How Much To Paint House Exterior

Cost To Hire An Exterior Painter

Exterior painting can range from $500 to $20,000, depending on a number of factors.

Painting is a popular home improvement option, adding a new lease on life for even the dreariest of homes. Australian painters generally charge by the square metre. To paint the exterior, you can pay between $15 to $45 per square metre for brickwork and $12 to $60 per square metre for timber.

That being said, painters can charge $10,000 – $20,000 for the exterior of a large home. While these prices are the general industry standard, many exterior painters may request to inspect your houses exterior prior to providing a quote.

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Diy House Exterior Painting

While painting the outside of your home may seem like a relatively simple job, there are a few things you should consider before attempting to do it yourself. As with any home improvement project, for best results, you should always seek the assistance of a professional.

Attempting to paint the exterior of your home yourself can not only be dangerous but may leave you with a patchy, uneven finish. We always recommend contacting a qualified professional decorator or wall coating specialist to assess the scale and complexity of your home. Painting and decorating are a skilled qualification, and painting the outside of your house can be much more challenging than merely painting the inside.

Not only should you have experience with working at heights, with ladders or scaffolding, but you will also need to understand the handling of chemicals and specialised exterior paints. Achieving a professional result is a lot harder than it may seem, and, if you are unsuccessful, you may end up with a terrible looking finish.

The most significant step in any painting project is preparation. This plays an essential role in determining the end result, and if done incorrectly, could result in a poor-quality finish. A professional decorator knows exactly how to prepare the exterior of your home correctly, resolving any issues along the way.

Cost To Paint A Two Story House

These estimates are for BASIC work performed in serviceable conditions by qualified trade professionals using MID GRADE materials. Work not mentioned on this page and/or work using master craftsman, premium materials and project supervision will result in HIGHER COSTS!

These estimates are NOT substitutes for written quotes from trade professionals. Homewyse strongly recommends that you contact reputable professionals for accurate assessments of work required and costs for your project – before making any decisions or commitments.

The cost estimate includes:

• Costs for local material / equipment delivery to and service provider transportation to and from the job site.
• Costs to prepare the worksite for Two Story House Painting, including costs to protect existing structure, finishes, materials and components.
• Labor setup time, mobilization time and minimum hourly charges that are commonly included for small Two Story House Painting jobs.

The cost estimate does NOT include:

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Exterior Paint Cost Per Gallon

Better paints are thicker because they have a higher percentage of resin to water. Youll pay more because there are more raw ingredients in the can, but each gallon covers more surface area and hides older colors more thoroughly. All-in-one paint and primer formulas are thicker versions of regular paint, and their coverage is exceptional. In the long run, youll save by using less, and the results will speak for themselves.

How Do You Prep A House To Paint It

First, you need to choose the right paint. There are a variety of paints out there, so you need to make sure you get the right one for the job. Second, you need to prep the surface. This means making sure there is no dirt or debris on the surface that youre going to be painting. Third, you need to have the right tools. This includes things like a ladder, drop cloths, and painters tape. Fourth, you need to make sure you have the right amount of paint. You dont want to run out in the middle of painting, so its important to calculate how much youll need beforehand. Finally, you need to have a plan. This means figuring out where youre going to start painting and what order youre going to do things in.

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Type Of Exterior Paint

Exterior paint prices will vary based on the type of paint you choose.

Latex Paint

Latex paint is known for being durable and easy to work with, and it can be used on a variety of different surfaces. One gallon of latex paint typically costs between $20 and $70.

Oil-Based Paint

Oil-based paint provides a high-gloss finish and is especially durable in harsh weather conditions. One gallon of oil-based paint typically costs between $30 and $90.

*Tribble Painting doesnt use oil-based paints for exterior house painting because it shows too many of the imperfections in the siding

Alkyd Paint

Alkyd paint is a type of oil-based paint that has been modified to dry more quickly than traditional oil-based paints. Its a good option if youre looking for oil-based paint but dont want to deal with the long drying time. One gallon of alkyd paint typically costs between $35 and $55.

Average Exterior Painting Cost By Story

According to This Old House, the average cost to paint a house exterior by story is:

• 1 story is between $1,000 and $6,000
• 2 stories are between $3,500 and $8,000
• 3 stories are between $5,000 and $12,000

*These are national averages and do not reflect factors such as professional skill level, siding type, or other important cost-changing factors

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How Much Does It Cost To Paint Ceilings Walls And Trim Together

Interior painting costs$225 to $1,500 per room for the ceilings, walls, and trim together. Painting costs depend on the room size, ceiling height, and the number of coats.

• Painting trim costs $25 to $200 per room, depending on the size.
• Painting ceilings costs $150 to $300 for a 12′ x 12′ room and $250 to $1,000 for a large living room.
• Painting interior walls costs $300 to $800 per room on average, depending on the size.

