Price RangerPainting
How to price exterior painting
Last reviewed 2026-10-20. Estimates, not legal or tax advice.
Start with net wall area and coats, then add labor for height, scraping, and lead-safe work on older homes. The gallon count is not the price.
Steps
- Measure each wall and subtract doors and windows.
- Count gallons from coverage and coats, and add primer if the surface needs it.
- Add hours for setup, scraping, and working off the ground.
- If the home was built before 1978, check whether lead-safe rules apply before you promise a start date.
- Keep the trip and any lift or ladder time visible.
800 square feet of exterior wall
800 square feet of exterior wall, minus two doors and six windows, is 687.2 square feet.
2 coats at 350 square feet per gallon is 4 gallons before you add primer or a color change.
Add time for height, masking, and lead-safe prep on a pre-1978 home. Do not hide that time inside the gallon price.
Easy to miss
- Using an interior coverage number on rough siding.
- Skipping lead-safe prep on an older house.
- Hiding ladder time inside a per-gallon price.
Further reading
- Renovation, Repair and Painting Program
U.S. EPA
Pre-1978 paint work can require lead-safe practices, and that prep belongs on the quote.
- Fall protection
OSHA
Exterior and ceiling work often needs fall protection, and that time is part of the labor line.
- Contractors State License Board
California CSLB
California's license board states which jobs need a contractor license before you price them.