Painter Pricing Guide

How much does a painter charge in 2026?

Hourly rates by region, common job prices, what drives the cost, and how to write a painting quote that wins.

The short answer

Painters typically charge $35 to $80 per hour

$300 to $12,000+ per job depending on scope. Here is what tradies actually charge in 2026 and how the price gets built.

Painters typically charge between $35 and $80 per hour in the US, or fixed-price per square metre. Small jobs like a single room run $300 to $900. Mid-size jobs like a 3-bedroom interior repaint run $2,500 to $6,500. Larger jobs like a full exterior repaint of a family home run $5,000 to $12,000+. Pricing depends on prep work, surface condition, paint grade, and ceiling height.

Hourly rates

Painters hourly rates by region (2026)

Standard daytime rates across the major markets. Metro areas typically command a 20-30% premium. After-hours work is 1.5x to 2x.

Region	Hourly rate	Notes
United States	$35 - $90/hr	Master painters in metro areas at the top
United Kingdom	£22 - £55/hr	London commands 20-30% premium
Australia	$50 - $100/hr	Master Painters Association rates at the top
South Africa	R150 - R450/hr	Specialised finishes (Venetian, faux) above this
Canada	C$35 - C$85/hr	Toronto, Vancouver at the top
New Zealand	$45 - $95/hr	Auckland and Wellington at the top
Ireland	€25 - €70/hr	Dublin commands a premium
India	₹1100 - ₹3300/hr	Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore at the top

United States

Hourly rate$35 - $90/hr

Notes

Master painters in metro areas at the top

United Kingdom

Hourly rate£22 - £55/hr

Notes

London commands 20-30% premium

Australia

Hourly rate$50 - $100/hr

Notes

Master Painters Association rates at the top

South Africa

Hourly rateR150 - R450/hr

Notes

Specialised finishes (Venetian, faux) above this

Canada

Hourly rateC$35 - C$85/hr

Notes

Toronto, Vancouver at the top

New Zealand

Hourly rate$45 - $95/hr

Notes

Auckland and Wellington at the top

Ireland

Hourly rate€25 - €70/hr

Notes

Dublin commands a premium

India

Hourly rate₹1100 - ₹3300/hr

Notes

Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore at the top

Job pricing

Common painter jobs and what they cost

Real-world price ranges for the jobs tradies quote every week. Includes labour, parts, and standard call-out.

Job	Typical price	What's included
Single room interior repaint (3x4m)	$300 to $700	Includes 2 coats, walls + ceiling, prep, masking. Excludes major plaster repair.
Interior repaint per square metre	$15 to $35	Wall area only, 2 coats, standard quality paint. Doors and trim usually quoted separately.
Exterior repaint per square metre	$22 to $55	Includes prep, undercoat, 2 coats. Scaffold or cherry-picker hire extra for double-storey.
Ceiling paint per square metre	$12 to $28	Includes 2 coats, cutting in. Stipple or coffered ceilings cost more.
Door (full prep and paint, both sides)	$120 to $280	Includes sanding, priming, 2 finish coats. Premium enamel adds cost.
Skirting and architrave (per linear m)	$8 to $22	Includes prep, fill, 2 coats. Tight angles and detailed mouldings cost more.
Full 3-bed house interior	$2,500 to $6,500	All walls, ceilings, trim. 5-7 day job for a 2-painter team. Premium finishes add 30-50%.
Full single-storey house exterior	$5,000 to $12,000	Includes prep, primer, 2 top coats. Render repairs and wood replacement priced separately.
Roof paint (sheet metal, per sqm)	$18 to $42	Includes prep, primer, top coat. Tile roofs need specialist coating systems.

Single room interior repaint (3x4m)

Typical price$300 to $700

What's included

Includes 2 coats, walls + ceiling, prep, masking. Excludes major plaster repair.

Interior repaint per square metre

Typical price$15 to $35

What's included

Wall area only, 2 coats, standard quality paint. Doors and trim usually quoted separately.

Exterior repaint per square metre

Typical price$22 to $55

What's included

Includes prep, undercoat, 2 coats. Scaffold or cherry-picker hire extra for double-storey.

Ceiling paint per square metre

Typical price$12 to $28

What's included

Includes 2 coats, cutting in. Stipple or coffered ceilings cost more.

Door (full prep and paint, both sides)

Typical price$120 to $280

What's included

Includes sanding, priming, 2 finish coats. Premium enamel adds cost.

