What’s a Fair Price for Exterior Painting?

Natural weathering causes your home’s paint to fade and crack. Besides detracting from your home’s curb appeal, worn paint can also damage your siding.

Most high-quality paint lasts between seven and 10 years. But, if you have leaking gutters or other moisture-related problems, there’s a good chance your home will need a new coat of paint sooner than you expected.

Understanding the Cost Factors

Painting your entire house is a big job. For that reason, most homeowners contract the job out to a pro. If that’s the direction you’re headed, it’s helpful to have a good understanding of the factors that will determine how much your project will cost.

Size and Layout

Most painters charge by the square foot. But, your home’s layout also plays a significant role in the size and difficulty of the job. Painting a two-story Victorian is a lot more time-consuming than painting a one-story Prairie home.

Exterior Condition

If you’ve painted the inside of your home, you know that the prep work is often the most time-consuming part of painting. Have your painter thoroughly clean and prep the surface of your home before painting. Given the importance of prepping, it usually takes multiple days to properly clean and prep a home. If your home’s paint is 35 years old or older, there’s a chance it’s lead based. Have a pro determine if your paint is safe. If your paint is lead based, expect additional removal costs.

Paint Quality

It might be tempting to try to save money with a lower-quality paint or stain, but second-tier products will result in repainting your home much sooner than you anticipated. Talk to your painter about choosing the options that deliver the look and durability you need at an affordable price.

DIY or Hire a Pro?

Painting your home is a project that you can tackle on your own. If you have the time, patience and desire to spend a few days (or weekends) cleaning, prepping and painting, then there’s no reason you can’t do it yourself. But a pro will knock your project out much quicker and with better results than a DIY job.