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🎨 Cost Guide · Washington, DCA house painter in Washington charges $84/hour for a standard service call — that's +42% above the US median of $59/hour. The differential reflects the DC cost-of-living composite of 142.5 (US average = 100) applied to BLS OEWS national mean wage data for SOC 47-2141.
| Project | Time | Typical cost | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single room paint (10×12, walls only, 2 coats) | 1 day | $744 | $610 – $893 |
| Whole interior repaint (1700 sq ft, walls + ceilings) | 4–6 days | $6,389 | $5,239 – $7,667 |
| Exterior repaint (1700 sq ft, prep + 2 coats) | 4–7 days | $7,450 | $6,109 – $8,940 |
| Kitchen cabinet refinish (sand, prime, sprayed enamel) | 3–5 days | $2,891 | $2,371 – $3,470 |
| All trim + 6 interior doors (whole house) | 2 days | $1,824 | $1,496 – $2,189 |
| Ceiling paint refresh (avg 1500 sq ft) | 1 day | $1,039 | $852 – $1,247 |
| Deck stripping + restain (300 sq ft) | 2 days | $1,264 | $1,036 – $1,516 |
| Pre-paint pressure wash (whole exterior) | half day | $378 | $310 – $454 |
| Wallpaper removal + skim coat (one room) | 1–2 days | $841 | $689 – $1,009 |
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 47-2141), MERIC State Cost of Living Index 142.5 for DC, NAHB Construction Cost Survey 2024.
At an effective contractor rate of $84/hour, Washington sits meaningfully above the national median for house painter work. Homeowners here will see higher-than-average prices on labor-intensive jobs (re-pipes, panel upgrades, full system replacements) where labor is the bulk of the cost. Materials-heavy jobs (water-heater swaps, furnace replacements, large appliance installs) will track somewhat above the national figure because regional materials inflation in DC runs about 43% above the US benchmark.
A pro painter's job is mostly prep, not paint: washing, sanding glossy/peeling areas, scraping, patching nail holes and drywall damage, caulking trim seams, masking floors and fixtures, priming bare or stain-prone areas, then finally rolling, brushing, or spraying two coats of finish. On exteriors, that prep includes a full pressure wash, scraping any peeling sections to bare wood, spot-priming with a bonding primer, and re-caulking every trim seam — typical exterior jobs are 3–5 days for a 1,700 sq ft home. The most common scope inflation is "spraying" cabinets without sanding/de-glossing first; it looks great for six months and then peels. Lead-paint disclosures are required for any pre-1978 home (EPA RRP rule) and a properly-trained painter will follow a containment protocol.
A bid that's 40% lower than competitors almost always means thinned paint, one coat instead of two, or skipping primer on patched areas — and it shows within a year.
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