How much does it cost to paint a house?

[utrecht]

I have a 2200 sq foot one story brick house. The only wood is the trim, eaves, garage door and things like that. No siding anywhere. Any idea approx. how much a painter would charge to paint the exterior?

 

[W2R]

I have a 2200 sq foot one story brick house. The only wood is the trim, eaves, garage door and things like that. No siding anywhere. Any idea approx. how much a painter would charge to paint the exterior?

Usually you can get an estimate for free.

I don't really know. I had the trim, shutters, and doors rolled into the interior painting job. Well, except for the trim around the patio and the three French doors leading out to it, and trim around them. I bartered an older 42" plasma TV for that.

 

[JakeBrake]

I have a 2200 sq foot one story brick house. The only wood is the trim, eaves, garage door and things like that. No siding anywhere. Any idea approx. how much a painter would charge to paint the exterior?

This is very similar to a termite treatment . Prices may vary widely. Get more than one free estimate. Be very clear on how much prep and/or repair work will be done and who furnishes the paint and what type. Oil or latex. Spray and/or brush. Get a written contract that species exactly what will be done.

 

[REWahoo]

This is very similar to a termite treatment . Prices may vary widely. Get more than one free estimate. Be very clear on how much prep and/or repair work will be done and who furnishes the paint and what type. Oil or latex. Spray and/or brush. Get a written contract that species exactly what will be done.

+1

...and the number of coats.

 

[Meadbh]

I recently hired a painter whose vanity plate is "twocoats". But I still got a contract. And lo and behold, there were a couple of areas which didn't get that second coat. I had to call him back to fix it.

 

[Ally]

We paid $2000 a year ago for about what you describe. That included prep work, high quality paint and two coats.

 

[calmloki]

Our painter tints his base coat to be close to the top coat.

 

[Redbugdave]

I have a brick ranch style, which I myself used to paint about every 6 or 7 years or so. I think for the money in the long haul...get some estimates for siding to be applied on the house...under the eves, soffets, around the windows, garage door frames, etc. Prices vary, so get several estimates.

Now, when I go out and look at my house...I smile! No more outside upkeep. No more replacing rotten wood corner eves, etc. In the long run...the cost is more than one paint job, but it will pay for itself after 2 or 3. Just my opinion.

 

[utrecht]

We will be retiring and selling this house in under 4 years so I don't think siding makes sense in my situation. I haven't gotten any quotes yet but after walking around the house and getting a good look, I'm leaning towards doing it myself. Unless I can find a painter hurting for work who will give me a great deal.

 

[Nords]

I've never had to learn how much it costs to pay someone to paint a house, but a gallon of paint will cover about 300 sq ft of exterior surface. The cost depends on the quality, and in the long run it's better to stick with the high quality instead of having to repeat the labor more frequently.

I haven't gotten any quotes yet but after walking around the house and getting a good look, I'm leaning towards doing it myself.

It's a great DIY project, and you'll be much happier with the quality:
Exterior Painting Tips and Techniques | The Family Handyman

Unless I can find a painter hurting for work who will give me a great deal.

If they're hurting for work then it might not just be due to the recession. I'm scared of painters offering great deals. Painting is an area where you will get exactly what you pay for, what you know to look for, and what you inspect. By the time you're done with all the due diligence and monitoring, you know enough to start doing for yourself.

I've been watching "This Old House" and other home-improvement shows for over 25 years, and I've noticed that paint brushes & rollers are far more common than spray nozzles. I'm amazed by how residential painters get away with using spray.

 

[Dimsumkid]

I've been watching "This Old House" and other home-improvement shows for over 25 years, and I've noticed that paint brushes & rollers are far more common than spray nozzles. I'm amazed by how residential painters get away with using spray.

Everything I've read about spraying mentions following it with a roller/brush to get the paint embedded properly. Otherwise, it can be uneven, splotchy or create runs in the finish. But the claim is spraying is still faster.

I'm currently in the middle of painting the outside of my house. Prior owners always hired people. Whoever they used, didn't use primer much, if at all. Lots of peeling paint and sloppy work. Surprised at the amount of paint drips and brick dabbed with paint. I will mention that I'm using Behr for the first time outside, which is very disappointing in it's hiding capabilities. After a primer coat and 2 coats of paint using white, I can still see old, white/tinted light grey still coming through and had to do a 3rd coat is some areas. I've never had this problem using Benjamin Moore paint in the past. Behr was supposedly ranked top (or near the top) for paint by Cons. Reports too. Was at a Sherwin Williams grand opening store yesterday. paint is reg. price at $58+/gal, but with 40% off it was $35/gal! This makes you understand why people go and buy Behr paint. I was shocked when they told me they don't carry a paint brush spinning cleaner at a paint specialty store. Employees there were clueless, they had to ask the mgr about getting one in from another store! I've gotten better help at Home Depot/Lowes about products in general.

