Cost to Paint the Outside of your Home
Using the exterior painting estimator below, tell us about your house so we can help you calculate the exterior painting cost. The estimate is based on several factors related specifically to your home. The area of the outside walls minus doors and windows (square feet), the surface type (material) and condition, desired paint color and quality for your specific finish, and of course labor costs in your area.
Benefits of Using This Calculator
- Estimate how much it will cost to paint your house.
- Any size home or number of floors.
- Any type of siding or paint color.
- Detailed cost breakdown for supplies, labor cost, and cost per square foot.
- No obligation, free painting estimates.
- Quick and easy to use.
Estimated Cost Calculator
House Painting Project Overview
Painting the outside of your house is a maintenance task that homeowners have to deal with every 8-15 years to keep it looking new and protect the exterior surface of your home. The outside of a home is the first impression it gives, and a fresh coat of paint can significantly improve its appearance, making the home more attractive and inviting. This is especially important for homeowners looking to sell their property, as a well-maintained exterior can increase the home’s market value and attract potential buyers.
Beyond the curb appeal though, painting the exterior of a home also serves a practical purpose. It provides a protective layer against the harsh environmental elements like sun, rain and snow. Over time, exterior materials like wood, stucco, and siding can deteriorate, lose it’s shine and crack due to exposure, leading to issues like moisture seeping in, mold growth, and eventually you could have structural damage. A quality paint job helps to prevent these problems by sealing the surface, extending the lifespan of the building materials, and reducing the need for costly repairs.
Included in this Estimate
- Site Preparation: If you have plants, decks, driveway and/or walkways that connect to your home, they will be covered so no paint splatters onto the surface.
- Exterior Surface Preparation: This includes cleaning, pressure washing and repairing any painted surfaces that may have wood rot, chipped paint or large cracks that need to be sealed with caulking before a coat of primer is applied. If you have rain gutters installed, it may include the removal of the gutters to prep and paint the facia board beneath it. On homes in excellent condition, much of this may not be needed.
- All Paint and Supplies: The amount of paint needed for your specific project varies based on the color difference from your current color. The number of coats needed to adequately cover the old finish. The type of siding on your house, etc. All supplies are generally included in the amount estimated above.
- Labor Costs to Complete Project: All man hours and labor costs to complete your exterior painting are factored into the estimate above and adjusted based on your location and the cost of living.
- Site Cleanup and Disposal: Once your home is completed, all cleanup and disposal of the area, supplies and waste containers will be removed and disposed of.
Not Included
- Major Repairs: If large areas of rotted siding are discovered, these will be an added cost to repair or replace.
- Lead Paint Removal: If lead based paint is discovered, or if you have asbestos shingles on the home exterior, remediation is not covered in the cost above.
- Landscaping Repairs: If you need to have bushes, trees or other landscaping effects removed to paint the house, replacement is not covered in the estimate above.
- Permits or Inspections: Some areas or HOA’s may require a permit to paint the home. That is the responsibility of the homeowner to obtain and not covered above.
References and Data Sources
We make use of several resources to compile data used in our cost calculators. It assures you the most accurate cost estimates based on real scientific data from trusted resources. For this exterior house painting cost estimator, we used the following sources:
- Cost of living data: US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
- Painter labor costs are calculated from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and based on your zip code and state.
- Paint and supplies costs from: Lowes exterior paint, Sherwin Williams, Home Depot, Benjamin Moore.
- Estimated costs are compiled by a averaging the cumulative costs submitted by our business partners who have used this as a estimating tool for their own purposes and made their estimates public.
- We’ve removed all personal identifying data and used aggregate values only.
