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Painters in Richmond
Celestial Painting serves Richmond from its base on Sophia Street in Vancouver, and has served the Lower Mainland for more than 25 years. We repaint houses and condos inside and out, and we take on commercial and industrial jobs. This page covers what is specific to painting in Richmond: a heritage village with its own permit rules, a city that sits about a metre above sea level, and the towers rising around the Canada Line. Call (604) 374-0000 for a free estimate, or read on for what matters on your property.
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More than 25 years painting
Free estimates
Interior, exterior, commercial and industrial
Exterior Painting in Steveston Village May Need a Heritage Alteration Permit
Steveston Village is a designated heritage conservation area, and the City of Richmond's own guide spells out what that means for exterior work. Owners of protected heritage properties need a Heritage Alteration Permit for exterior alterations. For other properties in the area, the guide says signs, awnings and exterior painting fall under the permit process. The version we checked is dated November 14, 2025. Under the Local Government Act, a municipality can designate an area as a heritage conservation area to protect it over the long term, and the guide asks owners to check its Map 1 to see whether a property is a protected heritage property.
The permit is needed alongside other approvals, such as a sign permit or a building permit, and council approval is normally required. Some minor projects are delegated to City staff, and a City bulletin lists the exemptions. Interior renovations that do not affect the exterior do not need these permits, and the guide's rules apply only inside the heritage conservation area. So the order matters: find out your property's status from the City's Development Applications department at 6911 No. 3 Road, then book the exterior work.
The rules exist because the waterfront is a working piece of Canadian history. By one count, there were 49 canneries on the Fraser River between Steveston and New Westminster at the turn of the last century, and 15 of them were in Steveston. The Britannia Shipyard, whose buildings date from 1890 to 1955 and which was formally recognised in 1991, sits on Cannery Row, which runs from Garry Point and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery in the west to London Heritage Farm in the east. The City's design guidance for major development in the village asks proposals to respond to the materials, colours and textures of the historic buildings around them, and a major project must be backed by archival research and a design rationale covering character, siting, form, scale, materials, colour and detailing. Once you know what the City needs, our page on exterior repaints for Richmond homes covers prep, timing and what we paint, and we can quote the work around your permit.
A City About One Metre Above Sea Level Changes How Exterior Paint Is Planned
Richmond sits at an average of one metre above sea level on islands in the Fraser River delta. The City runs 49 kilometres of dikes and 39 drainage pump stations to keep the sea and river out and the rain moving, and it is raising the dikes from 3.5 metres to 4.7 metres, an increase of 1.2 metres. The Province advises planning for one metre of sea level rise over the next 80 years, and Richmond's land is expected to subside by 0.2 metres in that time. Earlier work under a 2016 provincial funding announcement included rebuilding four pump stations that had reached the end of their lifespan and upgrading 1,750 metres of the north dike.
For painting, the practical point is moisture. A low, wet delta means exteriors spend more time damp, so surface prep and drying time carry more weight than they do on higher ground. Peeling, bubbling and mildew on siding, stucco and trim usually trace back to water, not to age.
That is why exterior timing belongs in the estimate. A repaint done in a dry spell on a properly prepared surface lasts longer than one squeezed in between showers, and we agree the schedule with you before work is booked.
Commercial and Industrial Painting From No. 3 Road to Mitchell Island
Richmond's business property runs from retail and offices along No. 3 Road to warehouse and light industrial space on Mitchell Island and around Mayfield, near the airport and Highway 91. Listings in 2026 show warehouse space on Mitchell Island along Eburne Way, a distribution building on Mayfield Place near the airport, and flex units in Fraserwood by Highway 91 and the Alex Fraser Bridge. The two ends of that range need different planning, and the estimate is where we sort out which one you have.
We paint offices, shops and other business properties, and the page on commercial repaints for Richmond businesses explains what to expect. Tell us how the space is used and who needs access while the work happens.
For warehouses and other large buildings, see our page on painting for warehouses and industrial buildings. We start with an assessment of the site before quoting. A large building is easier to plan once we know the surfaces, the access points and the hours the site runs.
Capstan Station, Lansdowne and the City Centre Towers
Capstan Station opened on December 20, 2024, at No. 3 Road and Capstan Way, between Bridgeport and Aberdeen stations. It was the first new station added to the Canada Line, and the City of Richmond opened it with TransLink and the developers who helped fund it. A Capstan station was first planned alongside the original line and cancelled in 2009. Richmond agreed a funding deal with TransLink and the developers in 2012, construction began in 2021, and the opening, first expected in fall 2023, came in December 2024.
