The Cost Of Painting Your House

Protecting Your Investment

Changing the color of interior house paint is not so complicated. You find the color or colors you want to live with, purchase good quality paint, prepare the room or rooms, and off you go. Within a few hours, the job is finished and you are happily enjoying the feel of your "new" space. Things aren't quite that simple when it comes to changing or refreshing the color on the exterior of your house.

A house is not only the largest single investment people usually make, a house represents the lives of those who purchased it. There is a lot of work tied up in maintaining a house and surrounding grounds adequately so it retains its value. Yard work and landscaping, roofing and eaves troughs, and painting are all part of home ownership. Most people want their houses to be a beautiful reflection of themselves and spend a lot of time and money ensuring the picture is a good one.

How Much Is This Going To Cost Me?

Painting the exterior of a house is a very large project and the obvious first question people ask when it comes to painting is - How much is this going to cost? There are several answers to that question. When the job is done properly, using high quality paints on well-prepared surfaces, then the paint can last anywhere from eight to 12 years. However, if the paint is not top notch and the house has not been prepared well ahead of time, the paintjob may last only three or four years before it starts to peel and look shoddy.

Buying The Paint Is Only A Small Portion Of The Cost

When it comes to figuring cost, it's important to remember that the paint costs represent only about 15 to 25 percent of the overall cost, and the cost of labor is between 75 to 85 percent. So give yourself permission to splurge on good quality exterior paint. High quality paint usually runs between $25.00 and $40.00 per gallon, and even though you may end up paying more for paint, you may not have to redo the job for eight years or more. It's a worthwhile investment.

According to the experts, the rule of thumb concerning paint coverage per gallon of exterior paint is about 400 square feet. That means a 3000 square foot house will use just over 15 gallons of paint. Then, you have to add in the trim, which will account for an additional eight gallons. If you figure low at $25.00 per gallon, then your paint outlay will be around $600.00. Acrylic latex paint is a good choice to cover siding because it covers well, allows the surface underneath to breathe, and keeps water out. Check in with your friends or neighbors who have recently painted their homes to get their experiences and findings. Sometimes they can share invaluable information.

Get A Few Estimates Before You Commit

It is a good idea to get a few estimates for painting costs before you head off to the paint store. There are some good online sources where you can get estimates for the entire job. Just input the information about the size of your home, the number of windows, doors, etc. and they will come back to you with an estimate for exterior painting costs. You might check out CertaPro.com/painting-exterior-estimator to see what the cost would be of having a house painted. Behr can provide an estimate of how many gallons of paint would be needed to paint your house - you supply the dimensions and they do the rest.