Paint is the cheapest, fastest way to dramatically change a room — but the difference between a $1,200 quote and a $4,800 quote on the same job almost always comes down to prep work. A pro painter spends 60–70% of their time on surface prep (washing, sanding, patching, caulking, masking, priming) and only 30% rolling color. That prep is what separates a job that still looks great after seven years from a job that starts peeling at the eighteen-month mark.
The national mean hourly wage for a House Painter in the most recent BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) release is $24.54/hour (SOC 47-2141). Once you add the standard 2.4× contractor markup that covers vehicle, insurance, overhead, and owner profit, the typical service rack rate works out to ~$59/hour nationally — meaningfully higher in California, Hawaii, and the Northeast, lower across the South and Midwest.
| 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 |
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2024 (47-2152, 47-2111, 49-9021, 47-2061), MERIC State Cost of Living Index 2024, NAHB Construction Cost Survey 2024.
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.
The cheapest House Painter visit is the one you avoid. These are the seasonal tasks that prevent the calls most pros wish they didn't have to make.
Cost figures above are national medians. Tap any city to see the rate for that metro, anchored on local BLS OEWS wage data and a state cost-of-living adjustment.