Trim and doors
$1.5k–$4.5k
- Wash and scrape loose paint
- Spot-prime bare wood
- Caulk joints and nail holes
- Two coats of trim enamel
- Front door in a new color
- Shrubs and paths protected
Exterior painting · Licensed & insured · EPA lead-safe
Exterior painting with surface preparation written into the estimate.
We wash, scrape, repair soft wood, prime bare spots, caulk and then apply two coats of a named exterior line on siding, trim and doors, scheduled for dry days in the right temperature range. Older homes get lead-safe containment. Three written prices follow within a day of the visit.
Text two photos: the whole front of the house and the worst peeling spot. A licensed supervisor replies within 5 minutes during business hours with a first read.
- $5k–$12kTypical full repaint
- 7–10 yrsPaint life on wood
- 4.9410 reviews
- 24hWritten estimate
What happens after you text us
An exterior supervisor answers. The first question is why the paint is failing.
A typical first exchange. You describe the peeling, the supervisor asks about the siding, the sun side and the age of the house, and you finish with a walk-around time and an estimate date.
- Where paint peels tells us whether it is moisture or age
- Older homes are tested for lead before any scraping
- Walk-around and estimate date agreed before you hang up
Hi, our house is wood clapboard, two stories, and the paint is peeling badly on the south side. The north side looks okay.
Hi Paul, this is Kevin, I run exterior painting for ProBuild Remodeling. South-side peeling is usually sun and age, not moisture. Is it peeling down to bare wood, and is the house older than, say, your grandparents?
Yes to both, bare gray wood in spots. It is an old farmhouse.
Then we will test for lead before anyone scrapes, and set up the lead-safe ground cover if it is positive. Gray wood needs to be sanded to fresh wood before primer. Can you send a photo of the worst wall up close?
Sent. Some of the window sills feel soft too.
Soft sills get probed and priced for repair or replacement first. I can walk around the house Thursday at 4, with three written prices Friday. Would that suit you?
What exterior painting costs
Exterior painting costs $1,500 to $28,000. Prep, height and siding type set the price.
A full repaint of a typical two-story, 2,000 square foot house runs $5,000 to $12,000 with washing, scraping, spot priming, caulking and two coats. Heavy peeling, lead-safe work and wood repair push older homes higher. Most homeowners need the Full repaint tier.
Full repaint
$5k–$12k
- Soft wash of siding and trim
- Scraping and sanding of loose paint
- Primer on every bare spot
- All gaps and seams recaulked
- Two coats on siding and trim
- Windows, doors and fixtures masked
Restoration repaint
$12k–$28k
- Lead test and lead-safe containment
- Scraping and sanding to sound paint
- Full prime coat on wood siding
- Rotted sills and trim replaced
- Staging or lift for tall walls
- Two finish coats plus trim enamel
See an exterior painting range
Pick a tier, the square footage of the house and what kind of house it is. The figure follows the per-project numbers our exterior supervisors quote, with washing, prep and two coats built in.
A range, not a quote. Your written estimate comes after the visit and does not change once you approve it.
Typical range for your answers
Turn this range into a written exterior estimateWhere the money goes
Prep is almost as big a line as painting. That is why good exterior paint lasts.
Typical split for a full repaint of a two-story wood house. Paint on the wall is only as good as what is under it, and the prep line is the first place a cheap bid saves money.
Get my itemized exterior estimate
Spot prep or full prep
Spot-prime a house that is only tired. Fully scrape and prime one that is peeling.
When paint is chalky or faded but still bonded, washing and spot priming is enough. When it curls, cracks in patterns or shows bare wood across walls, the whole surface needs scraping and a full primer coat, or the new paint fails with the old. We check six signs.
| If this is true | We recommend |
|---|---|
| Paint is faded or chalky but does not lift with tape | Spot scrape and prime |
| Paint cracks in a pattern like alligator skin | Full scrape and prime |
| Peeling is limited to a few boards near gutters | Spot scrape and prime |
| Bare gray wood shows on large parts of a wall | Full scrape and prime |
| Fiber cement siding with sound factory paint | Spot scrape and prime |
| Many old layers are lifting off in sheets | Full scrape and prime |
How long it takes
A full repaint takes four to seven working days, plus any days the weather says no.
We paint when it is dry, the surface is warm enough and no rain is forecast before the paint sets. Most exterior paints need about 50 degrees and rising; some low-temperature lines go to 35. Your contract names a window, not a promise to paint in the rain.
Before day one
Walk-around and test
We check every side, probe soft wood, test older paint for lead and you choose colors on the siding.
Days one to two
Wash and scrape
Siding soft washed, loose paint scraped and sanded, ground covered and debris collected daily.
