If you’ve decided the time has come to paint the exterior of your home in the Sacramento area, the best place to start is by getting an estimate as to how much you can expect to pay for quality workmanship. On average, exterior painting of a home in the Sacramento area costs between $2 to $4 per square foot. This means that if your home is 2,400 square feet, the cost will range from $4,800 to $9,600. For most homeowners, the final cost rests somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.
With such a hefty price tag attached to this work, you’ll want to be certain you hire a company with a commitment to excellence in their finished product backed by a stellar reputation for a strong work ethic and great customer service. However, many different variables come into play when trying to determine precisely how much a job of this magnitude will cost. After all, no one likes unpleasant surprises when the final bill is tallied and submitted for payment. Also, we offer financing on all our services to make it easier for you.
SACRAMENTO EXTERIOR HOUSE PAINTING
What is Involved in Exterior Painting of a Home?
Painting the exterior of a home is a complex job. Though you can try to do it yourself, most homeowners prefer to leave this task in the hands of professionals.
There are a lot of different factors that affect whether the painting of the exterior of your home falls on the low or high end of the cost spectrum. These include:
- Labor costs
- Expenses for materials
- Required permits
- Budget overruns due to inclement weather conditions halting productivity
- Equipment rentals
- Cleanup fees
- Building inspections
- Regional sales tax
- Contractor fees
- Size of the home to be painted
- Discounts applied
Where Does the Money Go?
Though each home exterior paint job will vary in the amount of work and overall cost, there are some common expenses that can be expected whether your home encompasses a modest or vast amount of square footage. Here is a general breakdown of the typical costs associated with painting the exterior of a home:
- Labor
- Cleaning and repair
- Scaffolding or a boom lift
- Paint
- Painting supplies
- Add-ons such as the painting of trim, window casings, or doors
- Siding repairs or replacements
As with most home renovation projects, one of the largest costs associated with exterior house painting is labor. Hiring a professional company to paint the exterior of your home will typically cost you between $30 to $40 per hour per painter required to assist with the work. Most home painting businesses allot two painters per job, and these two workers are most typically able to cover 100 square feet of the home per hour. Based on a home that is 2,400 square feet in size, the labor cost to simply paint the house once all the prep work has been completed would range from $1,440 to $1,920.
Exterior House Painting Prep Work
But a house is not ready for painting once the scaffolding is in place and all supplies are purchased. There is a lot of work to be done ahead of time to adequately prepare the surface for painting. This, of course, translates to additional man-hours on the job. Among the tasks which must be addressed prior to painting the exterior of a home are:
- Power washing the exterior
- Repairs to cracked or broken siding
- Priming the surface to prepare for paint adhesion
These preparations can take anywhere from as little as six hours to 12 or more depending on the size of the space and the extent of the damage to the siding. This increases the labor cost by as little as $360 to as much as $960 and possibly even more.
Safety is an important component of painting the exterior of your home. To ensure things proceed smoothly and with the utmost precautions in mind, equipment rentals are necessary. The less expensive option of the two is scaffolding which can be rented on a per-day basis for a nominal fee. For more extensive jobs, many companies opt to secure a boom lift which can be rented for an average cost of $1,000 for the week.
High-Quality Paint Cost
Paint is one of the lower costs involved with painting the exterior of your home. One gallon of paint will cover approximately 100 square feet of surface area. The type of paint purchased will also be reflected in the overall cost of the project. Inexpensive paints can be obtained for $21 a gallon while better quality products can top out at $70 per can. This means that a home that is 2,400 square feet will require a minimum of 24 cans of paint. However, if a light shade is selected to cover a darker hue, the house may require a second coat which would raise the price a lot.
Though low-quality paint does offer some cost savings, the reduced cost is really only deferred. Cheaper paints are not designed to last, meaning fading, chipping, and damage can occur in a minimal amount of time, necessitating the house being painted again.
When you’re considering paints, you should also factor in the type of exterior that needs to be covered. Different sidings require different preparations and may also need different types of paints to achieve the best results. Metal or aluminum are materials that require both sanding and priming prior to any application of paint. For the best adherence, the siding must be primed at least twice. This, of course, increases the amount of time invested in the project as well as the expenses for additional materials.
By comparison, painting a brick exterior requires only a thorough scrubbing and cleaning. Wood siding is the most costly of all as it must be scraped and sanded until completely smooth, a time-consuming and expensive process that is vital to a quality finish. Other exterior surfaces that can be painted and that require their own unique preparations include vinyl, stucco, plaster, and concrete.
Method of Painting
The method employed to paint the exterior will also affect the final cost to change the color of your home. Though spraying paint on siding is an efficient means of painting an exterior, it can be very messy and also involves the use of thin paint which is often lesser in quality, meaning it may not be as durable as other types of painting. Brushes and rollers are also popular options and offer less mess and greater consistency in the finished product.
If your Sacramento home’s exterior could use some refreshing, we can help you out. You can book an appointment for a free estimate here or give us a call! We serve the entire Sacramento area including Elk Grove, Stockton, El Dorado Hills, Folsom, and more!
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