How much does it cost to paint a house?

Painting your home can be one of the more cost-effective projects to give your house a facelift without spending tens of thousands of dollars. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, it can still leave a sting in your wallet if you’re not aware how much it costs to paint a house.

Painting a house can cost you anywhere from $2,400 to $35,000. The costing can depend on whether the home is single or double storey and whether you are painting the interior or exterior of the home. Smaller spaces will generally cost significantly less to paint than multiple rooms or the exterior of a home.

According to RealEstate.com.au research of tradies from major cities, the average cost of painting a house in Australia is as follows.

Average cost of painting a house in Australia by city

Source: RealEstate.com.au

Note: Prices exclude GST. Hourly price excludes materials, all other prices include materials. These ranges vary due to size and condition of the property.

As the cost of painting your home will depend on the size of the property, you may feel as if there is little you can do to control the cost and affordability of this project. Thankfully, there are still some options you can consider to keep the price of painting your home down.

How to keep the cost of painting your house down

• Do it yourself

One of the best ways you can save money when painting your house may be to take on the project yourself. Just keep in mind that experts may recommend seeking professional help, especially when it comes to issues of access for hard-to-reach spaces, or a home that is in poor condition.

However, if you take the project one room at a time, follow the advice of online tutorials and your local Bunnings rep, and buy the right gear, you may be able to paint your home all on your own and save the labour costs.

• Borrow where you can

Another option to keep painting costs down is to consider borrowing supplies from friends, family, or neighbours, such as ladders, paint brushes or rollers, tarps and more. GumTree or FaceBook Marketplace may also have more affordable supplies available at a discount or even for free if you don’t want to buy new from your local supply store.

• Is primer necessary?

Primer saves homeowners from reducing the supply of paint faster by having to paint multiple coats. But, if you can afford the additional cost, some self-primer paints may be worth the savings you’d gain from avoiding having to purchase primer individually.

Take stock of the prices in your local supply store and calculate this against the amount you would need to paint wall spaces in or outside of your home. Keep in mind that when painting over a darker colour with a light one, or when the condition of the walls is poor or rough, it may be worth it to purchase primer individually. Otherwise, you could find yourself painting multiple coats to get to your desired result.

How to pay for the cost of painting your house in Australia

If you’re in need of funds to finance your home painting costs, there are a few options you may want to consider, including:

• Home equity – Use some of the equity in your home to pay for the costs of painting your home. Lenders will calculate the difference in the remaining balance of your home loan and the market value of your property to discover your equity. You may then be able to borrow up to 80% of the available equity for your home projects.
• Offset account or redraw facility – if you’ve been making consistent deposits into an offset account or redraw facility connected to your home loan, you may want to consider if dipping into these funds could be a good fit to finance your painting project.
• Renovation loan – You may also want to consider taking out a renovation personal loan to finance your painting project. Be sure to compare interest rates, fees and features before you sign on the dotted line and ensure your finances and credit score are in the best position before applying to boost your chances of approval.

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