How Much Does an Outdoor Paint Renovation Project Cost?

Over time, our tastes change and our interests expand. It’s common for this to be reflected in and around your home. Many people will turn to a large-scale home renovation or even a quick DIY clean-up or project to breathe new life into the abode. A tried and true renovation that’ll update the appearance of your home and will add some serious curb appeal is an exterior painting project.

This could mean giving your entire facade a new, bright coat or updating trims around doors and windows. Regardless, an exterior painting project is an excellent investment. This article will outline factors to consider before grabbing the brush as well as an outline of average costs.

Outdoor Paint Projects: Average Costs

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Planning the budget for an exterior painting project is fairly straightforward. You’re going to want to calculate all exterior surfaces you plan to paint into square footage and this will help you determine the amount of primer or paint necessary to cover everything evenly. Additionally, the quality of the paint will be another factor in the overall cost, as higher-quality paints are going to require a bigger budget.

Another note is to consider doors, trim around the facade, windows, and doors. You might choose to paint these another colour or they may require a different type of paint depending on the material they’re made from. Lastly, this is not a project for a novice and thus, you might want to work with professional or several others. Think about the cost of labour which will be affected by the number of stories your home has as well as how easily accessible all the exterior surfaces are. Here are some approximate outlines of average costs.

The average price of paint will range between $25 to $100 per gallon, and a single gallon will cover about 200 square feet. Do take into account tools you might need for this project including brushes, and tape to mark off the trim. As you’ve noticed above, working with contractors will generally double the cost of the job. But working with professionals will guarantee that it’ll be done correctly.

Other factors to consider when painting outdoors

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There are several factors to consider when taking on an exterior painting project, and the first of those will be cleaning and prepping the surfaces for painting. Since we’re talking about the exterior, you’re likely going to need a heavy-duty cleaning method like a pressure washer. This step is essential, as a clean surface will guarantee that paint can be applied evenly and this will increase longevity. If you’re working with professionals, they may have this step covered but make sure to check with them. Otherwise, you might need to rent a pressure washer, so do take this into account when drawing up a budget.

The climate in your area will also have an impact on your exterior painting project. If you’re living in a particularly warm or humid part of the country, then you need to take extra precautions during the painting process. This could include choosing specialty paint or working with a finish that’ll help keep optimal paint quality.

Lastly, if you find any damage around your home including replacing rotting wood or filling in gaps, you’re going to need to repair this before any painting can be done. Depending on the level of damage, this could be a quick fix or a full-on repair. Again, consider this when planning a budget for your exterior painting project.

What type of paint should be used for outdoor surfaces?

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Choosing the right paint for your exterior project will come down to many different factors. One of the most important particulars when deciding on paint is the time it will take to finish curing. For exterior painting, there are two main types to choose from and these are latex (water-based) and oil-based. Although latex paint will dry in a day or two, it can take up to 30 days to be fully cured. Oil-based paint will initially take a little bit more time to dry but will cure much quicker after just a few days. For the most part, the type of paint you end up choosing will come down to the material that you’re painting.

For example, if the exterior of your home is mostly metal, you’ll want to avoid using water-based paint. Latex paints are best left for plaster, drywall, siding, stucco, wood, aluminum and cement. A note is that some may argue latex paints should not be used on wood, as the drying process can swell the wood.

Weather is another deciding factor when determining when to paint and what to paint with. This is where we’ll need to consider the curing time. Paint is considered to be fully cured when the residual solvents have evaporated. If you live in a particularly humid climate, you’re going to need to avoid painting during rainy or very hot seasons, as this weather can damage freshly-applied paint and affect the time it will take to cure.

However, since liquid evaporates faster when temperatures are higher, choose a time of year when the weather is warm and don’t take this project on in the middle of winter.

Before you start painting, we suggest that you check out this article: House Painting Projects: What are the Ideal Conditions