How Much Does It Cost To Paint your House?

   What are the average costs of painting a home? 

Interior and Exterior paint cost answers from a professional painter in Madison, Wisconsin. All costs include labor and any materials that will be needed to complete the job (paint, prep, plastic, brushes etc.) Each home is unique and requires special attention. Some paint jobs take as little as one day to complete and others as long as three weeks or more. To learn how to paint your own home, use these three invaluable resources.

The following information is based on homes painted in the Madison, Wisconsin area by Eric Welch Painting LLC, and are averages of what home owners paid in 2012. Any questions or comments can be directed to eric@ericwelchpainting.com or in the comment field below.

Short Answer:

Interior paint jobs usually cost between $400 and $5,000.

Exterior paint jobs usually cost between $2,400-$8,700.

Now, to break down the cost of painting a house… Costs are based on the assumption that walls and ceiling are in “pretty good” condition and only need minor hole filling and caulking before painting. No large drywall/plaster patching, texture or sanding needed.

Interior Painting

Before we begin, the two big questions that determine cost are:

1.  How many rooms are getting painted?
2.  What condition are the walls and trim in?

Bedrooms: $275-$575.

Hallways: $150 to $430

Stairwells: $225-$550

Bathrooms: $250-$475

Kitchens: $175-$375

Closets: $100-$360

Extras: In addition to totals above

• Add $150-$265 for wallpaper removal per room.
• Add $65-$240 for lead-safe preparation per room .
• Add $50-100 per window sash or door.
• Add $75-200 for all trim/base/frames per room.
• Add $40-$60 per hour for additional painting or preparation needed by painting contractor.

Exterior Painting

As stated above, the following costs are based on homes painted in the Madison, WI area by Eric Welch Painting LLC. All labor and materials are provided in the cost estimates. This is for informational purposes only, for an accurate quote, please contact a company estimator.

*The typical exterior will need two top coats of a latex paint.

Three house features that will dramatically change the cost of painting your home’s exterior:

1. Size and height: How large is your home? How high are the tallest features of your home?
2. Siding material: What is the the siding made of? What condition is it in?
3. Details: What features does your home have? Is it ornament? How many colors?

Size and height of house

Standard Prices for an exterior repaint  (little prep, one or two top coats)

• One story ranch home: $2,000-$3,300 (800-1,600 sqft.) 
• Two story/ two flat: $3,000-$5,800 (1,500-4,000 sqft.) 
• Three story/ three flat: $5,000-$7,500 (3,600-6,000 sqft.) 

Level of Preparation Needed

All exterior need some kind of preparation, add amount listed to base price above

• Lead-safe preparation is standard for houses with wood siding built before before 1978
• Minor prep: $0-$500 includes power-washing, a couple areas to spot-prime, 1-5 tubes of caulk.
• Average prep: $600-$1,900 includes scraping (lead-safe) for two days, spot-priming multiple areas, 6-10 tubes of caulk.
• Extensive prep: $2,000-$4,500 includes one week or more of scraping, full coat of primer applied to entire exterior, 10-100 tubes of caulk.

Additional Features and Details

Add amounts below to previous totals. 

• Porches: $600-$1,150 per porch, includes floor and all surfaces
• Multi-colors: $500-$1,300, includes three or more colors on body and accents
• Extensive fascia/trim: $550-$950
• Gutters/downspouts: $250-$750
• Foundation: $350-$850
• Window sashes: $50-$100 per sash
• Doors: $75-$125 per door
• Shutters: $175-$350 sprayed

Wow! There it is. An incomplete but detailed analysis of the costs associated with interior and exterior painting in the Madison, Wisconsin area. This list should at least give you an idea of where your home falls in the spectrum. What a home costs varies dramatically from home to home, and each one needs to be estimated (in person) by a trained professional painter. I do my own estimates and can be found on each job site painting and overseeing every aspect of every job.

Thanks for reading!

-Eric