How Much Does it Cost to Paint a Home Exterior?

Over time, the elements cause exterior paint to fade, chip and peel. Homes with wood siding should be repainted every five to 10 years to repair damage and boost curb appeal.

However, exterior painting is grueling work. It involves days or weeks of physical labor, including tedious tasks such as scraping and sanding and dangerous activities such as climbing a ladder. If you want to avoid all of that, consider hiring a professional painting contractor.

About Exterior Painting

A good exterior painting job is a very involved process. The siding needs to be pressure washed, and, in some cases, areas that are very dirty of difficult to clean require hand washing. Loose or peeling paint needs to be removed, holes or gaps need to be filled and the entire surface needs to be sanded. Only then is it time to prime and apply a couple coats of paint.

A professional painting contractor might take a couple of days or a couple of weeks to complete the project, depending on the size of your home, the size of the painting crew and the weather. Keep in mind that most painters cancel a day’s work if the chance of rain is 50 percent or greater.

Cost of Exterior Painting

It is very difficult to offer general estimates for exterior painting. The price depends on so many factors, including the size and home, the condition of the siding, the number of years since the home was last painted, geographic location and the experience of the company.

Some companies price jobs by the square foot; others by the hour, the day or the job. There are many factors that contribute to pricing, including materials, labor, travel time - even company overhead expenses such as advertising and insurance costs.

• Very generally, budget about $1.50-$3.50 per square foot. However, this is just a guideline - in some areas of the country prices can be higher or lower.
• Looked at another way, materials generally make up 75 percent of the cost and materials make up the remaining 25 percent. For a 2,000-square-foot home, say you need 10 gallons of paint at $50 each. That’s $500 for paint, so we’ll say $1,000 total for all materials. In that case, budget $3,000 for labor and $4,000 total for the project.
• Exterior paint varies in cost based upon quality. For high-quality paint, plan on spending anywhere from $30-$70 a gallon. If you’re concerned about the company using inferior paint or want to save money on labor costs, pick up the paint yourself.
• Very generally - once again - a single-story home might cost $1,500-$3,000 to repaint, while a larger two-story might cost $3,000-$6,000.

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