How much to charge to paint a house
What actually sets the price of a house-painting job — and how to quote it so you win the work and keep your margin.
What drives the price
The number comes from surface area, prep, number of coats, interior vs exterior, height/access, and your local labor rates. Two houses of the same size can price very differently once prep and access are factored in.
Use square-foot pricing, not a flat guess
Pros price the painted surface by the square foot and add prep, then sanity-check against labor hours. Ranges vary a lot by region, so a calculator that uses your own rates beats a number off the internet.
Interior vs exterior
Interiors are driven by cut-in, trim and prep; exteriors add setup, surface repair, weather and height. Price them separately rather than with one blended rate.
Protect your margin
Whatever you charge, make sure overhead (truck, insurance, software) and a profit margin are built in — not just paint and hours. That's the difference between busy and profitable.
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- How much does it cost to paint a house?
- It depends on surface area, prep, coats, interior vs exterior and local rates, so there's no single number. Square-foot pricing of the painted surface plus prep is the reliable method.
- How do painters quote a whole house?
- They measure surfaces, apply production rates for labor, add paint, prep, overhead and margin. A calculator or app keeps it consistent from job to job.