How Much Does it Cost to Paint the Exterior of Your Home

Whether you're tired of the color of your home or looking to increase your curb appeal, painting the exterior of your home is one of your best options. Here you will find a complete cost guide to help you estimate the cost of painting the outside of your home. If you would like to get free quotes from licensed, bonded, and insured contractors, click here! There is never pressure to hire a contractor when asking for a quote with Great Pros. Compare prices and profiles and pick the right professional for your home project. If you're looking for a guide on painting the interior of your home, click here!

If you're looking to give the exterior of your home a facelift but don't want to paint the whole house, check out this easy and cheap DIY tutorial for staining your garage door!

Lead Paint Testing

By order of the EPA, lead paint testing is mandatory before painting the exterior of your home, especially if it was built before 1978. To test for lead, you can purchase a kit from your local home improvement store for under $40.00. Follow the directions on the kit to see if you have to remove it. If you want to hire a professional to do the test for you, you can contact a local professional, or click the link here to get free quotes to see how much it would cost you.

Average Cost

The average cost to have the outside of your home painted by professionals is based upon the square footage of your home. Most homes are between 500 and 1500 square feet, which averages to about $1,200 - $3,500. Other things to consider are number of stories, sliding material, and difficulty. In 2017, homeowners reported their average to be $2,600. Below you can find a chart for national averages for cost to paint the outside of your home:

Size of Home	Estimated Square Footage	Cost Average
One Story	500-1,500	$1,200-$3,500
Two Story	1,500 - 3,000	$3,500-$5,000
Three Story	3,000-6,000	$5,000-$6,500+

For more information on averages for your home, you can contact a painter here.

Cost Break Down

From the paint to the materials, below you will find all the factors that go into painting the average home.

Cost of Paint

The higher quality paint that you buy, the better. Not only do higher quality pains look better, they last longer, which saves you money when it comes to time to re-touch. Furthermore, higher quality paint usually needs less coats which means less labor.

High quality paint covers roughly 350 square feet with two coats
The average house is roughly 2500 square feet
The formula to find how many gallons of paint it will take to paint the exterior of a home is:
- 2500 / 350 = 7.2 x 2 = 15 gallons of paint.
- (House in square feet / Paint Coverage, then multiply it by two to ensure you cover your home evenly)
After calculating an estimate of how many gallons of paint you will need, you can check out paint prices at your local hardware store. Lower quality paint averages at about $25 and higher quality paint averages at about $60. Multiply the number of gallons by the price of the paint of your choice to calculate how much paint will cost.
It is safe to add one or two more gallons to allow for any areas that a harder to paint, or areas that need multiple coats

Cost of Paint Supplies

In terms of painting the exterior of the home, you will need to purchase a number of materials. It should not cost more than $200 - $300, but if you want to buy professional tools the price may change. Here is a small list of things you may need:

Paint Brushes
Paint Rollers
Paint Roller Extensions
Buckets
Pans for Paint
Ladder
Sandpaper
Drop Cloths
Caulking
Painter's Tape
Scrapers
Power washer (for prepping the walls)

Cost to Paint Different Types of Sliding

No exterior walls were made equal, and thus different materials are more difficult to paint. Some material require special paint, or specific tools. You will have to research what kind of siding you have and see what would be in the best interest of your home. Below you will find some of the different types of siding and how much it would cost to paint them.

Cost to Paint Stucco Siding

Stucco is one of the more expensive sidings to paint, and requires a difficult preparation beforehand. Furthermore, it requires specialized tools to paint over it, and is dependent upon climate and location. You can expect to pay roughly $2 per square foot of your house. If your house is 2500 square feet, then you will pay around $5,000.

Cost to Paint Concrete Siding

Concrete walls have to be prepared before you are able to paint it. It is possible that you may have to remove a previous finish before beginning to paint. Concrete walls require special sealant or primer to prevent peeling, especially if you live in an area exposed to the sun more often. You can expect to pay $1.75 per square foot of your home. If a home is 2500 square feet, the cost to paint the exterior of a house will be $4,400.

Cost to Paint Wood Siding

If your siding is made of wood, you have option to stain it! Which, can be a lot cheaper. However, wood falls victim to the elements faster than other materials, so you may have a bit of replacing to do before painting. On average people spend $2 per square foot painting wood siding. If a home is 2500 square feet, you will likely pay around $5,000.

Cost to Paint Metal Sliding

Metal sliding is easy to clean and easy to paint. If your siding is heavily damaged or rusted, you may need to replace it. You can expect to pay $1.50 per square foot painting metal sliding. If a home is 2500 square feet, the cost to paint the exterior of a house will be $3,750.

Cost to Paint Exterior Features

To ensure that the exterior paint of your home matches exterior features, you may have to paint them, You can ask professional painters if they include exterior features in their quotes. If you choose to paint these yourself, your price will decrease.

Shutters: $150 - $500
Porches: $500 - $2,000
Doors: $70 - $150
Fascia: $500 - $1,000
Gutters: $150 - $700

How Great Pros Can Help

Need help on your project? If you would like to get free quotes from licensed, bonded, and insured contractors, click here! There is never pressure to hire a contractor when asking for a quote with Great Pros. Compare prices and profiles and pick the right professional for your home project. If you're looking for a guide on painting the interior of your home, click here!

If you're looking to give the exterior of your home a facelift but don't want to paint the whole house, check out this easy and cheap DIY tutorial for staining your garage door!