Days three to four
Repair, prime, caulk
Soft wood replaced, bare spots primed, gaps and seams caulked, windows and fixtures masked.
Final days
Two coats and walkthrough
Two coats on siding, enamel on trim and doors, masking off, cleanup and a walk around with you.
Remodeling concepts
Exterior painting: conditions and possibilities.
AI-generated examples of existing conditions and remodeling possibilities. Each image is a separate concept, not a documented transformation of the same home.
What goes on your house
Every coating is named in your estimate, primer, caulk and paint.
Exterior paint lasts as long as its weakest layer. We name the primer, the caulk and the paint line for each surface, so you know what will be protecting the house for the next decade.
Sherwin-Williams exterior
Duration and Emerald Exterior for long life and color hold; Resilience for jobs painted in cooler weather, down to about 35 degrees.
Benjamin Moore exterior
Aura Exterior and Regal Select Exterior, with strong fade resistance for sunny walls and deep colors that stay true over the years.
Paint safe for vinyl
Sherwin-Williams VinylSafe colors keep vinyl siding from warping. Dark shades on vinyl can overheat it, so we steer you to safe ones.
Exterior primers
Oil-based or stain-blocking primer on bare wood and cedar, and Zinsser Peel Stop to bind thin edges of old paint on older houses.
Sealants
OSI Quad Max and DAP Dynaflex 230 stay flexible for years in heat and cold, sealing trim joints and window edges under the paint.
Wood repair
Primed pine or PVC trim from brands like AZEK to replace rot, and two-part epoxy filler for small soft spots on sills.
Written into every contract
Six promises you can hold us to.
The approved price is the final price. Change orders only with your written approval.
A credit for every working day of delay we cause. Weather and inspections excepted, in writing.
Dust barriers, floor protection and a clean-up before we leave. Your home stays livable.
A text or email every working day with photos and tomorrow's plan, or the day is free.
Workmanship warranty in writing, transferable to the next owner, backed by a fixed address.
A small deposit, then you pay only for work that is already completed, inspected and photographed.
Who is at your house
The same exterior crew, from the first scrape to the last coat.
Each painter is background-checked and EPA lead-safe trained. They work outside, but they still protect your plants, walkways and windows, and clean the site every day.
Exterior supervisor
Tests for lead, watches the weather and sends daily updates.
Lead painter
Handles ladders and lifts and lays even coats on siding and trim.
Prep and repair tech
Scrapes, sands, replaces soft wood, primes and caulks every gap.
Illustrative project scopes
Exterior painting: scope and budget examples.
Planning examples with illustrative budgets and durations. These are not completed customer jobs, invoices or promises about your project.
Trim and front door refresh
- Example budget
- $3,200
- Example duration
- 3 days
- Record type
- Illustrative scope
Two-story fiber cement
- Example budget
- $8,900
- Example duration
- 6 days
- Record type
- Illustrative scope
Farmhouse lead-safe repaint
- Example budget
- $19,600
- Example duration
- 14 days
- Record type
- Illustrative scope
Your house is not average
Your house and climate are specific. Here is how they change the estimate.
The tiers set the starting point. These are the cases that change the prep, the paint or the schedule most often on exterior jobs.
An older house with lead paint
Exterior lead work over 20 square feet follows EPA rules: plastic on the ground, wet scraping, no power washing that sprays chips and daily HEPA cleanup. It adds days and cost, shown as their own lines before you sign.
Price a lead-safe exterior repaintA historic district
Historic commissions may review colors and forbid replacing original wood siding. We prepare color submittals, repair wood rather than replace it, and pick period colors, so the paint job does not stall at a hearing.
Price painting in a historic districtStrong sun on one side
South and west walls fade and fail years before the rest of the house. We use a paint line with high fade resistance on those walls and can repaint them alone between full repaints for about a third of the cost.
Price painting my sunny sideNear the coast or salt air
Salt, wind and humidity wear paint faster. We rinse salt off before painting, use stainless or coated fasteners on repairs and choose a mildew-resistant line, and plan on a slightly shorter repaint cycle.
Price a coastal exterior repaintA short painting season
Where autumn turns cold fast, we book early, use low-temperature paint for late-season days and watch the dew point closely, since paint that gets wet overnight before it cures can fail in its first winter.
Price painting before the coldPaint versus new siding
If the siding is sound, a repaint costs a fraction of new siding and adds seven to ten years. If boards are rotting or warped across whole walls, we say so honestly and point you to siding replacement instead.
Get my paint versus siding answerA tall or three-story house
Three-story walls, steep lots and tall gables need a lift or staging instead of ladders, which adds rental and setup time. We price the access on its own line so you can compare it with another quote.
