Whether you’re looking for a way to change up a room or in the middle of a home improvement project, paint is a great solution! The color of your walls can help tie in the style of a room, or a new color on your house can help you be the talk of the neighborhood. But exactly how much does it cost to have your house painted?
For Pro Painters’ customers, the average cost to paint a house is $1.75 to $4.00 per square foot for interiors and $1.50 to $3.00 per square foot for exteriors. For a more detailed estimate, a 2,000-square-foot house would cost between $3,000 and $6,000 for an exterior paint job.
Why hire a professional painter? Why the difference between interior and exterior? Why does the cost change? All of these questions and more are explained in the article below.
DIY vs. Professional Painters
There isn’t any reason you cannot paint your home without the help of professional painters. It saves you money on home improvement projects, but it would cost you anywhere from $500 to $1,500.
If you’re a DIY specialist, you may already have some of the supplies necessary to paint your home. This list includes brushes, rollers, buckets, drop cloths, paint pans, caulk, masking tape, sandpaper, scrapers, ladders, and paint.
One gallon of paint will cover an average of 350 square feet, and two coats of paint are recommended, especially for an exterior paint job. A painting project with 2,000 square feet divided by 350 equals six gallons of paint, rounded up. Double that number for the two coats needed, and you will need 12 gallons of paint. The cost of the gallon depends on the type of paint.
Another important reminder about a DIY project is to prepare a plan for the time it will take to paint your home, which should be about two to three weeks. We’ll go over more of the prep work below since it’s one factor that affects hiring a professional painter. You also need to be sure you’re confident to work at a height and are prepared to fix mistakes along the way, potentially prolonging the time it takes to finish your project.
Interior vs. Exterior
The square footage is the main difference that affects interior and exterior painting costs. The project usually involves an individual room during an interior paint job, and it will not require as much prep work as an exterior paint job.
The exterior of your home has much more square footage than a room, and the project requires painting the whole house since you typically want a cohesive appearance. Painting the exterior of a home also involves exposure to weather conditions and more intensive labor.
Other Factors that Affect Price
There is quite a bit to consider when determining the cost of painting a house, whether it is the interior or exterior. Here is a comprehensive list of factors that affect how much it costs to have your house painted.
Labor Costs
Professional painters, like everyone else, deserve a fair and livable wage; the average cost is $25 to $100 per hour per painter. Experienced managers for a painting company will know precisely how many painters will be necessary and how long a project should take. They will give you a quote that includes labor and materials.
Prep Work Required
Different jobs will require different prep work before the painting can begin. For an interior paint job, the most important prep work will be using masking tape for floorboard trims, windows, and anything else that must be protected from paint.
There is much more prep work involved for the exterior of a house. Siding repair, filling in holes and cracks, power washing, sanding—these are all parts of the prep work that may be needed for your home to be painted. Plus, the age and condition of your house may also extend the cost and time necessary to complete the job. For example, paint stripping may be required if the construction of your home predates 1978 because lead paint, a safety concern, may be present on the house.
Material of Painting Surface
Different siding and wall materials will affect the price of painting a house since they will require additional prep work, coat amounts, and paint to get a good finish.
Brick and stone are the most expensive siding materials to paint. They are both more porous and rough on the surface, so painting them requires potential sealing and more primer and paint coats to finish the appearance.
Wood, engineered wood, and vinyl are on the other side of the spectrum. Painting vinyl saves you money for home improvement. Engineered wood is excellent for minimizing costs because it’s typically pre-primed. Wood siding is also easy to paint and care for; however, it is susceptible to water damage and repairs.
There are many more siding materials, but hopefully, the information provided gives you a little insight into why costs differ depending on your project. Always do your research before diving in to do it yourself or hire a professional painter!
Type of Paint
While you may be tempted to reach for less expensive paints, you pay for what you get, which means you may need more coats of paint to finish the job, which means buying more gallons of the cheaper paint. High-quality paint should have a thicker viscosity, requiring fewer coats but more time to dry.
There is also the type of paint base to consider: water, acrylic, or oil. Acrylic paint is great for vinyl siding and cleans up easily, while oil provides better coverage but tends to crack and turn yellow over time. Water-based paint, or latex paint, also dries faster and has less volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but it is also less durable.
You will also need to decide what kind of finish you want your paint to leave. If you want a more shiny finish, high-gloss and semi-gloss are great options since they are durable against water damage, but they also reveal imperfections more often. A matte finish has no shine and is more affordable, but it can be challenging to clean. Flat paint is also more affordable and covers imperfections better than other finishes.
If you’re interested in painting your deck, we went into depth about what kind of paint to use a few months ago.
Allow the Pros to Handle It
A painting project is a great way to add value to your home, but a new paint color is also a great and affordable option to liven your home. We hope you learned everything you needed to know about how much it costs to have your house painted. If you want to add paint to your home improvement project, you can trust the team behind Pro Painters.
For over 27 years, we have been helping homeowners in the Greater Houston Area improve their homes to their needs. Our highly-skilled employees use only dependable, brand-name materials to ensure you receive the best results for years to come.
Ready to get started on your painting project? Call Pro Painters now to get a free estimate.