Skirting and architrave (per linear m)

Typical price$8 to $22

What's included

Includes prep, fill, 2 coats. Tight angles and detailed mouldings cost more.

Full 3-bed house interior

Typical price$2,500 to $6,500

What's included

All walls, ceilings, trim. 5-7 day job for a 2-painter team. Premium finishes add 30-50%.

Full single-storey house exterior

Typical price$5,000 to $12,000

What's included

Includes prep, primer, 2 top coats. Render repairs and wood replacement priced separately.

Roof paint (sheet metal, per sqm)

Typical price$18 to $42

What's included

Includes prep, primer, top coat. Tile roofs need specialist coating systems.

What drives the price

Six things that change the price of a job

The same job can cost 2x more or less depending on these factors. Knowing them helps customers spot fair quotes and helps tradies justify their own.

Prep work

A clean wall is fast; a wall with peel, mould, or 20 nail holes needs a full day of prep before paint touches it. Always quote prep separately so the customer sees what they are paying for.

Paint grade

Builder's grade is $25/L; premium washable is $80/L+. The good stuff covers in 2 coats not 4, lasts 3x longer, and washes clean. State the brand and grade on the quote.

Surface and condition

Smooth render takes paint cleanly. Rough texture, water-damaged plaster, or old gloss surfaces need extra time and primer. Surveyed surface condition is a quote line.

Height and access

Standard 2.4m ceilings paint from a step. Double-storey or cathedral ceilings need scaffold or boom lift. Quote the access method as a line.

Number of coats

Light over light is 2 coats. Dark over light or new plaster is 3+ coats with stain blocker. State the assumed coat count on the quote and the trigger for an extra coat.

Masking and protection

Empty rooms are quick to mask. Furnished rooms with carpet, art, and decor take 2-3 hours of masking before painting. Quote prep as 15-25% of the labour line.

How to quote it

How painters should price their work

Tips for tradies on writing quotes that win the job and protect the margin.

Quote by square metre

Per-sqm pricing is transparent, comparable across quotes, and forces customers to think about scope. Hourly invites scope creep arguments.

Itemise paint by brand and litre

List 'Dulux Wash & Wear Low Sheen, 4L tin, 2 coats' so the customer knows exactly what they are getting. Substitution arguments at the door disappear.

Quote prep separately

Prep is 30-50% of the labour cost on a tired surface. Showing it as its own line means the customer understands why the cheap quote with 'paint only' is missing half the work.

Take a deposit on jobs over $1,000

30% on acceptance covers your paint outlay. Without it, you are funding the customer's job and exposed to last-minute cancellations.

State the colour limit

'Up to 3 wall colours included; each additional colour adds $80 in labour' kills the 'can we try one more' problem. Honest, transparent, fair both sides.

Send before/after photos with the invoice

Photos of every wall before and after, attached to the final invoice. Drops disputes about 'you missed this corner' to zero. Doubles as marketing for the next quote.

Watch out for

Pricing red flags to watch for

The patterns that usually signal a problem on the quote, with what to do about each one.

One coat passed off as two

What to do: Always specify '2 finish coats minimum'. Single-coat jobs look fine on day 1 and bleed through within 6 months. Inspect under different lighting before signing off.

No prep included

What to do: If the quote does not mention sanding, filling, or priming, the painter is planning to paint over the problems. Insist on prep as a line item.

Generic 'high-quality paint'

What to do: Ask for the brand, product line, and tin size. Without it, the painter can switch to the cheapest tin on the shelf at any point.

No drop sheets or masking

What to do: A painter who arrives without drop sheets, painter's tape, and plastic is treating your home as expendable. Polished floors and carpets pay for the difference.

Verbal quote only

What to do: Always put it in writing. WhatsApp screenshot counts. Without it, scope arguments at invoice time are unwinnable.

Cash-only with no invoice

What to do: Walk away. Without an invoice you have no warranty, no insurance claim path, and no record if the paint fails within the guarantee period.

