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🎨 Cost GuideNational mean hourly wage for house painters (BLS SOC 47-2141) is $24.54/hour. After the standard NAHB 2.4× contractor markup, homeowners pay roughly $59/hour for a service call. Here's the project-by-project breakdown — and below it, the same job priced for every major US metro.
| Project | Time | Typical cost | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single room paint (10×12, walls only, 2 coats) | 1 day | $522 | $428 – $627 |
| Whole interior repaint (1700 sq ft, walls + ceilings) | 4–6 days | $4,484 | $3,677 – $5,381 |
| Exterior repaint (1700 sq ft, prep + 2 coats) | 4–7 days | $5,228 | $4,287 – $6,274 |
| Kitchen cabinet refinish (sand, prime, sprayed enamel) | 3–5 days | $2,029 | $1,664 – $2,435 |
| All trim + 6 interior doors (whole house) | 2 days | $1,280 | $1,050 – $1,536 |
| Ceiling paint refresh (avg 1500 sq ft) | 1 day | $729 | $598 – $875 |
| Deck stripping + restain (300 sq ft) | 2 days | $887 | $727 – $1,064 |
| Pre-paint pressure wash (whole exterior) | half day | $266 | $218 – $319 |
| Wallpaper removal + skim coat (one room) | 1–2 days | $590 | $484 – $708 |
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.
Cost-of-living variance is the single biggest factor in trade pricing. The same job in Hawaii or California can run 30–50% more than in Mississippi or Oklahoma. Pick your city below to see your localized rate.
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.