Exterior Painting
Paint is the exterior's sacrificial layer. Repainting on time is maintenance; repainting late is carpentry.
Protection first, curb appeal as the bonus
Exterior house painting holds a steady block of our category's service demand, right behind interior work. The stakes are different outside: paint is the weather seal for wood siding and trim, and the repaint cycle, commonly cited at five to ten years depending on exposure and product, is what stands between a house and rot repair.
Like interior work, the job is mostly preparation, but outdoor prep is heavier: washing, scraping and sanding failed paint, repairing or replacing damaged boards, sealing gaps, and priming bare wood. On pre-1978 homes, lead-safe practices are a legal requirement for contractors disturbing old paint, which is a hiring filter worth using deliberately.
Weather runs the schedule. Exterior painting wants dry days within the product's temperature range, and paint applied to damp wood or ahead of rain fails early no matter whose name is on the can. Good crews book seasonally and will tell you honestly when your job should wait; crews that will paint in any weather are answering a different question than the one you asked.
Exterior decisions worth weighing
Surface condition sets the scope; the rest is product and timing.
Wash, scrape and spot repaint
The maintenance visit: trouble spots on south and west faces, trim and sills. Buys years on an otherwise sound paint job.
Full repaint
Wash, full prep, prime where bare, two coats. The standard cycle job, priced mostly by prep condition and stories.
Carpentry and rot repair
Failed boards, sills and trim replaced before paint. Every honest exterior quote has a per-foot price for discovery.
Siding-specific products
Acrylic latex leads for wood and fiber cement; masonry and stucco want breathable coatings; vinyl needs vinyl-safe colors.
Stains and transparent finishes
For cedar and shakes: stains flake less and refresh easier than film paints, trading color range for maintenance ease.
Trim, doors and accents
The two-tone-plus-door scheme is most of curb appeal. Enamel on doors and shutters is cheap drama done well.
What does it cost?
Commonly published ballparks put full exterior repaints of typical single-family homes roughly in the $3,000 to $10,000 band, with size, stories, siding type and prep condition driving the spread, and large or badly weathered homes running beyond it.
Prep hours and access equipment are the cost engine: a two-story with peeling paint and rot repair is a different project from a one-story wash-and-recoat, even at identical square footage.
Ballparks based on commonly published national averages, stated as assumptions, not measured local pricing. Your competing quotes set the real number for your home and ZIP.
How to hire for exterior painting work
Who does the work
Established exterior painting contractors with crews, ladders and lift access, plus carpentry capability for rot discovered mid-job. On pre-1978 homes, ask specifically about lead-safe certification; it is required of pros who disturb old paint.
What pros will ask
Home size and stories, siding material, when it was last painted, photos of the worst peeling and any soft trim, and your color intentions. Expect a walk-around before a firm price; exterior condition cannot be quoted from the street view.
What to check before signing
That the quote itemizes washing, scraping, priming, coats and product line, prices carpentry repairs per foot, states weather standards for painting days, and carries a written workmanship warranty. Ask how surfaces will be checked dry before coating.
Related searches homeowners make
Pulled from the same demand data behind our Walls, Wallcoverings and Paint category.
Exterior Painting questions, answered straight
How often should a house be repainted?
Common cycles run five to ten years for wood siding, longer for fiber cement and masonry, shorter on hard-weather exposures. The real trigger is condition: fading, chalking and hairline cracking mean schedule it; peeling and bare wood mean you are already paying extra.
How much does exterior painting cost?
As a planning ballpark, full repaints of typical homes commonly land between $3,000 and $10,000, scaling with stories, siding and prep. Heavy scraping, lead-safe requirements and rot carpentry are the usual reasons a quote leaves that band.
What time of year is best?
Dry, mild stretches: late spring through early fall in most regions, avoiding rain, high humidity and temperatures outside the product's range. Modern paints tolerate cooler days than older formulas, but damp wood remains the unforgivable condition.
Spray, brush or roll?
Pros commonly spray large siding fields for even coverage and back-roll or back-brush to work paint into the surface, with brushwork on trim. The method matters less than film thickness and prep; ask how many finish mils or coats the bid includes rather than debating tools.
Do I need to worry about lead paint?
If the home predates 1978, assume old layers may contain lead. Federal rules require contractors disturbing that paint to follow lead-safe practices with certification. It adds process and some cost, and it is not the corner to cut with kids or gardens nearby.
Get quotes for your exterior painting project
Free for homeowners. No obligation. Up to four local painting pros compete.
Keep planning your walls
More guides from the Walls, Wallcoverings and Paint hub.