to the naval station and its familiarity with government and institutional painting requirements. It holds OSHA certification and lead certification, and its use of Sherwin-Williams products includes LOXON XP for stucco surfaces, a specification-grade product designed for demanding masonry applications.
Gerloff Painting Inc.
Founded: Not specified
Address: 1325 Ingleside Road, Norfolk, VA 23502
Phone: 757-857-4880
Website: https://gerloffpainting.com
Services: Commercial painting, protective coatings for concrete, masonry, steel, and specialty substrates, rust-inhibitive primers, industrial enamels, epoxies, urethanes
Products Used: Not specified
Gerloff Painting Inc. is one of the largest commercial painting contractors in the Hampton Roads region, with a service area that spans Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Franklin, and Virginia Beach. The company’s capabilities extend beyond standard commercial painting into industrial and protective coating systems, including rust-inhibitive primers and specialty epoxy and urethane finishes suited for waterfront structures and energy facilities. This positions Gerloff as a contractor able to take on the complex coating requirements that Norfolk’s maritime and industrial sector regularly generates.
Legacy Painting
Founded: Not specified
Address: 126 Production Drive, Suite C, Yorktown, VA
Phone: 757-940-7777
Website: https://legacypainting757.com
Services: Interior house painting, exterior house painting and staining, commercial and industrial painting, metal roof painting, doors, trim and railings painting, garage and shed painting, fence, deck and outdoor structure staining
Products Used: Sherwin-Williams
Legacy Painting serves Norfolk and surrounding Hampton Roads communities including Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, using exclusively Sherwin-Williams products across all projects. The company offers free lifetime touchups with any full interior or full exterior paint job, which provides ongoing value to homeowners who want minor touch-up coverage after project completion without scheduling a separate service call. Metal roof painting is included in its service menu, a specialty relevant to Norfolk’s older residential and commercial building stock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does interior painting cost in Norfolk?
A: Interior painting in Norfolk typically ranges from $2.00 to $4.50 per square foot. Older homes in neighborhoods like Ghent or Colonial Place with original plaster walls, high ceilings, and detailed wood moldings often require more preparation time and fall toward the higher end of that range. A standard two- or three-bedroom home with newer drywall surfaces typically runs between $1,500 and $3,500.
Q: Do Norfolk painters need special certifications for older homes?
A: Yes. Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint, and contractors performing renovation, repair, or painting work that disturbs painted surfaces must hold EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) certification. Virginia also requires painting contractors to hold a Class A or B contractor’s license for larger projects. Always verify both credentials before hiring for work in older Norfolk homes.
Q: How does living near the water affect paint choices in Norfolk?
A: Salt air promotes rust on metal components and accelerates the breakdown of paint films, particularly on wood and metal siding. Contractors working in Norfolk’s waterfront neighborhoods typically specify mildewcide-containing exterior paints and recommend rust-inhibiting primer on all exposed metal surfaces before applying topcoats. Quality exterior sealants applied to window and door trim are also standard practice in high-humidity coastal environments.
Norfolk’s ongoing redevelopment of its downtown waterfront and the continued expansion of the Port of Virginia’s logistics operations maintain a commercial painting pipeline that runs parallel to the city’s steady residential repaint market, giving established contractors here a dual revenue base that buffers against slowdowns in either sector.