Average Cost Of Hiring A Crew

When looking into hiring a crew to work on your house, only the best available contractors should be considered. This is a project that is more of a one-and-done deal. Touch-ups in the future can be a nuisance and can be avoided entirely by having a quality job done right off the bat.

Many private painters or contractors work based on the hours worked. To get a frame of reference to compare with the statements you get, the average rate is anywhere from $25 to $100 per hour. Hiring more personnel can raise the cost accordingly but also expedite the process overall.

For example, a common breakdown of labor costs includes priming and painting. If two painters are hired, this job can take anywhere from 16 to 32 hours to cover the entire area, including trimming. This brings the total cost to $1,600 to $3,200 just for labor. However, it can be cut in half by excluding priming.

Compare this to the national average cost of painting a house at $1,700 to $3,700. A two-story house calls for more work to be done, so the average cost of hiring a crew falls on the higher end of this average.

Costs of labor, materials, and tools, as well as the potential danger when working on elevated surfaces, bring this average cost up. To decide on the best contractor that will give you a valuable outcome for your money, pay attention to their ratings to get an idea of others experience when hiring them.

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Post A Brick House Painting Listing

Theres someone out there that can do this arduous task for you. To find one, just post a task on our platform and accomplish the request form. Make sure to indicate your budget, location, house size, and preferred painting technique when posting a task for brick house painting.

The more information you provide in your listing, the easier it will be for your prospective professional painter to offer an accurate quote. Once your task is up, get ready to hire a professional exterior painting contractor and give your house exterior a much-needed makeover.

What Should I Look For In A Good Painter

When seeking out a painter, opt for experience and quality over a low price – a painter who knows what he/she is doing will ensure your surface is properly prepared and that the final result is of a high quality. Depending on the state you live in, you should check that your painter is licensed and insured to work on your property. Check their references so you have an idea of their quality of service, and request a fixed-quote before any work begins.

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Cost To Paint Metal Or Aluminum Siding

Unlike wood, metal siding is easy to clean with a solution of water and sodium phosphate, and it dries almost instantaneously. However, it must be sanded and primed with two coats of oil-based primer before its painted. Oil-based products are a little more expensive than water-based primers, and they take longer to dry. Applying two coats could add an extra days labor to a painting project.

Because spray paint doesnt stick to metal well, brush painting is preferable, but its more labor-intensive. Expect to pay up to $3 per square foot.

Painting A House Yourself Vs Hiring A Pro

While this is technically a DIY project, it’s time-consuming. You’ll need at least two or three weeks to get the job done. Plus you need to be confident working at a height, and you need the basic DIY skills to repair any damage to the siding or trim before you paint.

Keep in mind that every mistake you make and have to fix takes extra time, although it won’t cost much extra money. But unless you have plenty of experience and the right skillset, a professional will still give you a quicker and better finish, so consider hiring a local house painter instead of tackling this job yourself.

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Breaking Down The Cost Of Painting Your Homes Exterior

Here are some factors in determining what costs will look like regardless of whether you hire out this project or decide to tackle it on your own.

For example, you can expect to pay anywhere from $0.50 to $3.50 per square foot to hire a painter for exterior painting. If you are doing it yourself, you will be looking at about $0.75 to $2.00 per square foot for the total painting project.

Your Homes Square Footage

No matter which route you choose, a significant first step is knowing the square footage of your home. This will help you understand how large of an area you will need to cover, along with how many gallons of paint you will need to have.

You can use this square foot calculator if youre unsure of your homes square footage:

Cost Of Hiring A Professional Painting Contractor

When you compare costs of materials to labor costs, you will probably be tempted to go the DIY route. Painting can be a bit expensive. But consider that a skilled house painter will be able to do the cleaning of old paint and repairs far quicker than the typical homeowner.

Contractors will also have a crew that will be able to efficiently apply the paint in short order. Theyll be experienced in painting trim, which is where non-pros can make errors galore or take a long time in being overly careful. Plus, theyll have all the materials and be responsible for cleaning up.

For painting alone, hired contractors generally charge between $3.00 and $5.00 per sq. ft. More to the point, if the house is one, two or three stories, theyll probably have standard charges of: $2,500 to $4,500 for a single story, $4,500 to $7,500 for a two story and $6,500 to $8,500 for a three-story house.

Prep work may be included in the rates but depends on what is needed. If simple cleaning, and light sanding, no repairs and basic primer, then they may not charge additionally.

During an estimate, you and the contractor will both have an opportunity to ask questions and make determinations for whether repairs are needed and scraping, and heavy sanding are included in their rates or not.

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Seasy Diy Home Painting Projects

Now, there are some exterior painting projects that are easy to DIY. Here are 5 of the best exterior jobs to tackle yourself:

Also, painting a front door by yourself is a distant fifth on the list. Keep in mind, front door painting can be tricky for most novice painters.