 

[tryan]

Be careful of anyone who pressure washes as the prep/scrape. The pressure wash will flood the eaves and cavity behind any clapboard. Then - in time - as the excess water escapes .... your paint job peels.

I hand wash and scrape.

 

[soupcxan]

We paid about $1600 for a similar job on our house but we have some areas of wood siding (mostly brick). The price included 2 coats plus replacement of a few peices of rotten wood.

 

[Moemg]

I paid $3,000 for a 3,800 sq. foot house including deck railings and fence .

 

[Lsbcal]

I've done some house painting and just got a quote which has me thinking I should do more of my own work.

What do people use to clean off their siding before painting? I noticed this brush with extension on Amazon which looks kind of cool: Amazon.com: Carrand 97210 Siding & Eaves Brush: Patio, Lawn & Garden Thoughts on this brush? If I do the work, I'll buy good tools to get the job done right.

BTW, For areas that show mold spores I'd use a weak bleach solution with this brush I guess. Naturally one should let it dry thoroughly. Here is one link to prep work: Exterior House Painting: Clean the Surfaces Prior to Painting A painter I had do some work liked Sherwin Williams Duration. It's fairly pricey but covers very well in one coat.

 

[Dimsumkid]

I've done some house painting and just got a quote which has me thinking I should do more of my own work.

What do people use to clean off their siding before painting? I noticed this brush with extension on Amazon which looks kind of cool: Amazon.com: Carrand 97210 Siding & Eaves Brush: Patio, Lawn & Garden Thoughts on this brush? If I do the work, I'll buy good tools to get the job done right.

A painter I had do some work liked Sherwin Williams Duration. It's fairly pricey but covers very well in one coat.

It's definitely cheaper doing it yourself since the cost is mostly labor, more in prep than painting and not the materials.
I'm sure the brush will work, seems like a car wash type brush that you attach your water hose through the handle. I prefer not to use extension poles since it lessens the force you can apply while scrubbing. The cleaners I use is what I already have in the house, Mr. Clean, Spic N Span, etc and then rinse off with water. Also visited Sherwin Williams on Sat. and the sales people recommended using 2 coats applying Duration even though the description claims 1 coat coverage. I've never gotten full 1 coat coverage using Pratt & Lambert or Benjamin Moore paint either, I've never used Sherwin Williams paint before, but contractors seem to shop there since they get discounts based on volume purchases.

 

[Lsbcal]

It's definitely cheaper doing it yourself since the cost is mostly labor, more in prep than painting and not the materials.
I'm sure the brush will work, seems like a car wash type brush that you attach your water hose through the handle. I prefer not to use extension poles since it lessens the force you can apply while scrubbing. ...

Hi Dimsumkid, I've done some scrubbing with just a standard brush before too. It's just a pain to get up and down a ladder. When I've applied Duration with 1 coat, it was over the same color.

 

[rescueme]

I've had some housepainting done (although I need little). The only thing I've found over the years is quality trumps quantity.

You can go cheap - and pay less, or you can pay a bit more and get a job done that will last much longer (and be cheaper in the long run).

It's up to you and your "standards", and what you wish to pay...

 

[Dimsumkid]

Hi Dimsumkid, I've done some scrubbing with just a standard brush before too. It's just a pain to get up and down a ladder. When I've applied Duration with 1 coat, it was over the same color.

I can't disagree there, it sure is a pain going up/down a ladder. I'm currently working on my house and it's a 2 story. I really hate pulling out the 25-30ft ladder to reach the 2nd story fascia/soffit, but I figure I can't paint it with an extension pole and do a good job, so I use the same methodology when cleaning too. A neighbor has a painter doing their place and he doesn't seem to use extensions to clean either. I see him up the ladder all day long, hand scraping practically every inch of the place. He's been working on the exterior for over 6-7 weeks.

If you're repainting the same color, it's probably fine using 1 coat, probably won't make a difference what brand either. You can only tell 1 coat coverage when changing the color. I'm using Behr (1st time) and it's taken a primer coat, and up to 3 coats to fully cover (even using 4 coats going to deep red on bare metal). I mentioned before, it's supposedly one of the better rated by Cons. Reports, but the hide coverage stinks and they didn't state that part at all. And I'm not doing a drastic color change either, going from off white/grey tint to plain white.

