Cost to Paint the Outside of a House
The straight-ahead version: siding square feet × your price per square foot, plus labor, with a contingency on top — a planning estimate for painting the outside of your house, not a bid.
The outside of a house at 2,000 sq ft of siding, $2.00/sq ft plus labor, is about $4,950.00. Enter your own prices — a planning estimate, not a bid.
Calculator inputs
This is the pared-down estimator for a common question: what will it cost to paint the outside of my house? Give it the siding area, the rate you have been quoted (or expect), and a labor line if the painter separates it, and it returns a planning total with a contingency already folded in. The order of operations is the point — area, then rate, then labor, then buffer — so nothing gets lost between the walk-around and the check you write.
No prices are baked in; you supply them, so the result is correct regardless of what paint or labor costs today. It plans painting the existing surface, not re-siding it.
Formula
total = (siding_area × $/sq ft + labor) × (1 + contingency)
Roll prep and primer into your rate, or reach for the fuller exterior house painting cost tool when you want explicit add-on and discount lines.
Worked example
For 2,000 sq ft of siding at $2.00/sq ft with a $500.00 labor line and a 10% contingency:
2,000 × $2.00 = $4,000.00, + $500.00 = $4,500.00, × 1.10 = $4,950.00.
About $4,950.00 to paint the outside — a planning figure to carry into your quote conversations, not a fixed price.
Measure first, then compare like for like
- Use net wall area. Perimeter × wall height minus the openings — do not price the windows and doors you will mask, not paint.
- Decide where labor sits. Either fold it into the rate or keep it on its own line; just be consistent when you compare two quotes.
- Two stories cost more per square foot. Height and access add labor — the two-story tool applies a labeled multiplier for that.
- Keep the buffer. A repaint almost always finds a little rot or failed caulk once the ladders are up.
Reference table
| Exterior surface | Coverage (sq ft/gal, one coat) |
|---|---|
| Exterior lap / vinyl siding (smooth) | 300–400 |
| Bare / rough wood | 200–300 |
| Stucco / rough masonry | 150–250 |
| Brick (unpainted) | 100–200 |
| Primer (drywall / general) | 200–300 |
Coverage is labeled and per one coat — rough, porous or bare surfaces sit at the low end and often need a primer/sealer pass. Confirm the number on the can’s stated spread rate and round up to whole gallons.