Labor is 70 to 85 percent of a paint job, which is why two quotes on the same house can differ by thousands of dollars with exactly the same paint going on exactly the same wall. Exterior work runs $1.50 to $5.00 a square foot, or $3,000 to $10,000 on a two thousand square foot house. And if the house was built before 1978, the firm has to be EPA lead-certified before anyone opens a can.
| Service | Typical |
|---|---|
| Exterior house paintingNational range | $2 to $5 per square foot |
| Interior house paintingNational range | $1 to $3 per square foot of surface area |
Ranges last checked September 2026. They come down automatically when they are due to be rechecked.
Every figure above comes from a named source we can link to, with the date we last checked it. We publish ranges rather than single prices because a range is what a provider will actually give you: the same job moves with what is being worked on, the materials, how hard it is to get at and how busy the trade is locally. Treat these as the order of magnitude to expect before you call, not as a quote.
The figures here are national. Where a source publishes figures state by state, the state pages carry that local figure instead of this one. We do not scale a national number by a multiplier of our own invention.
Every range carries a review date. When that date passes the number comes down until it is rechecked, rather than sitting here undated.
Between 70 and 85 percent of what you pay is labor. Paint is the visible part and the small part, which is why an argument about which brand goes on the wall is rarely the argument worth having. Prep time is.
The second thing to understand is what a standard interior quote actually covers. Typically: covering floors and furniture, taping, minor surface preparation, and painting the walls. That is walls. Ceilings, trim, baseboards, doors and crown molding are add-ons on most quotes, and a quote that comes in low is often low because it is quoting less of the room.
There is no national standard requiring two coats. Coverage calculations generally assume primer and two coats, but whether that is what you are buying varies by quote, and it is a question with a one-word answer that belongs in writing.
The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to work disturbing paint in houses, apartments and child-occupied facilities such as schools and child care centers built before 1978. In general, anyone paid to perform such work must be certified, and a firm cannot advertise or perform covered renovation activities without firm certification.
The minor repair exemption is narrow: six square feet or less of paint per room inside, or twenty square feet or less outside. And there is a carve-out inside the carve-out. Window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces are always covered, whatever the area.
A painting firm working on an older house should be able to give you a certification number without hesitating. It is a legal requirement rather than a credential they chose to collect.
Get the scope written as a list of surfaces rather than as a room. Walls, ceilings, trim, doors, baseboards, closets: each one either is or is not in the price.
Ask how many coats, and ask whether primer is separate. Then ask what happens if one coat covers and what happens if three are needed.
On a pre-1978 house, ask for the EPA firm certification number before you ask about color.
Ask what happens if rot or damaged substrate turns up during prep. On exterior work that is the most common change order and the one that stops the job.
If the contract was signed at your kitchen table, you have three business days under the FTC Cooling-Off Rule on a sale of twenty-five dollars or more at your residence. Painting is sold that way more often than not.
About $1.50 to $5.00 a square foot, or $3,000 to $10,000 on a two thousand square foot home. Vinyl siding runs $1.50 to $4.50 a square foot and brick $2.50 to $5.00.
About $1 to $3 per square foot of surface area, or $3 to $7 per square foot of floor space, which works out at $6,000 to $8,000 for a two thousand square foot house.
Because 70 to 85 percent of the cost is labor, not paint. Most of the difference is prep time and how much of the room is actually in the price.
Usually not. A typical interior quote covers covering floors and furniture, taping, minor preparation and painting the walls. Ceilings, trim, baseboards, doors and crown molding are add-ons.
There is no national standard. Coverage calculations generally assume primer and two coats, but whether that is what you are buying varies by quote, so put the number in the contract.
If the building was built before 1978, yes. The EPA rule requires certification for anyone paid to disturb paint there, and a firm may not advertise or perform covered work without firm certification.
Only just. The minor repair exemption covers six square feet or less of paint per room inside, or twenty square feet outside. Window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces are always covered whatever the area.
Yes, within three business days under the FTC Cooling-Off Rule, on a sale of $25 or more made at your residence.