A small renovation can change how a space feels as much as a big one. At Cigar Studio, a cigar shop in the Kingsway area of Etobicoke, the job was a focused refresh: repair the walls that had moisture damage, repaint the space, and add new strip lighting. No gut job, no new layout. Just the fixes that make a room look cared for again.
Here is what the work involved and what stood out along the way.
The project at a glance
- Location: Cigar Studio, Kingsway area, Etobicoke
- Type: Small commercial renovation refresh
- Work done: Repairs to moisture-damaged walls, a full repaint, and new strip lighting
- Trade partner: Lighting installed with Amps Logic Electric
You can see the full photo set on our Cigar Studio project page.
Starting point: walls with moisture damage
Moisture damage on interior walls tends to show up slowly. Paint bubbles or flakes, patches go soft, and stains spread out from the edges. In a shop, it also sits right where customers look.
At Cigar Studio, the repairs focused on the damaged sections of wall, including areas around the window frames and openings. Damaged areas were patched and smoothed with a putty knife and compound so they sit flush with the wall around them. The photos show how much of that work happened in the tight spots: along the edge of the window frames and in the narrow strips between trim and glass, where a sloppy patch would be easy to see.
Protecting a working shop
A cigar shop is full of things that cannot get dusty: display cases, shelving, and stock. Before any sanding or painting, the displays and furniture near the work areas were wrapped in plastic sheeting. That keeps dust and paint off the product and lets the space get back to normal quickly once the work is done.
For a small business, how the work is scheduled can matter as much as the work itself. Every hour the doors are shut for a renovation is an hour of lost sales.
Repair first, then paint
The order of work is what makes a refresh like this last. New paint over a damaged wall only hides the problem for a while. The patch fails, the bubbles come back, and the wall looks worse than before.
So the sequence on this job was simple:
- Repair. Fix the damaged sections and patch the surrounding wall, including the areas above doors and openings.
- Smooth and prep. Get each repair flush, so it disappears under the finish instead of showing through.
- Paint. Repaint once the surfaces are ready, cutting in carefully around window frames and trim.
A full repaint
Once the repairs were done, the space got a full repaint. A full repaint is what ties the job together. Touching up only the patched areas can leave the repairs visible as a slightly different shade or sheen. Repainting everything gives the walls one even finish, so nobody can tell where the damage used to be.
The detail work is where most of the time goes. Around the windows, frames, and trim, the edges have to stay clean, because in a shop with big front windows, those lines catch the light all day.
New strip lighting with Amps Logic Electric
The last part of the refresh was new strip lighting, installed with Amps Logic Electric. Lighting does a lot in a retail space. It shows off the product, makes the room feel warmer, and helps a freshly painted wall look its best.
Electrical work is a job for a licensed electrician. In Ontario, new lighting and wiring should go to a Licensed Electrical Contractor, who handles the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) side of the job. We explain more about who can do what in our post on what a handyman can legally do in Ontario. On a job like this, our part is managing the work in the right order, so the walls are repaired and painted and the lighting goes in without anyone tripping over each other.
What to take from this if you own a shop or home
Most moisture problems on walls start somewhere else: a window, a roof, a plumbing line, or poor ventilation. Whether it is a storefront or a basement, a few things help:
- Find the cause before the cosmetic fix. Paint over an active leak will fail again.
- Fix it early. Soft or stained drywall gets bigger and more expensive the longer it sits.
- Plan around your schedule. A small business can often book work outside opening hours to stay open.
- Use licensed trades where the law requires it, especially for electrical work.
Water damage often turns up once walls are opened. On our Etobicoke bathroom demolition, demo turned up water damage behind the old tub surround, which was flagged and priced before the rebuild started. In North York, we covered why drywall and waterproofing come before the finishes. Same idea here: fix what is underneath first.
Need a refresh for your shop or home?
If your walls are showing moisture damage, or your space just needs repairs, fresh paint, and better lighting, Levand Construction can help. We work on homes and small commercial spaces across Etobicoke, Toronto, Mississauga, and the wider GTA. Take a look at our services and recent projects, then contact us or call (647) 390-7633 for a clear, itemized quote.
