House Painting Cost – How to Estimate the Price

The cost of exterior house painting can vary greatly between different projects. In Väriset’s pricing, five different factors significantly affect the total cost, so there can be a price difference even between two roughly similar-sized and similarly aged houses. A rough price range for painting a detached house is €5,000–€12,000.

1. Square Meters to Be Painted

The painting cost is most affected by the surface area to be painted: the larger the house, the more there is to paint. When estimating the surface area, we’re talking specifically about the wall surface area to be painted, including eaves and any other parts to be painted, such as railings and fences. The painting cost or price per square meter cannot be calculated based on living space square meters.

2. Amount of Preparation Work

The condition of the surfaces to be painted significantly affects the painting project cost. The surface condition determines what kind of preparation work needs to be done on the surfaces before painting. If the old paint surface is still intact and there’s no mold or other stubborn dirt on the surfaces, dry brushing is sufficient for preparation. However, if the old paint surface is poorly adhered to the substrate and is flaking, all poorly adhered paint must be removed by scraping before starting the painting work. The price per square meter for house painting is therefore highly dependent on the condition of the old paint surface. Mold and stubborn dirt, in turn, require washing with water using a suitable cleaning agent.

The more preparation work required, the more time is spent preparing the surfaces, which is also reflected in the painting project cost. You can read more about house painting preparation work in our articles Washing Exterior Walls Before Maintenance Painting and Removing Old Paint from Exterior Walls Before Maintenance Painting.

3. Working Environment and House Details

The third factor affecting the total house painting cost is the house’s special features. Special features refer to, among other things, the plot where the house is located and the details found on the house’s facade. How easily you can work around the house and how much masking and protection work needs to be done affects the amount of work and the smoothness of the project.

All houses can be painted, but more challenging working conditions do have their own price impact

The easiest working conditions are on level ground, where you can work from scaffolding throughout. If the house has exceptionally high areas or is located on a slope so that scaffolding cannot be utilized, a lift is used. Sometimes there are situations where assembling aluminum scaffolding is impossible and the plot cannot be accessed with a lift either. In such cases, temporary painting scaffolding can be built to match the shapes of the house and plot. All houses can certainly be painted regardless of the plot, environment, or other special features, but more challenging working conditions do have their own price impact.

4. One or Two Coats of Paint

The number of paint coats—whether the house is painted once or twice—also significantly affects the house painting cost. If it’s maintenance painting, one coat of paint is usually sufficient. However, if it’s the first painting of a new house or you want to change the house’s color, the painting must be done twice to achieve sufficient coverage and protection. The majority of the painting project cost comes from labor, so painting twice also increases the painting project cost.

5. Selected Paint

The paint selected for house painting also affects the painting project cost to some extent. The biggest impact is whether you paint with water-based paint or oil paint. Oil paints and especially traditional oil paints are slightly more labor-intensive to paint with than water-based paints, which is reflected in a slightly higher project price. There can also be some differences in the purchase prices of paints, but the differences usually remain quite small and often don’t have a major impact when looking at the total cost. Read more about choosing exterior paint in our article.

How Much Does House Painting Cost?

The house painting cost is the sum of several factors. A rough price range for painting the exterior cladding of a normal-sized detached house is €5,000–€12,000. At Väriset, we visit the site to assess the painting needs and calculate an accurate quote for the painting project.

Our pricing is based directly on the factors mentioned above, so our project prices are always clearly justifiable. We always calculate a total price for the work, which includes all project-related costs—work and materials including VAT. The agreed price is not affected by, for example, weather-related delays, and our work naturally comes with a warranty.

If you’re wondering about house painting or would like a quote from us for a painting project, request a site visit. We’re happy to help. The site visit is free and doesn’t commit you to anything.