Exterior
Exterior painting cost
Painting the exterior of a 2,000 square foot home costs roughly $1,700 to $2,500 in labour and materials at the national average painter wage. Exterior work covers less area per hour than interior work because of prep, access and cutting in, so it costs more per square foot of surface.
By home size
| Home size | Surface sq ft | Labour | Materials | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,500 | $673 | $375 | $850 to $1,250 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 2,250 | $1,009 | $563 | $1,250 to $1,900 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 3,000 | $1,345 | $750 | $1,700 to $2,500 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 3,750 | $1,682 | $938 | $2,100 to $3,150 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 4,500 | $2,018 | $1,125 | $2,500 to $3,750 |
| 4,000 sq ft | 6,000 | $2,691 | $1,500 | $3,350 to $5,050 |
At the national mean wage of $24.46/hr. Change job type or home size in the calculator.
Why exterior costs more per square foot
The area is smaller than an interior but the hours are not proportionally lower. Three things eat the time.
Prep. Outside surfaces weather. Scraping failed paint, sanding, spot priming bare wood and caulking joints is genuine labour before a brush touches the finish coat, and skipping it is the main reason a cheap exterior job fails in two years.
Access. Ladders and staging are slow. Every move is a few minutes with no paint going on the wall, and a second storey roughly doubles the access overhead of a single storey of the same area.
Cutting in. Windows, doors, soffits, fascia and corner boards are all hand work. A house with a lot of trim detail takes far longer than its square footage implies.
Siding makes a real difference
Smooth lap siding and fiber cement are the fastest surfaces and sit at the bottom of the range.
Stucco and masonry soak up considerably more paint per square foot, which raises the materials line, though the labour is reasonable on flat elevations.
Rough sawn wood, shingles and shakes are the slowest and thirstiest surfaces. Expect the top of the range or above.
Aluminium and vinyl need thorough cleaning and the right primer, and the paint choice matters more than the labour.
Exterior cost by metro
| Metro | Mean wage | Labour | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $29.71 | $1,634 | $1,900 to $2,850 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $33.62 | $1,849 | $2,100 to $3,100 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $24.33 | $1,338 | $1,650 to $2,500 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $34.00 | $1,870 | $2,100 to $3,150 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $33.91 | $1,865 | $2,100 to $3,150 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $30.00 | $1,650 | $1,900 to $2,900 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $22.63 | $1,245 | $1,600 to $2,400 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $22.47 | $1,236 | $1,600 to $2,400 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | $26.73 | $1,470 | $1,800 to $2,650 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $28.76 | $1,582 | $1,850 to $2,800 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | $25.98 | $1,429 | $1,750 to $2,600 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $27.35 | $1,504 | $1,800 to $2,700 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | $27.08 | $1,489 | $1,800 to $2,700 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $27.79 | $1,528 | $1,800 to $2,750 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton | $31.21 | $1,717 | $1,950 to $2,950 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $23.16 | $1,274 | $1,600 to $2,450 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas | $29.38 | $1,616 | $1,900 to $2,850 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $22.11 | $1,216 | $1,550 to $2,350 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $29.01 | $1,596 | $1,900 to $2,800 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $30.24 | $1,663 | $1,950 to $2,900 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $33.30 | $1,832 | $2,050 to $3,100 |
| St. Louis | $30.15 | $1,658 | $1,950 to $2,900 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $28.48 | $1,566 | $1,850 to $2,800 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $22.59 | $1,242 | $1,600 to $2,400 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $28.70 | $1,579 | $1,850 to $2,800 |
Ranked by how many painters work in each metro. Metros with their own page are linked.
Related: whole house painting cost, interior painting cost, doing both together, and the method behind these figures.
Common questions
How much does it cost to paint the outside of a house?
Roughly $1,700 to $2,500 for a 2,000 square foot home in labour and materials at the national average painter wage, with your metro moving the figure substantially.
Why is exterior painting more expensive per square foot than interior?
Prep, access and cutting in. A crew covers less area per hour outside, and exterior grade paint costs more per gallon.
How often should a house be repainted outside?
Commonly seven to ten years for wood in a temperate climate, less in harsh sun or coastal salt, longer for fiber cement. Quality of the original prep matters more than the paint brand.
Does stucco cost more to paint?
On materials, yes, because texture absorbs significantly more paint per square foot. Labour on flat stucco elevations is usually reasonable.
What this page does not tell you
- Assumes sound siding needing normal prep, not rot replacement or full stripping.
- Excludes scaffolding, which becomes necessary on some three storey and steep sited homes.
- Excludes lead-safe work, which is a legal requirement on many pre-1978 homes.
- Surface multiplier is an average. Complex rooflines and heavy trim push it up.