How much does it cost to paint a house?

When you’re looking to refresh or update your home, especially before putting it on the market, a lick of paint is usually a good starting point. But how much does it cost?

If you ask painters or your neighbours this question, you may get wildly different answers. Why would one exterior or interior paint job cost twice as much as another? It’s not just because of the size of a job. Painters have to consider some factors to come up with an accurate quote.

Factors that Increase or Decrease the Cost of Painting a House

• Extremely dirty surfaces
• Deep imperfections, holes, scratches, etc
• Items to be removed – Blinds, furniture, etc
• Un-primed walls, trims, and doors ( requires full primer coat )
• Colour ( dark colours and extremely bright colours need multiple coats )
• Use of oil paint instead of acrylic
• Caulking of VJ (vertical joint) boards
• VJ Boards, block or brick, pressed tin
• Painting of just one room

Why house painting is a good investment

One exterior may cost as little as $25 per hour to paint, while another can cost up to $222 per hour.* However, the cost of painting the home often reflects the value of the home.

If your home value is $500,000, you may do a repaint that costs between $25,000 and $50,000, and the increased value goes up with the value of your home.

Indoors, you want your home to look light, airy and as large as possible. A new paint job in a light, neutral colour will appeal to the broadest number of buyers. The light colour will make any room appear brighter and larger.

Remember, you’re not just selling a home, you’re selling a lifestyle, and buyers will pay more for a house they feel they can move into.

If the paint is peeling or faded, most buyers who will be interested in your property will be those looking for a house to flip and make a quick profit on. Consider painting an investment, and you can make the extra profit instead of the bargain hunter.

How much does exterior painting cost?

Two houses that cover the same area of land can get very different quotes, even from the same exterior painter. Some of the things a painter will factor into their quotes include:

• Prep work
• Fascias
• The number of windows
• The type of surface they are painting
• The height of the building
• Flat versus sloping block

The quality of the paint they use will be another cost, but it will be a minor cost.

A reputable exterior painter will not paint your home until they have completed all the prep work. They may only need to clean the walls, or they may need to remove old paint. They will do whatever it takes to ensure your new paint lasts as long as possible.

You may want your fascias and windows to be a different colour, but even if they are the same colour, painters consider them a separate job. In most cases, they will use semi-gloss paint. Window trims, fascias, and decorative elements need to be painted with brushes. They are more time-consuming than walls, and the painter must take extra care when painting them.

The type of surface will also be a factor an exterior painter will take into consideration. They will also charge more for a two-storey home than for a single-storey home because they may need scaffolding, and the work will proceed more slowly. If a house is on a sloping block, it may cost more because it can be more challenging to work on the sloping sides of the house.

With all these factors to consider, you won’t know what a painter will charge until they have a chance to inspect your property.

The spread is greater for timber exteriors because timber may need more prep work and can involve more detailed painting. Weatherboard, too, may require extra work. Although brick has an uneven surface, it usually needs less prep work, and painters know how to paint brick fast and efficiently.

You will need to get quotes from painters to know the price of painting your home but expect to pay more for a complicated job on a two-storey house.

How much does interior painting cost?

Interior painting is similar to exterior painting. One interior that’s the same number of square metres as another can cost twice as much to paint. Some things a painter will consider when they prepare a quote include:

• Prep work
• Windows
• Architraves and other trim work
• Doors
• Ceiling height
• Feature walls

When they take all of these things into consideration, their rate can vary from as low as $15 per square metre to $400 per square metre. On average, interior painters charge $51.10 per square metre in Australia.*

For example, one living room may have only one large window, skirting boards and no doors. If it has a low ceiling, you may want to paint the ceiling white and use a glossier paint to make the ceiling appear higher.

If you have a period home, such as an Art Deco or Federation style home, your painter may have more detailed painting to do, and the cost could be closer to the high end of the scale. If you have very high ceilings, your painter may need to erect scaffolding, which will cost extra.

If you want to have a feature wall, it may need decorative painting (such as sponging), which will cost more. Even if you wished your feature wall to be a single colour, the painter would need to take extra care of the corners, and it may cost more.

Tips to Help You Decrease the Cost of Painting Your House

• Multiple rooms – Painters do not have to wait for one room to dry before they apply a second coat. They can move on to the next room, which allows an efficient workflow.
• Ensure furniture and all small items have been removed from the work area
• Ensure door handles, blinds, and fixtures have been removed before the painter's arrival
• Contract the painters to paint the walls only. You can paint the rest of the areas that need to be painted yourself
• Remove the carpet from the work area
• If your house is repainted regularly, one coat refresh to walls and ceiling will be enough.

Whatever kind of information you are looking for about painting a house, use an online directory tool like Service Seeking to quickly get some ballpark quotes for your painting job – then make a short list to get more accurate estimates through onsite visits from the selected painters.

*Pricing data updated on 14 December 2023.