When was the last time you repainted your house? Understandably, many people procrastinate repainting due to the cost. However, with careful planning and preparation, you can significantly reduce the cost of painting your home.

The Average Cost Of Painting A House

Let’s say you choose a professional painting contractor. On average, it will cost you about $4,000 to paint the exterior of a 2-story 2,500 square foot home. On the other hand, the interior will cost about $5,500.

What Is The Cost Of Painting Your House?

The cost of the painting depends on two main factors:

Labor

Labor accounts for most of the cost of painting. It takes a lot of time to prepare the walls for a fresh coat of paint. Therefore, you can cut costs by reducing the amount of time the professional painter has to spend on preparation.

Most professional painters charge between $35 and $40 an hour.

Cost of materials

The other major cost is paint. Of course, the type of paint and brand determines the cost. A gallon of paint will cost you anywhere between $25 and $70. However, designer brands cost even more than $100 per gallon.

How To Save On The Cost Of Painting Your House?

Now you have a clearer idea of the costs involved. So, now it’s time to figure out how to reduce the cost.

1.      DIY

As mentioned earlier, labor accounts for most of the cost of painting. If you choose to do everything yourself, you only need to buy paint and painting tools such as brushes. For further savings consider renting equipment such as ladders, rollers, tarps, caulk, and primer.

Even if you hire a professional painter, you can reduce the labor costs by doing some of the work. For instance, you could prep the walls by sanding, scraping, and patching. Even tasks such as moving furniture and clearing shrubs in the exterior consume time that the painter will bill.

2.      Reduce the scope of the work

Are there ways you can reduce the scope of the work? For instance, you might forgo the garage, ceilings, and interiors of cabinetry. Reducing the scope of the project reduces labor and paint.

3.      Repaint regularly

With regular maintenance, the labor required during a repaint significantly reduces. The longer you wait, the more the work.

Ideally, you should repaint the exterior every five years. With such regular maintenance, your house might just need one coat of fresh paint. Over time, you will save thousands on repainting projects.

4.      Quality paint and contractor

As with most other things, cheap is expensive. Cheap paint will degrade faster. Remember, in the exterior, it also serves the purpose of protecting walls from weather elements.

In the exterior, consider high-grade paint or paint with a life-time guarantee. However, in areas with no aesthetic value such as the garage, you can go with low-quality paint.

Also, be wary of low-bidding contractors. Such a contractor will maximize profits by using low-quality paint. Or, they will skimp on the preparation stage, which is important for the paint to hold well. So, you will have to repaint sooner. Worse yet, have to pay another contractor to do the job well.