Exterior painting cost by house size
Estimates from this page's default prices for wood lap siding, two coats, trim included and light prep. Change the defaults above to match quotes or paint prices near you.
| House | 1 story | 2 stories |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $4,400–$6,650 | — |
| 1,500 sq ft | $5,450–$8,150 | $8,500–$12,700 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $6,400–$9,600 | $9,800–$14,650 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $7,200–$10,800 | $10,900–$16,400 |
A 2-story house costs more: it has more wall for the same floor area, and work off tall ladders or a lift is slower.
Turning house size into wall area
Painters price by the wall area and the trim, not floor area. If you don't know your wall area, we estimate it: the footprint is floor area ÷ stories, treated as a rectangle 1.5 times as long as wide, with walls 9 ft tall per story and two gable ends at 6/12. Then 15% comes off for windows and doors. If you've measured, enter your wall area above and the estimate uses it instead.
How much to paint a 1,500 sq ft house exterior
A 1,500 sq ft 1-story house has about 1,422 sq ft of wall to paint in this model. Two coats take about 9.5 gallons. With these defaults the job comes to about $5,450–$8,150, or about $4.78 per sq ft of wall to paint. Paint and supplies come to about $705 of that. As 2 stories, the same floor area comes to about $8,500–$12,700.
How much to paint a 2,000 sq ft house exterior
A 2,000 sq ft 1-story house has about 1,680 sq ft of wall here and takes about 11.2 gallons for two coats. It comes to about $6,400–$9,600. As 2 stories it has about 2,117 sq ft of wall, takes about 14.1 gallons, and comes to about $9,800–$14,650.
Siding type, prep and coats
Rough and textured surfaces take more paint and more time. On the 1,500 sq ft example, vinyl, aluminum or fiber cement comes to about $5,100–$7,650, stucco about $6,150–$9,250, brick about $6,450–$9,650, and cedar shingles about $6,700–$10,050.
Prep often matters more than paint. Heavy scraping, sanding and spot-priming bring the same house to about $8,000–$12,000. One coat instead of two comes to about $3,300–$4,950, and painting walls only, without trim, about $3,650–$5,450.
What changes the price
- Wall area and stories: more wall and taller walls mean more paint and slower work.
- Condition: peeling paint needs scraping, sanding and priming before any color goes on.
- Trim: fascia, corners and window casings are slow brush work. Here they take about as long as the walls.
- Siding: rough wood, stucco and brick soak up more paint than smooth siding.
- Color change: a big change in color may need an extra coat.
- Lead paint: homes built before 1978 may have lead paint, which needs lead-safe work practices from a certified firm.
How this estimate works
Gallons are wall area × coats ÷ coverage, at 300 sq ft per gallon for wood lap (350 for smooth siding, 200–225 for stucco, brick and shingles), bought in 5-gallon buckets at $250 or single gallons at $55, as in our paint calculator. Trim is estimated at 2.5 ft per foot of house perimeter per story, 4 in wide, with trim paint at $55 a gallon. Heavy prep primes 30% of the wall at $35 a gallon. Supplies are $150.
Contractor markup on materials is 20%. Labor is charged at $110 an hour, a billed rate that includes the painter's overhead and profit, not a crew wage. It covers prep (0.75 hours per 100 sq ft light, 2.5 heavy), painting at 120 sq ft per hour per coat on wood lap, and trim at 40 ft per hour per coat, times 1.2 for 2 stories or 1.35 for 3. The range is the result minus 20% to plus 20%. Change any of these above.
Homewyse puts painting a house exterior at $2.20–$4.37 per sq ft of surface (Homewyse, May 2026), measured including windows and doors, with two coats and light prep, and trim priced extra. On the same basis, this estimate's 1,500 sq ft 1-story house with walls only comes to about $2.73 per sq ft, or $4.06 with trim included.
Getting quotes
Ask each painter what prep is included, how many coats, which paint line, whether trim, doors and shutters are included, and how they'll protect plants and windows. If a quote is far below this estimate, ask what's left out.
Questions
How much does it cost to paint a 1,500 sq ft house exterior?
With this page's defaults, about $5,450–$8,150 for a 1-story house with wood lap siding, two coats, trim and light prep. As 2 stories, about $8,500–$12,700.
How much does it cost to paint a 2,000 sq ft house exterior?
About $6,400–$9,600 for 1 story and $9,800–$14,650 for 2 stories with these defaults.
How much paint do I need for a house exterior?
About 9.5 gallons for two coats on a 1,500 sq ft 1-story house with wood siding, in this model. Rough siding takes more. Our paint calculator works it out wall by wall.
Is it cheaper to paint a house yourself?
Paint and supplies are a small part of the cost. On the 1,500 sq ft example they come to about $705, against $5,450–$8,150 hired. The rest is prep and painting time, plus ladders or a lift for upper walls.