How to Hire a Painter for Your House Exterior: Quotes, Prep and the Right Questions
Exterior house painters prep, prime and paint the outside of your home: the siding, trim, doors, shutters and sometimes the deck and fence. A good painter spends more time on prep than on paint, because washing, scraping, caulking and wood repair are what make an exterior paint job last. The smartest way to hire one is to get a written estimate that spells out the prep, the paint product, the number of coats and the cleanup.
Below: what the work looks like, how your siding changes it, what to ask before you sign and how much paint you need. Contractor Palace matches you with one independent local pro. The pro does the work and you pay the pro directly.
What exterior house painters do on a typical house painting project.
Walk around and estimate. The painter looks at every side of the house, checks for peeling paint, soft wood and old caulk, then measures. You should get a written estimate with the scope of work, the paint and the price.
Cover what is not getting paint. Plants, walkways, windows, light fixtures and the roof edge get drop cloths or plastic. Ask where the ladders will stand and how the team will protect your garden beds.
Wash the house. Dirt, mildew and chalky old paint stop new paint from sticking. The painter washes, then waits for the walls to dry all the way.
Scrape, sand and repair. Loose paint comes off. Rough edges get sanded smooth. Rotten wood gets fixed or replaced, and gaps around windows and trim get fresh caulk. This is the step that separates a paint job that lasts from one that peels.
Prime. Bare wood, repaired spots and stains get primer so the finish coat grips the surface and covers evenly.
Paint. Most painters do the large walls (the "body") first, then trim, doors and accent pieces. Most houses get two coats of finish paint.
Walk through and clean up. Before the final payment, walk the house with the painter. Point out drips, thin spots and misses. Make sure the tape, plastic and paint chips are gone.
Exterior house painting by siding type.
What your walls are made of changes the prep, the product and how long the job takes. Know it before you talk to exterior painters, so you can tell a good plan from a weak one and ask for a high standard of prep.
Wood siding
Wood swells and shrinks with heat and moisture, so it needs a flexible paint, careful scraping and primer on every bare spot. Soft or rotten boards should be repaired before painting.
Vinyl siding
Vinyl can be painted, but color matters. A color much darker than the original can make vinyl soak up heat and warp. Ask the pro for a paint made for vinyl.
Stucco
Stucco is rough and thirsty, so it drinks more paint per wall than smooth siding. Hairline cracks get filled first. Many stucco homes need a breathable masonry paint or a thick elastomeric coating. Ask which one fits your walls and climate.
Brick
Painting brick is close to permanent, because paint is very hard to strip off it later. Brick needs a masonry primer and a paint that lets moisture escape. Think twice before painting brick that is in good shape.
Fiber cement
Fiber cement boards often come primed or painted from the factory and hold paint well. Check the siding maker's painting rules before you pick a product.
Exterior painting services a painting contractor may offer.
Exterior house painters rarely stop at the siding. Common add on services include trim and fascia boards, the front door, shutters, garage doors, porch ceilings, railings and small wood repair. Many also stain decks and fences, which calls for different products and prep.
Plenty of painting services also cover interior painting, from bedrooms to kitchen cabinet painting and drywall repair. Want rooms inside done too? Ask for both on one quote. For the outside job, our exterior painting cost guide shows how painters price a whole house. Weighing inside against outside? See interior vs exterior paint.
The business you hire may be a large company with a full team or a single house painter with a helper. Either can do quality, professional work. What matters is that the contractor tells you who will be at your house each day. Some painting contractors also take commercial work on a building or storefront, but a house painter who focuses on homes often knows siding and trim best.
New construction or repaint: why homeowners hear different answers.
New construction painting starts with clean, bare surfaces. There is no old paint to scrape, but everything needs primer, and painters often spray before the yard is planted. It is mostly a question of speed and coverage.
A repaint is a different job. The painter has to deal with whatever the last painter left: peeling layers, failed caulk, mildew and wood that has been wet for years. Two homeowners on the same street can get very different estimates because one house needs a day of scraping and the other needs a week.
Older homes add one more step. If your home was built before 1978, the old paint may contain lead, and federal rules require painters who disturb it to use lead safe work practices [U.S. EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule]. Ask the company whether it follows the federal lead-safe work rules and how it will contain paint chips and dust. Read the EPA lead-safe work rules for older homes and learn about lead paint risks around the house. Do not dry scrape old paint yourself until you know what is in it.
Can you paint your own house, or should you hire a professional painter or a painting company?
DIY can make sense when
The house is one story on flat ground. The old paint is in good shape with little peeling. You are keeping a similar color. You have free weekends, a sturdy ladder and patience for the boring prep.
Hire a pro when
The house is two stories or sits on a slope. There is a lot of peeling, rot or bare wood. The home was built before 1978. The siding is stucco or brick. Or you simply do not have the time. Ladder work up high is the riskiest part of the whole job, and that is a fair thing to hand to someone with the right gear.
How to hire a painter: what to ask exterior painters near you before you sign.
These questions are yours to ask before any work starts. A good painter will be glad you did. A professional painter who has done many jobs like yours can describe the prep step by step, and years of experience with your kind of house is worth asking about.
