Toledo’s position along the Maumee River and its proximity to Lake Erie creates a climate marked by high humidity, lake-effect moisture, and winters that include significant ice and freeze-thaw cycles. The city’s housing stock leans heavily on older brick and wood-framed structures from the early to mid-20th century, particularly in neighborhoods like Old West End and Ottawa Hills, where Victorian and Colonial Revival homes require careful prep work to avoid moisture-related paint failures. Exteriors on wood-sided homes in northwest Ohio can begin peeling within two or three years when painters skip primer coats or fail to caulk window and door frames before topcoating.
Homeowners in Toledo prioritize painters who can identify and address deteriorating caulk, wood rot, and efflorescence on brick before starting any coating work. The region’s winters also drive demand for epoxy floor coatings in garages, as road salt tracked in from Toledo’s salted streets causes concrete spalling that accelerates without a protective coating.
Kennedy Custom Painting
Founded: Not specified (over 25 years of experience)
Address: 3519 Hazelhurst Ave, Toledo, OH 43612
Phone: (419) 467-3262
Website: https://kennedycustompainting.com
Services: Interior painting, exterior painting, deck painting, deck staining, epoxy floors, garage floors, power washing, wallpaper removal, new construction painting, insurance restoration
Products Used: Low-VOC and eco-friendly paints
Kennedy Custom Painting is a veteran-owned and operated company serving Toledo and surrounding areas of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Over the course of more than 25 years, the company has painted over 1,000 new homes in the greater Toledo area, with the majority of their residential business arriving through referrals rather than advertising. The company is fully insured and makes a point of using eco-friendly products, including low-VOC paints, wherever possible. Free estimates are available to both residential and commercial clients.
Castle Painting
Founded: Not specified (nearly two decades in the Toledo market)
Address: 2151 Hurd St, Toledo, OH 43605
Phone: (419) 509-3577
Website: https://www.castlepaintingohio.com
Services: Interior and exterior painting, residential and commercial painting, power washing, staining and varnishing, wallpaper removal, waterproofing, deck and concrete sealing and finishing, drywall repair
Products Used: Not specified
Castle Painting is a one-owner operation, with Raymond Hoot personally supervising all projects, which allows for consistent quality control across both small residential jobs and larger commercial contracts. The company serves Toledo, Perrysburg, Maumee, Sylvania, Oregon, and Ottawa Hills, with evening and weekend availability that accommodates clients who cannot have work done during standard business hours. Their service area also extends into most of Northeast Ohio and Lower Michigan.
K Kern Painting LLC
Founded: 1998
Address: Not publicly listed
Phone: Not publicly listed
Website: https://kkernpainting.com
Services: Residential and commercial painting, multi-family complex maintenance, apartment turn painting, move-out repaints, full-scale apartment rehabs, property management painting
Products Used: Not specified
Kenzy Kern founded K Kern Painting in Toledo in 1998 and built the company steadily through commercial property management relationships until expanding beyond the Toledo area in 2012 with a staff that had grown to 35 painters. The company’s core specialty is painting and maintenance for multi-family residential complexes, working directly with property managers and landlords on move-outs, maintenance turns, and building rehabs. This commercial focus means K Kern operates at a scale and pace not typical of residential-only painting contractors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does interior painting cost in Toledo?
A: Interior painting in Toledo generally runs between $1.75 and $3.50 per square foot. A single room might cost between $300 and $700, while a full house interior commonly ranges from $2,500 to $6,000. Final pricing varies based on ceiling height, wall condition, trim complexity, and whether the homeowner supplies paint or the contractor provides it.
Q: How does northwest Ohio’s humidity affect exterior paint longevity in Toledo?
A: Toledo’s proximity to Lake Erie and the Maumee River basin means humidity levels stay relatively high for much of the year. Moisture infiltrating through unpainted or poorly sealed wood grain is the primary cause of early peeling in the area. Professional painters address this by power washing, allowing full drying time, and applying an appropriate primer before topcoating. Painting during Toledo’s more moderate spring and fall temperatures, when humidity is lower than summer peaks, can also improve adhesion.
Q: Do Toledo contractors paint commercial properties?
A: Yes. Several Toledo-area painting companies serve both residential and commercial clients, including office buildings, apartment complexes, retail spaces, and warehouses. Companies like K Kern Painting specialize specifically in multi-family commercial painting, while others like Castle Painting move between residential and commercial work depending on project scale and scope.
Toledo’s Old West End neighborhood is one of the largest intact Victorian residential districts in the United States, and the elaborate woodwork on its homes, from decorative gable trim to porch spindles, demands painters who know how to properly strip, prime, and topcoat intricate surfaces without bridging gaps with thick paint that obscures detail and eventually cracks. Contractors with specific experience on these properties are worth seeking out for any homeowner in the district undertaking an exterior paint project.