Expect to pay $2 to $6 per square foot of wall area for a full exterior repaint, or $3,500 to $12,000 for an average two-story home. Prep, siding type, and story count drive that price far more than the paint itself. A correctly prepped job lasts 8 to 12 years, making prep the cheapest decision you'll make.
What actually drives the price
Labor is 70% to 85% of an exterior paint job, which is why two quotes on the same house can differ by thousands. A painter who plans to pressure wash, scrape, sand, prime, and caulk every seam will charge more than one who sprays over the dirt, and only one job lasts a decade. For a 2,000 sq ft two-story home with about 1,800 sq ft of paintable wall, expect $4,500 to $9,000 with proper prep.
Height is the quiet multiplier. A second or third story means staging, ladders, and slower work, and crews price that risk in, often adding 20% to 30% versus a single accessible story. Trees, fences, and tight lot lines that block ladder placement push the number up further.
Existing paint condition is the other line nobody quotes accurately until they see it up close. Sound, lightly chalked paint just needs a wash and two coats; widespread peeling and alligatoring needs hours of scraping and spot-priming that can add $1,500 on its own. Paint cannot bond to a surface that's already letting go, so treat any bid that ignores heavy prep as a fantasy.
Geography matters too. Labor rates in a major metro can run double those in a rural county, so a $5,000 job in one market lands at $9,000 in another. Crews book solid from late spring through early fall, so booking in the shoulder season can shave 10% to 15% off the price.
Siding material swings the number hard. Smooth fiber-cement and lap siding take paint fast, while stucco, brick, and rough cedar drink it and need more coats. If you're still choosing a color, our house exterior color ideas can help you pick a scheme that hides minor flaws and protects resale value. A dark color on a sun-baked southern wall also fades faster, so climate and orientation belong in the decision.
What does a typical repaint cost, line by line?
Here's where the money goes on a typical $6,500 repaint of a two-story home, so you can sanity-check any quote:
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Pressure washing and surface cleaning | $250–$500 |
| Scraping, sanding, priming bare/peeling areas | $600–$1,500 |
| Caulking gaps and seams | $200–$400 |
| Paint and primer (12–18 gallons) | $400–$900 |
| Labor for two coats on body, trim, doors | $3,000–$5,500 |
Trim and accents are billed separately because they're slow, detailed work, often adding 20% to 30% to the body price. Cutting straight lines where trim meets siding and brushing around 20 windows takes a fraction of the square footage but a large share of the hours. A quote that lumps trim into the body price without mentioning it is one to question.
The front door is the cheapest high-impact piece of the job. Our front door color ideas cover combinations that read intentional from the curb. For under $60 in paint and an afternoon, a saturated door color does more for curb appeal per dollar than almost anything else on the list.
What mistakes push the price higher?
The most expensive mistake is accepting the lowest bid without reading the prep scope. A $3,200 quote that skips washing and priming will peel within three years, meaning you pay the full price again. Make every bidder list prep steps as line items so you're comparing the same work, not just the same address.
The second mistake is painting over a moisture or rot problem. Fresh paint seals damp wood and accelerates decay underneath, so soft trim or bubbling needs repair first. Probe suspect spots with a screwdriver before the crew arrives; finding rot mid-project means a change order and a delay you didn't budget for.
Finally, don't paint in the wrong conditions. Most acrylics need surface temperatures between 50 and 85 degrees and a dry forecast for 24 hours; paint that gets rained on before it cures can streak or blister. The whole-facade redesign approach is worth reviewing too, since planning body, trim, and door as one palette makes the finished house read as one design instead of three.
Preview your exterior color in Re-Design
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to paint a house exterior?
Most homeowners pay $2 to $6 per square foot of wall area, or roughly $3,500 to $12,000 for an average two-story home. The range comes from siding type, story count, and how much prep the surfaces need. A single-story home in good shape lands near the bottom.
How long does an exterior paint job last?
A properly prepped job with quality 100% acrylic paint lasts 8 to 12 years on most siding. Stucco and brick can hold paint even longer, while sun-blasted south walls fade first. Skipping prep cuts that lifespan to as little as 3 years.
Is it cheaper to spray or brush exterior paint?
Spraying is faster and cheaper on labor, but back-brushing the sprayed coat is what works paint into the surface for durability. The best crews spray and back-brush, which costs a little more but doubles adhesion. A spray-only job that skips that step often fails early.
Why do quotes for the same house vary so much?
Labor makes up 70% to 85% of the cost, and prep scope is where quotes diverge most. A painter planning to wash, scrape, prime, and caulk will always quote higher than one planning to spray over existing dirt and peeling paint, even on the identical house.
