Kensington Market is one of those Toronto neighbourhoods that has a personality you can feel the minute you walk in. The Victorian row houses crammed onto narrow lots, the century-old buildings repurposed into studios and market stalls, the bold colours on front doors and exteriors that would look out of place anywhere else in the city. I've been painting homes here for over 20 years and it's still one of my favourite neighbourhoods to work in.
It's also one of the more technically demanding. Kensington is nothing like painting a newer home in the suburbs.
What makes Kensington homes distinctive
Most of Kensington's older Victorians have plaster-and-lath walls. They're beautiful surfaces when painted properly, giving a hard, smooth finish that drywall can't quite replicate. But they crack differently than drywall, need specialized primers that actually bond to old surfaces, and require skim coating if they've deteriorated over the decades. A painter who treats plaster like drywall will give you results that peel within a year. We've been working with these walls constantly for 20+ years.
Then there's the layout. Kensington homes are cozy. Narrow hallways, steep staircases, small rooms packed with furniture. Painting in tight spaces takes a different approach: protecting what can't be moved, using precise techniques in close quarters, and being efficient enough to stay out of your way.
And the colour. Kensington homeowners don't play it safe. Deep teals, rich oranges, dramatic darks — bold colours are unforgiving. They show every flaw in prep work and application. You need real technical skill to execute saturated colours cleanly, and that's what we bring.
What we do here
Interior Painting
Kensington interiors need painters who understand both heritage construction and creative colour. Those plaster walls give a beautiful finish when painted properly, but they need proper crack repair, skim coating where damaged, and primers that bond to old surfaces. We handle all of it before a drop of colour goes on.
- Plaster wall specialists: crack stabilization, skim coating, and proper priming for century-old walls
- Bold colour expertise: we execute your creative vision with precision, not pushback
- Heritage trim painting: Victorian moulding, baseboards, and window casings painted by hand
- Compact space efficiency: systematic approach to painting tight Kensington layouts quickly
Learn more about our interior painting services
Exterior Painting and Restoration
Kensington's Victorian streetscape is iconic. Row houses with detailed trim, decorative brackets, colourful front doors — your home's exterior is part of the neighbourhood's character. We handle everything from full exterior repaints to targeted trim work, preserving the details that make Kensington look like Kensington.
- Victorian detail preservation: brackets, cornices, and trim painted carefully by hand
- Heritage-appropriate prep: scraping, sanding, caulking old wood before any topcoat
- Bold exterior colours: we help you stand out while working with the streetscape
- Weather protection with quality finishes that hold up against Toronto winters
Explore exterior painting options
Drywall and Plaster Repair
Before a single drop of colour goes on, every surface needs to be right. In Kensington, that usually means plaster repair: stabilizing cracks in century-old walls, patching holes from decades of art displays, and skim coating rough areas so your finished paint looks flawless.
- Plaster crack stabilization with proper mesh and compound for lasting repairs on heritage walls
- Skim coating for full surface resurfacing on damaged or rough plaster
- Invisible patches that disappear once painted, blending with existing walls
- Smooth surfaces that do justice to bold, saturated colours
See our drywall repair services
How we work
Every Kensington project starts with a walkthrough. I check wall conditions, measure up, and talk through your colour ideas. Then I give you an exact written quote, not a vague range. No lowball number to get in the door, no surprise add-ons at the end.
We protect your floors, furniture, and belongings throughout. We clean up daily. In tight Kensington quarters where there's no room for mess, that matters. Most clients are living in their homes during the work, so we plan around your schedule and make it as straightforward as possible.
Kensington clients come back to us because the work holds up and because we don't push back on their colour choices. If you want to paint your living room a deep midnight blue, I'm going to tell you how it's going to look in your light, not talk you into something safer.
Customer Testimonial
"I had an amazing experience working with Home Painters Pro. They are very friendly, approachable, and professional. The quality of their work is excellent — they helped me choose the right colors, fixed all the imperfections in my condo, and painted everything beautifully. What really stood out was their high standards and follow-up after the job was done — they didn't just disappear once the work was finished." — Rekha Mehta
Pricing
Interior painting in Kensington starts at $2,500 for a one-bedroom unit and runs $3,500 to $6,500 for most homes. Larger Victorian homes with high ceilings and extensive heritage trim can run $7,000 to $10,000+. Exterior painting starts at $3,500 for a narrow row house and goes up to $8,000 to $14,000 for larger detached homes with significant trim detail. Trim-only packages run $2,500 to $5,000. All prices plus HST. Every project includes our lifetime written warranty.
Get your free Kensington estimate
Call me directly at (416) 875-8706 or request your free quote. If I don't pick up right away, I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Serving all of Kensington Market: Augusta Avenue to Spadina, Dundas to College — including all the eclectic side streets, laneways, and Victorian row houses in between.
Frequently Asked Questions
Interior painting in Kensington starts at **$2,500** for a 1-bedroom unit and runs up to **$7,000–$10,000+** for larger Victorian homes with high ceilings and heritage trim. Most Kensington projects fall in the **$3,500–$6,500** range because compact layouts keep costs down, but plaster prep and detail work add time.
Exterior painting in Kensington starts at **$3,500** for a narrow Victorian row house and ranges to **$8,000–$14,000** for larger detached homes with extensive trim detail. Trim-only packages (soffits, fascia, window frames) typically run **$2,500–$5,000**.
Absolutely. Kensington is not a beige neighbourhood and we get that. We work with Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams full colour ranges—deep teals, burnt orange, forest green, whatever matches your vision. We'll do colour consultations to make sure your bold choice works in your space and light conditions.
Yes. Most of Kensington's older homes have plaster-and-lath walls that need different prep than drywall. We stabilize cracks, skim coat damaged sections, and use proper primers so your paint job lasts. We've been doing this for 20+ years.
A typical Kensington 1-bedroom takes **2–3 days**, a 2-bedroom takes **3–5 days**, and a full Victorian home interior runs **5–8 days** depending on prep and detail work. We give you a firm timeline up front and stick to it.
All the time. Kensington is full of tight layouts, narrow stairs, and cozy units. We have efficient systems for working in small spaces—protecting furniture in place when we can't move it out, using low-odour paints, and keeping disruption minimal.
Fill out our [online quote form](/quote/) and I'll get back to you within 24 hours. For most Kensington projects, I do a walkthrough to check wall conditions, measure up, and give you an exact price—no guesswork.