 

[Lsbcal]

Dimsumkid, I guess this depends a little on the situation for paint prep. I'm just painting the areas that really need it. The south (sunny) side is showing some oxidation so I need to do that in September. It's really not dirty so I figure a modest pressure to clean would be OK. That brush from Amazon would make the job a bit easier. But as you point out I'll stiff have to get the ladder out for the painting.

The north facing walls are fine but have some mildew (or perhaps soot) showing. That brush with extensions might work with a 1:5 solution of bleach. Or it might require more scrubbing in which case the ladder will be needed.

So I'm thinking that Amazon extension brush might be useful for painters with modest cleaning requirements. Just guessing on this though.

P.S. For me it's more fun to discuss the painting job then to actually do the work .

 

[martyp]

I got my house fully painted in April of this year. It was one of those major house maintenance things we wanted to do as soon as I retired just to get it out of the way. We have a small stucco house; 1 story; wooden windows. It cost $4200. This was less than we expected. The economy is keeping prices low, especially in the building sector. This is a good time to contract this kind of work.

We used the same contractor that painted the house 28yrs ago when we first bought it. He has since painted our wooden garage and, 15 yrs ago, painted the half of the house that gets the most sun exposure. It helps if you have a contractor you like and trust.

We also replace the roof. Also same original contractor. Also cost less than expected.

 

[Dimsumkid]

I'd much rather write on this forum than do the actual work too, but it's much easier on the pocket book, knowing I have the physical ability to do the work myself. The prior owners pretty much let things get in disrepair, so I feel I need to do things right. You may want to look into a primer with mold/mildew inhibitors added in like Zinsser Perma-White.

 

[Lsbcal]

I'd much rather write on this forum than do the actual work too, but it's much easier on the pocket book, knowing I have the physical ability to do the work myself. The prior owners pretty much let things get in disrepair, so I feel I need to do things right. You may want to look into a primer with mold/mildew inhibitors added in like Zinsser Perma-White.

Right, doing the work yourself can save $'s and is a source of satisfaction too -- after all the work is done, in my case . Also you know the job is done well. Also I can add "painter" to my ER resume along with gardener, maintenance man, financier, etc.

 

[Nords]

Another nice aspect of painting your own house is that you get to do as much of it or as little as you want.

In our community, the homeowner's association requires a painting permit each & every time you paint the house. This involves submitting a form, using their color palette, and then posting their permit prominently on your property while the work is in progress (but for no longer than 30 days!).

Lo & behold, it's a mystery why nobody in this neighborhood paints their houses. I'm sure the HOA is considering hiring a forensic accountant to compare their paint-permit files to their street addresses so that they can send "paint letters" to the miscreants.

We think we've found the solution to this bureaucratic conundrum. We no longer paint the whole house at once. We "touch up" using the paint colors that have been previously approved (over a decade ago). Spouse paints the garage door one month, and then doesn't do it again for years. She'll paint a portion of an exterior wall another month, and then won't get back to it for years. And so on. Each paint session lasts 1-2 hours on a cooler day in an area that's in the shade at that time of day, preferably with a tradewind and a cool beverage. We'll continue this "touch-up" process until the HOA sends their paint police.

Right, doing the work yourself can save $'s and is a source of satisfaction too -- after all the work is done, in my case . Also you know the job is done well. Also I can add "painter" to my ER resume along with gardener, maintenance man, financier, etc.

OK, the curiosity is killing me-- did you paint the house with oils? Acrylics? ... or with watercolors?

And when you're done painting the house do you take a photo of the house, or do you paint a picture of it?

 

[Lsbcal]

...(snip)....
OK, the curiosity is killing me-- did you paint the house with oils? Acrylics? ... or with watercolors?

And when you're done painting the house do you take a photo of the house, or do you paint a picture of it?

That's a good one Nords. My wife uses mostly acrylics in the studio and we both use water miscible oils when doing landscape painting. Now for the house, it's straight latex and no fancy stuff -- just one or two colors. I could do an impressionist painting on the front wall but the HOA police would take me out then. We have one of those HOA's too and have a form is on file with the "architectural review committee".

Seriously, I do keep a set of photos on my computer of the house painting. Since siding tends to get it only when it's really necessary, those photos and notes come in handy over the years.