Sample quote

A real example: line-by-line

3-bedroom interior repaint, walls + ceilings + trim, premium finish

Line	Rate	Total
Prep (sand, fill, prime patches) across 180sqm wall area	$ 8/sqm	$ 1,440
Wall paint (2 coats, Dulux Wash & Wear Low Sheen, customer choice colours x3)	$ 18/sqm	$ 3,240
Ceiling paint (2 coats, white flat, 95sqm)	$ 14/sqm	$ 1,330
Skirting and architrave (240 linear m, 2 coats enamel)	$ 12/m	$ 2,880
Doors (8 doors, both sides, prep + 2 coats enamel)	$ 180/door	$ 1,440
Masking, drop sheets, daily site clean	$ 350	$ 350
Subtotal		$ 10,680
Tax (10%)		$ 1,068
Total		$ 11,748

Prep (sand, fill, prime patches) across 180sqm wall area

Rate $ 8/sqm$ 1,440

Wall paint (2 coats, Dulux Wash & Wear Low Sheen, customer choice colours x3)

Rate $ 18/sqm$ 3,240

Ceiling paint (2 coats, white flat, 95sqm)

Rate $ 14/sqm$ 1,330

Skirting and architrave (240 linear m, 2 coats enamel)

Rate $ 12/m$ 2,880

Doors (8 doors, both sides, prep + 2 coats enamel)

Rate $ 180/door$ 1,440

Masking, drop sheets, daily site clean

Rate $ 350$ 350

Subtotal$ 10,680

Tax (10%)$ 1,068

Total$ 11,748

FAQ

Painters pricing questions, answered

Everything customers and tradies ask about painter pricing.

Hourly rates are $35 to $80 in the US, £22-55 in the UK, A$50-100 in Australia, R150-450 in South Africa, and C$35-85 in Canada. Most painters prefer to quote per square metre or per room because it is more transparent and avoids scope-creep disputes.

The big variables are coat count, paint grade, and how much prep is included. A 'cheap' quote is usually one coat of builder's-grade paint over no prep. A premium quote is two coats of washable paint over proper prep. Compare what is in the line items, not just the total.

A 3-bedroom interior with a 2-painter team is 5-7 working days for walls, ceilings, and trim. Furniture-out is faster (4-5 days); furniture-in adds 1-2 days for masking and movement.

Usually no. Painters buy paint at trade pricing 15-30% below retail and pass some of that on. Bringing your own paint also voids most coverage warranties. The exception is if you want a specific designer brand the painter cannot source.

A 4L tin covers around 30-40sqm in one coat for smooth walls, less for textured or porous surfaces. Always buy enough for 2 coats plus 10% for touch-ups. Your painter should quote the total litres needed on the quote.

For jobs over $1,000, yes, typically 30%. It covers the paint outlay. For smaller jobs, full payment on completion is standard. Never pay 100% upfront.

Lighting changes colour dramatically. Always do a sample patch (1 sqm minimum) in the room and view it morning, afternoon, and evening before committing. Colour change after painting starts triggers an extra coat charge.

Quality interior paint lasts 7-10 years before refresh. Exterior paint lasts 5-8 years on protected walls, 3-5 years on sun-exposed surfaces. Bad prep cuts these timelines in half.

Get the per-sqm rate, the coat count, the brand, the prep scope, and any extra-colour fees upfront in writing. Pay via banking app so there is a record. Verbal cash deals are the highest-risk path.

Yes, most modern painters send quotes via WhatsApp as a PDF with before-photos and the brand/coat spec. Faster acceptance, mobile-friendly review, and the message thread doubles as a written record. Tools like QuoteGenio build the PDF on the painter's phone and send via WhatsApp in 2 minutes.

Use a template

Free painter quote and invoice templates

Itemised templates ready to send. Skip the manual quote builder and get from job to paid in 2 minutes.

Quote

Painter Quote Template

Painter quote with prep, coats, trim, paint brand, and snag walk-through.

Open template

Invoice

Painter Invoice Template

Painter invoice with paint brand, coats, trim, and snag completion date.

Open template

City pricing

What painters charge in 160 cities

Painters pricing benchmarks written for tradies pricing their own work in each city. Local hourly rates, common job prices, and a sample quote you can copy. Pick a country to see its cities.

New York City$35-$90/hr

Painters pricing

What to charge for painters jobs in New York City.

How much does a painter charge in 2026?

Painters typically charge $35 to $80 per hour

Painters hourly rates by region (2026)

Common painter jobs and what they cost

Six things that change the price of a job

Prep work

Paint grade

Surface and condition

Height and access

Number of coats

Masking and protection

How painters should price their work

Quote by square metre

Itemise paint by brand and litre

Quote prep separately

Take a deposit on jobs over $1,000

State the colour limit

Send before/after photos with the invoice

Pricing red flags to watch for

A real example: line-by-line

Painters pricing questions, answered

Free painter quote and invoice templates

What painters charge in 160 cities

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