Around it, Polygon's Capstan Village plan covers a 13.5-acre site at Capstan Way and Garden City Road, with five towers and three mid-rise buildings for 1,226 homes. Further along No. 3 Road, the owner of Lansdowne Centre, Vanprop, has planned a 24-tower redevelopment of the roughly 50-acre site, with the official community plan amendments approved in March 2021. A later rezoning application covered three parcels along Alderbridge Way, with 14-storey and 13-storey buildings and 749 strata homes. Both are long, phased projects.
Towers bring street-level shops and offices as well as homes. A business owner nearby who needs a space painted does not have to wait for a project to finish, so call for an estimate and tell us how the space is used.
What an Estimate Covers for a Steveston House or a Mitchell Island Unit
Most jobs start with a call to (604) 374-0000 or a message through our website. Tell us the address, the type of property, and when it was built if you know. If the property is in Steveston Village, say so, and bring any permit paperwork you already have, so the permit question comes first. Our base is across the river in Vancouver, where our page on painting older houses and Vancouver Specials covers the housing there.
We visit, look at the surfaces and give you a clear price before any work is booked. For an interior job in a Richmond house or condo, the visit also settles what gets covered, what gets patched and how the rooms are sequenced. For exterior jobs, Richmond's wet months shape the timing. If your house was built before 1990, ask about lead paint testing at the visit.
Questions About Permits, Dikes and Painting in Richmond
Do I need a permit to repaint the outside of my house in Steveston Village?
The City of Richmond's guide lists exterior painting among the elements of non-heritage properties that fall under the Heritage Alteration Permit process, and protected heritage properties need a permit for exterior alterations. Some minor projects are delegated to City staff, so ask the Development Applications department what applies to your property. Book the painting once you have that answer.
Does the Steveston heritage area affect painting inside my house?
The City's guide says interior renovations that do not affect the exterior would not require a Heritage Alteration Permit or a Development Permit. That means interior painting can usually go ahead without one. Tell us the scope and we will quote it.
Who at the City of Richmond do I ask about heritage permits?
The guide is issued by the Development Applications Department at 6911 No. 3 Road. It also points to a City bulletin that lists exemptions and which minor projects are decided by staff. Contact them before you choose a start date for exterior work in the village.
Does Richmond's low elevation affect when you can paint exteriors?
It does. The City describes Richmond as an average of one metre above sea level, so damp ground and humid air are part of the picture. We plan exterior work around the weather and agree timing at the estimate.
Do you paint commercial properties along No. 3 Road?
Yes. We paint offices, shops and other business properties across Richmond, including the area around Capstan Station at No. 3 Road and Capstan Way. Describe the space and how it is used, and we will explain what the estimate covers.
Do you take on industrial painting on Mitchell Island or near the airport?
Industrial painting is one of our four core services. Mitchell Island and the Mayfield area hold warehouse and industrial space near the airport and Highway 91. Tell us about the site and the surfaces, and we will assess the property before quoting.
Do you paint near the Capstan Village and Lansdowne redevelopments?
Yes, Richmond is on our service list, including the City Centre. Capstan Village is planned for 1,226 homes and the Lansdowne Centre redevelopment for 24 towers, both in phases over years. A home or business nearby that needs paint now does not have to wait, so call for an estimate.
Do you offer free estimates in Richmond?
Yes. We visit the property, look at the surfaces and give you a clear price before any work is booked. Call (604) 374-0000 or send a message through the website.
Do you paint both the inside and outside of a house?
Yes. Interior and exterior painting are two of our four core services, and the two can be planned together. Exterior work depends on Richmond's wet weather, so we agree timing for each part at the estimate.
My house was built in the 1980s. Should I ask about lead paint?
Health Canada says homes built before 1960 probably contain lead-based paint, and that exterior paint from 1960 to 1990 may contain it too. Intact paint is sometimes safer left alone, but sanding or scraping it creates toxic dust. Ask about testing at the estimate, before any prep begins.
Book a Richmond Estimate, From Steveston to No. 3 Road
Whether it is a house in the village, a shop near Capstan Station or a unit on Mitchell Island, call (604) 374-0000 or send the details through the website. Celestial Painting, 6625 Sophia St, Vancouver, BC V5X 3N4.