Key West, Monroe County
Commercial painting in Key West
In Key West's historic district, a repaint is also a filing. The city's Minor Projects application for a Certificate of Appropriateness carries a table for painting or repainting that asks for each element's current color and its proposed color. Color is a decision for the commission before it is a decision for the owner.
Old Town is built of two-story wood and block buildings with porches, rails and shutters, and many sit directly on the sidewalk. A shopfront on Duval Street has no yard to stage in, so scaffolds, lifts and drop cloths take pavement and have to be planned with the building and the street in mind. Jobs here often run in short windows around store hours.
The paperwork has changed recently. A city notice says that from March 10, 2025 a Certificate of Appropriateness is filed separately from the building permit, while another city page says the two are being combined into one application. We ask which process is current when a job is scoped, and we do not schedule paint before the answer is in hand.
Surface prep is heavier in the historic district than on a newer block building. Old wood siding is scraped to sound material, and paint older than 1978 may contain lead, so the building's age and use are checked first. Salt, sun and humidity break paint down quickly, and we say in the scope what is repaired and what is only coated.
Sources: City of Key West: Historic Architectural Design Guidelines · City of Key West: Historic Preservation Division
Who answers permit questions in Key West
City of Key West Building Department and Historic Architectural Review Commission (HARC)
The city's HARC Minor Projects application includes a painting or repainting table listing each element, current color and proposed color. Ask city staff whether your exact change needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and which application the city is using now.
Read it at the sourceThis is background, not legal advice. Whether a repaint needs a permit depends on the work and on the office, and we check before we start. Monroe painting rules
What we quote in Key West
Painting we quote here, including
- Interior commercial paintingShops, offices, lobbies and corridors, painted while the doors stay open.Interior commercial painting in Monroe →
- Exterior commercial paintingBlock, stucco and metal exteriors, prepared for salt spray, sun and wind.Exterior commercial painting in Monroe →
- Marina and waterfront building paintingMarina offices, boat sheds, dockside rails and waterfront metal, with runoff controlled.Marina and waterfront building painting in Monroe →
- Warehouse and industrial paintingMetal buildings, block shops, roll-up doors and floor markings, kept in operation.Warehouse and industrial painting in Monroe →
- Historic building paintingOlder wood and masonry buildings, painted after review and with lead-safe prep.Historic building painting in Monroe →
- Airport and transportation paintingTerminals, hangars and service buildings, quoted with badging and phasing planned.Airport and transportation painting in Monroe →
- Retail, restaurant and office paintingShopfronts, restaurants, offices and tenant spaces, on a short clock.Retail, restaurant and office painting in Monroe →
- Condominium and association repaintsCondos, townhomes and apartments, scoped for the board and the owners.Condominium and association repaints in Monroe →
- Hotel, motel and resort paintingHotels, motels, guesthouses and resorts, painted around the stay calendar.Hotel, motel and resort painting in Monroe →
- Clinic, school and public building paintingClinics, schools and public buildings, phased around patients, students and the public.Clinic, school and public building painting in Monroe →
- Elastomeric and waterproofing coatingsBlock walls and low roofs sealed against wind-driven rain.Elastomeric and waterproofing coatings in Monroe →
- Pressure washing and prepSalt, mildew and chalk removed before any coat, with wash water kept out of drains.Pressure washing and prep in Monroe →
- Something else?Any commercial building and any size gets a quote from us. If yours is not listed, tell us about it.Call (239) 510-4206 →
How a job runs
Six steps, in this order
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. The order is the same for a single shop and for a whole resort.
Send the address and the surfaces
Phone us or use the quote form, with photos or drawings if you have them. Say what is to be painted, who is inside and which dates matter.
We walk the building
We study the walls and their condition, how each side is reached, and what has to stay covered or out of the way.
Written scope and quote
The quote spells out prep, coating system, how each wall is reached, the phasing, and each step that waits on an approval.
Approvals and paperwork
Historic or color review, association or landlord sign-off, any permit the work triggers and airport or site clearances come first.
Prep and coating
Washing, repair, primer and finish follow the agreed order, with people, boats and vehicles below kept clear.
Punch list and handover
Together we go over the finished work, clear the punch list, and you keep the coating record for the building file.
Questions
Commercial painting in Key West
Does repainting a Key West historic-district building need city review?
The city's HARC application has a section for painting and repainting, so a color change in the historic district is part of the review. Confirm with the historic preservation staff whether your change needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before you buy materials.
What does a Keys commercial painting job cost?
There is no rate card. We build a quote either after walking the building or, when they show enough, from photos and drawings. It reflects the surfaces and how much repair they need, the coating system, how the crew reaches each wall, whether the place stays open, and what a delivery over US 1 involves. Two buildings that look alike seldom quote alike.
Is there lead paint on older Keys buildings?
Paint from before 1978 can contain lead. EPA's renovation, repair and painting rule reaches pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, and where it applies the work goes to a certified firm working lead-safe. Before writing a scope we look up how old the building is and how it is used. Older wood buildings in Key West are the common case.
How long does a Keys repaint take?
A schedule follows the walk-through. Wall condition, repairs found during washing, weather, the access method, any association or city approval, and how late or early the building lets us work all move it. Once those are known, you get an order of work with each dependency named, not a single date.
Other Monroe cities: Stock Island · Marathon · Islamorada · Key Largo · Ocean Reef · Tavernier · Duck Key and Conch Key · Key Colony Beach · Big Pine Key · Cudjoe Key · Summerland Key · Ramrod Key · Big Coppitt Key
Every key from Key Largo to Key West
Tell us what needs paint and where it stands. A written scope and a quote follow.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. One storefront or a whole resort: every job gets a written scope and a quote.