Price painting my tall houseSelling this year
Curb appeal sets the first impression in every listing photo. Often the trim, the front door and the most visible side are enough to make the house look cared for, at a fraction of a full repaint, in two to four days.
Price a pre-sale exterior refreshWhat this service is
Exterior painting, defined the way we quote it.
Exterior painting is the preparation and coating of a house's outside surfaces, such as siding, trim, fascia, doors and shutters, including washing, scraping, sanding, wood repair, priming, caulking and two coats of exterior paint applied in suitable weather. ProBuild Remodeling does this work under its contractor license, with EPA lead-safe certification for older houses.
The service covers trim-only refreshes, full repaints of siding and trim, and restoration repaints with heavy prep, lead-safe containment and wood repair. It covers wood, fiber cement, stucco, brick, aluminum and vinyl siding. It does not include replacing siding, roofing or gutters, which have their own pages, or staining decks and fences.
It is for homeowners with faded, chalky or peeling paint, owners of older wood houses that need careful prep, and sellers who want curb appeal. It is not for siding that is rotting or warped across whole walls, which needs replacement, or for a single door you could paint yourself in an afternoon.
The words you will see on your exterior estimate
- Soft wash
- Low-pressure washing with a cleaning solution that removes dirt and mildew without forcing water into the siding.
- Spot priming
- Priming only the bare or repaired spots before paint. Enough when the old paint is still well bonded.
- Chalking
- A powdery film on old paint that rubs off on your hand. It must be washed off, or new paint will not stick.
- Alligatoring
- Paint cracked in a pattern like reptile skin, from too many layers or hard paint over soft. It must be removed.
- Tannin bleed
- Brown stains from natural oils in cedar and redwood that come through light paint unless blocked by primer.
- Dew point
- The temperature at which moisture condenses. Paint applied too close to it can stay wet overnight and fail.
- Weather window
- The dates when temperature, humidity and rain allow exterior paint to cure. Your contract names one.
- Lead-safe containment
- Ground sheeting, wet scraping and HEPA cleanup required by the EPA when disturbing older exterior paint.
Exterior painting questions
Eight questions we hear before every exterior job.
How much does it cost to paint the outside of a house?
A full repaint of a typical two-story, 2,000 square foot house runs $5,000 to $12,000 including washing, scraping, priming, caulking and two coats. Trim and doors alone run $1,500 to $4,500. Older, larger or badly peeling homes with lead-safe work run $12,000 to $28,000.
How long does exterior paint last?
On wood siding, a quality paint over good prep lasts about seven to ten years, less on sunny south and west walls. Fiber cement often holds paint 10 to 15 years. Stucco and brick last about 10 years. Stain on cedar lasts three to five.
What is the best time of year to paint a house exterior?
Late spring through early fall in most places, on dry days with temperatures around 50 degrees and rising and no rain for at least a day. Newer low-temperature paints extend the season, but dew and early frost still limit late-fall painting.
Can you paint in cold or humid weather?
Some lines, like Sherwin-Williams Resilience, can go on at about 35 degrees, but the surface must be dry and above the dew point for several hours. On damp or cold mornings we start later, and we stop if rain is expected before the paint sets.
Do you need to scrape all the old paint off?
No. Only paint that is loose, cracked or peeling has to come off, and edges are sanded smooth. When most of the surface is failing, we scrape and prime the whole wall. Stripping to bare wood everywhere is rarely needed.
What do lead rules mean for painting an older house exterior?
In homes old enough to have lead paint, disturbing more than 20 square feet outside triggers EPA lead-safe rules: ground sheeting, wet scraping, no uncontained power washing or torching, and careful cleanup. We test first and follow them if lead is present.
Can vinyl siding be painted?
Yes, with an acrylic paint in a color rated safe for vinyl, like Sherwin-Williams VinylSafe colors. Darker colors than the original can make vinyl absorb heat and warp. We clean it thoroughly first, and it usually needs no primer.
Is it better to paint or replace siding?
Paint when the siding is sound with only a few soft boards; it costs a fraction of new siding. Replace when rot, warping or cracks run across whole walls, or when you would repaint again within a few years. We probe the siding and tell you honestly which applies.
Exterior painting near you
Your remodeling address, within our service area.
A local crew paints your house in your climate's painting season, under the contractor license for your state listed below.
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Florida
- Check your remodeling address
Free exterior painting estimate
Send two photos and your answers. Get three exterior prices after the walk-around.
An exterior supervisor reads your answers, texts back within 5 minutes during business hours and books a walk-around to probe the wood and test older paint.