Can I view photos of exterior jobs you completed near me?
Recent photos of real houses beat stock pictures. Ask for an address you can drive by to see how the paint is holding up.
What is your license number, and can I see proof of insurance?
License rules for painters differ by state and city, so check with your state contractor board. Proof of insurance matters because a fall or a broken window on your property needs to be someone else's claim, not yours.
What prep is included, item by item?
Washing, scraping, sanding, wood repair, caulking and priming should each be listed. If the estimate just says "prep," ask what that means on your house.
Which paint, which sheen and how many coats?
Get the brand and the product line in writing, not just "exterior paint." Flat or satin is common on siding. Trim and doors usually get a shinier sheen that wipes clean.
Who will be at my house, and how long will it take?
Ask who leads the job each day, when they plan to start and finish and what happens on rain days.
How do you handle payment, and what if paint peels next year?
Agree on a payment schedule tied to finished work. Be careful with anyone who wants most of the money before the job starts. Ask what the painter will do if paint fails early, and get that answer in writing.
How to read reviews. A five star rating tells you less than the words behind it. Read the three star reviews, look at how the business answered complaints and check the dates. A painter with steady reviews from the last couple of seasons is a better sign than a pile of old ones.
Red flags. No written estimate. Cash only. Pressure to sign today. No address or business name. A price far below the others with no reason given. A plan to paint right over peeling paint. Any one of these is a reason to slow down.
How to read an exterior painting estimate and what drives the cost.
Exterior painting prices swing with the size of the house, the siding, the repairs and where you live, so the number worth planning around comes from a pro who has walked around your house.
Whether you get one estimate or three, compare the estimates line by line. A clear estimate should name:
- Every surface being painted, and any that are not
- Each prep step, including wood repair and how it is priced
- The paint brand, product line, sheen and colors
- The number of coats on the body and the trim
- Start date, rough length and the plan for bad weather
- Payment schedule and what counts as "done"
- Cleanup, including paint chips in the yard
Hidden wood rot is the most common surprise, so ask how the painter will price rot found after the job starts.
How much paint does your house need? Start with the wall area.
Find the wall area. Add up the length of every outside wall to get the distance around the house. Multiply that by the wall height from the ground to the roof line.
Add the gables. For each triangle under a peaked roof, multiply the width by the height and divide by two. Add it to your total.
Take out big openings. Subtract the garage door and large windows. Skip small windows; the extra paint covers waste and touch ups.
Divide by the label. Every can lists how many square feet a gallon covers. Use that number. Rough siding and stucco soak up more, so expect to need extra.
Multiply by your coats. Two coats means twice the gallons. Figure trim separately, since it is often a different color and sheen.
Choosing a color you will still like later.
Start with what is not changing. Your roof, brick, stone and windows stay put, so pick a color that gets along with them. Then look at the street. You want your house to stand out a little, not argue with every neighbor. If you have a homeowners association, read its color rules before you fall in love with anything.
Paint chips lie. A color that looks soft on a card can look loud on a wall. Paint big sample swatches on two or three sides and check them morning, noon and dusk to see the real results. Most houses look best with three colors at most: one for the body, one for the trim and one accent for the front door or shutters.
Dark colors tend to show fading sooner on walls that bake all afternoon, and a local pro can tell you which colors age well where you live.
How often should you repaint? Look for these signs.
There is no honest one size answer. How long exterior paint lasts depends on the siding, the sun, the weather and how well the last job was done. A house in Los Angeles bakes in sun most of the year, while a house in Cleveland goes through freeze and thaw every winter. Instead of counting years, look at your walls.
Exterior house painters FAQ on cost, quality and your job.
What should I expect from a painting contractor?
Expect a walk around the house, a written estimate and a clear start date. On the job, the painter should protect your plants, wash and repair before painting and clean up each day. At the end, walk the house together before the final payment.
How many coats of paint does the exterior of a house need?
Plan on two coats of finish paint for most houses, plus primer on bare wood and repaired spots. One coat can work when the new color is close to the old one and the old paint is in good shape. A big color change, like dark to light, can take more. Ask the pro to write the number of coats on the estimate.
What is the best exterior house paint?
There is no single best brand. For most siding, pros reach for a top line 100 percent acrylic latex exterior paint because it stays flexible as the house heats up and cools down. Stucco and brick need a breathable masonry paint. Ask the painter which product line they plan to use and look it up yourself.
How much does it cost to get the outside of your house painted?
It depends on the size and height of the house, the siding, how much prep it needs, the number of colors and coats and where you live. The spread is too wide for a national number to help you. A written estimate from a local pro who has seen your house is the price worth planning around.
Do I need to be home while my house is painted?
Usually not, but plan ahead. The crew will need an outdoor water tap and an outlet. Move cars out of the driveway, keep pets inside, close windows on the side being painted and trim back bushes that touch the siding. Be there for the first morning and the final walk through.
Get matched with one local exterior painting pro.
Tell us about your house and the work you want done. Contractor Palace matches you with one independent local pro who looks at the job and gives you an estimate. The pro does the painting and you pay the pro directly. You can also read more about our exterior painting service first.