Whats best is that most of these popular DIY outdoor painting projects can be completed over a weekend. Not to mention, you likely wont need a ladder which means they are much safer to DIY.

Average Cost To Paint A 2 Story House Exterior If You Do It Yourself

Painting costs time and money when DIYing, so before you suit up in your paint clothes, make sure you have the time to get the job done.

Here are the tools and equipment necessary to repaint a 2-story house:

You’re going to want exterior paint that is designed for the surface you are painting.

To find great paint options, all you have to do is a quick search on or Google. Something like ‘paint for aluminum siding’ or ‘paint for vinyl siding’ will work.

If it’s concrete you can use exterior paint for masonry and brick.

• Ladders/scaffolding

Ladders are probably the most expensive necessity in painting a 2 story house exterior.

And more than a ladder, you’ll need 2 ladders with a plank and jack running across the middle to make the job 10x easier

• Masker/masking materials

Using a paint masker allows you to cover up surfaces like windows, soffit/fascia, and undesired painting surfaces quickly and easily.

Tip: Set up a scaffold/plank, and use a paint masker with 24-inch film to cover up the soffit and fascia when painting.

We highly recommend using a paint sprayer when painting your exterior, as it will save you so much time plus the paint job will turn out better.

There are plenty of inexpensive handheld HVLP paint sprayers online that you can purchase off websites like Amazon that will allow you to paint your house up in a flash.

It will take you a lot longer to paint your 2 story house with a roller and brush, and we recommend it.

• Safety equipment

• Sandpaper/Sanding pole

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Painting Different Types Of Homes

The materials your home is made of are essential factors in the cost of painting the exterior. We have broken down a rough estimate of what this could look like regarding the cost to paint different types of homes.

Here is an estimated cost per square foot to prep and paint different home materials:

• Vinyl will cost between $1.25 to $3.00 per square foot.
• Wood will cost between $1.00 to $3.00 a square foot.
• Stucco will cost you between $1.50 to $6.00 a square foot.
• Brick is between $2.40 and $4.50 per square foot.
• Concrete will run you between $1.00 and $7.00 per 100 square feet.
• Finally, metal will cost between $0.83 cents and $2.50 a square foot.

Unit Costs: How Pros Price

Unlike other websites that publish pricing from unrelated jobs in the past, Homewyse creates up-to-date estimates from current Unit Costs. The Unit Cost method delivers high accuracy by using location, details and options for the unique requirements of each job. Contracting, trade, design and maintenance businesses rely on the Unit Cost method for transparency, accuracy and fair profits.

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What Is Involved In Painting A House

Achieving a high-quality finish that will last involves the preparation of the exterior of your home before painting. This includes removing damaged or flaky paint and patching up any cracks or missing pieces of stone or mortar that may affect the smooth finish or adherence of the paint.

The preparation and painting of a house is a specialist job that often involves two people working together over three or four days. Once the surface is repaired, your tradespeople can get to work, applying two or three coats of specialist paint. Be sure to factor this in when calculating or reviewing the price to paint the exterior of your house.

A typical work schedule is as follows:

• Erect access equipment.
• Remove any existing flaky paint.
• Brush off loose dirt from walls.
• Remove stubborn dirt with water and a brush.
• Clean any mould, moss or algae with either a bleach/water solution or a fungicide treatment.
• Make good of any repairs to walls with sand/cement mixture.
• Allow the walls to fully dry.
• Treat the wall with a stabilising solution and allowing to dry.
• Apply one coat of specialist masonry paint.
• Allow walls to dry.
• Apply a second coat of specialist masonry paint.
• Apply a third coat of paint if the wall is being painted for the first time.

For the best results, always work with an experienced exterior painter we do not recommend you attempt this job yourself.

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Typical Cost Of Hiring A House Painter

A professional painter is going to measure your house, and give you a rough price according to how bad they want the job–painting contractors get busy sometimes, and not every job is a priority, especially if it is something like a 2-story house that is a higher risk job because of the necessary use of ladders/scaffolding.

So why are pro painted more expensive? To understand this, we need to break down added expenses:

Transportation to job

Driving the painting truck to the job costs money, and that adds up over time.

From fuel costs to repairs, transportation is an expense for the painting contractor.

Insurance

Licensed contractors have insurance, and it costs them upwards in the thousands per year. For this reason, they will add an extra profit to the cost of the paint job so they don’t lose out.

Contractors also have to pay their workers’ medical bills when they get injured, and painting a 2-story house has a lot more risk involved than painting a single room or a single-story structure. That’s another added expense of doing business.

Quality of Paint Job

Not only to pro painters use high-quality paint, but they also do a better job.

The best pro painters like to do two-tone paint jobs that require more masking, not to mention the fact that high-end painters will caulk and spackle every square inch of the project to make sure it comes out to 5-star quality—now that takes more time and effort.

• Sale commission

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