Whether you’re buying a new property or refreshing one you’ve owned for years, shopping around to find the best cost for painting your business is smart. While there is potential for you to do it yourself, you’ll find you can save yourself more time and money by going with professional painters. That being said, you may be wondering how much does it cost to paint an exterior commercial building?
The estimate Pro Painters gives is based on an hourly rate of $50 to $65 per hour and $1.50 to $3 per square foot. Both rates range depending on the size and complexity of the job.
If you are curious about what influences those rates, here are the three major factors that affect the cost of painting a commercial building’s exterior.
The Amount of Paint
One factor that influences the average cost of a commercial paint job is the amount of paint, and thankfully, it isn’t too difficult to calculate when trying to get an estimate.
Length x Width = Wall A Square Feet
Wall A + Wall B + Wall C = Total Square Feet
You will need to find the square footage of your exterior by multiplying the height and length of the walls and then adding all of your wall measurements together. Doors and windows will need to go through the same formula, and you’ll subtract them from the wall space to get the total square footage of the exterior wall.
Next, you can find how many paint buckets will be needed. One gallon of paint will usually cover about 300 square feet, and professional painters will utilize a high-quality paint, which will run between $50 to $75.
On top of the painter color, your exterior walls will also need to be painted with a primer and a sealant. The material costs usually amount to as much as the paint or more, but these are the necessary steps to ensure your paint lasts for a long time and is protected from the natural elements and extreme weather conditions.
The Amount of Labor
The next influential factor going into your commercial paint job is the cost of labor. The industry standard is about $50 to $100 for an hourly rate, and professional painters, on average, can cover approximately 150 to 200 square feet an hour.
You can further build your rough estimate by multiplying the hourly rate by the total square footage of your exterior walls. We recommend calculating the highest and lowest rate so you can find a good range you should be paying, but also, keep in mind that multiple coats of paint are typically needed as well.
The Condition of the Building
This final factor is the one that typically raises or lowers the total cost of your painting project. How much prep work is needed will depend on the status of your commercial property and any challenges that may be raised. The patching minor cracks and holes is usually included in the standard prep work commercial painters do, but anything on a bigger scale, such as large cracks or warped drywall, will raise the cost of your commercial paint job.
Our recommendation is to inspect your commercial building before reaching out to professional painters. If there are large concerns, you can photograph them and check with the commercial painters to see if they can fix the problem or if you need to outsource the repair. To potentially save on labor costs, you can also clean the exterior building with a power washer before the painting project begins.
Trust the Pros to Deliver Results
As you can see, the factors that go into how much it costs to paint exterior commercial buildings are crucial to determining the total cost. These factors, especially the condition of your commercial property, are also complex, and that is one of the main reasons you should search for commercial painters who will provide a free quote. Pro Painters does exactly that!
We are the leading residential and commercial Houston painting company because we’ve been serving the city since 1995. Our friendly, professional, and hardworking team utilizes top of the line materials and expert craftsmanship to deliver exceptional results the first time around. Our pros also know more than paint! Pro Painters offer services like power washing, roof coating, drywall installation, and much more for home or business improvement projects.
No job is too big or small for us. Request a free quote and consultation today!
