Painting your home can make a world of difference to your property’s appearance. Painting costs will vary significantly depending on whether you paint the house yourself or hire painters. Painting may seem like a simple job. But it’s easy to forget about all of the preparation needed to achieve a high quality paint job.
Here’s a quick estimate of painting costs for interior and exterior work:
| Interior | $20 - $30 per square metre |
| Exterior (brick) | $15 - $45 per square metre |
| Exterior (timber) | $12 - $60 per square metre |
You could expect to pay around $4,000 to hire a painter to paint a small apartment, and up to $20,000 to paint a large, four bedroom home.
Internal house painting costs
To paint the interior of a house on a budget, you can use a single colour with minimal preparation and trim work. But it’s recommended that you apply an undercoat layer and two finishing coats.
As mentioned in the table, you can expect to pay somewhere between $20 and $30 per square metre for standard interior painting costs. To achieve textured finishes, for example a sponged effect, you might expect to pay $30 to $40 per square metre.
Exterior house painting costs
As mentioned in the table above, exterior painting costs can be anywhere between $15 and $60 per square metre. The reasons there can be such a large variance in painting costs between houses is because of:
- The size of your house
- The materials your house is made from
- The level of detailing required (e.g. painting lace on a Victorian style home will be more technical and take longer)
- Some walls need pressure cleaning or detailing before painting can be carried out
- Two storey houses may require additional equipment such as scaffolding
- Access problems can make the process more time consuming
DIY painting costs
If you’d like to paint your house yourself, you’ll need to obtain the following:
- Paint
- Paint brushes and rollers
- A roller tray
- A ladder
- Primer
- A stirrer (usually comes free with paint but double check)
- A tape measure
- Pouring spout
- Painter’s tape (to protect trim)
- Hole filler
- Cloths to protect the floor
- A toolset
- A sponge
The biggest cost you’ll have when it comes to DIY painting is the cost of your own time. Here’s a breakdown of the time it takes to paint an average sized room:
| Preparation work | 80 minutes |
| Ceilings and trim | 140 minutes |
| Roll out walls | 80 minutes |
| Cleanup & touchup | 30 minutes |
| Total time per room | 5.5 hours |
Where to begin
A good place to start is getting quotes from a few different painters in your area. But remember, it’s important to weigh up their costs with their level of experience. A painter that is a little more expensive may be much more efficient than a cheaper painter. Whereas a cheaper painter could potentially end up more costly in the long run if they don’t undertake professional preparation.
Painting in preparation to sell?
If you’re painting ahead of selling, it could be a good idea to ask a real estate agent for tips. They’ll not only know current buyer trends, but also may have connections with local reputable painters.
Some buyers will buy and renovate anyway, so it’s a good idea not to over-capitalise on painting too. The kitchen and bathroom are two must-have painted rooms. Leaving the rest of the property as a blank canvas may appeal to some buyers. An agent can also help to give you advice on which room you should focus on.
*The costs above were researched at the time of publication. Please use the costs in this article as a guide only.