If you want to revamp your home and change its aesthetic appearance, you might consider painting it. However, the question of “how much do painters charge" and how they come up with their rates might be something you might want to know. We are going to look at how painters arrive at their prices by understanding the whole process and review the quote thoroughly.

From this article, you are going to figure out the following.

• Jobs that a painter does
• Factors to consider when hiring a painter
• What painters might charge

What job does a painter do?

The painting work might seem like a simple task until you try it. It involves more than what you see with your eyes.

You need to consider painting materials, paints and surfaces to be painted in order have excellent results. Painters suggest that the most important thing is to prepare surfaces first before applying the first coat.

With a professional painter, you can get the right finish on all the projects around your home such as:

Exteriors: You need to paint your home after every five years or less if you reside near the coast.

Interiors: Most of the tasks a painter will do is to paint or repaint the interior of your home.

Colour consulting: You should seek advice about the colour scheme needed to paint the interior and exterior of your home to improve the aesthetic appearance.

Timber maintenance: The timber needs to be prepared in different ways, including painting and continuous special care to last long.

Commercial projects: If you have a large project such as commercial spaces and new buildings you need a painter with expertise in these jobs.

Fence painting: Your face might be made of metal or PVC, timber and need painting and proper maintenance to improve its appearance.

Wallpapering: Most painters have experience in hanging wallpaper.

Roof painting: Painting a roof needs safety equipment and particular protocol to be followed.

Special finishes: Painters can handle the final touches of your project by spraying paint on the surface.

How to plan your painting project

You need to consider specific factors that affect the results of your project and the cost of accepting quotes.

Those factors include:

• Do you need services regarding colour consultation? Colour consultation helps you to determine the best colours that might suit the interior and exterior of your home.

• What is the right type of paint to use? There is matt, gloss or low sheen and each has an exceptional finish. You, therefore, need to find out the look that you want and where you will use each of them.
• Your skirting boards, timber doors, and windows. These materials need an ideal wood stain, gloss or semi-gloss which might be available in water-based versions or oil.
• Do you need specific types of effects or finishes like wallpapering? You should note that some painters may not offer this.

Is it a must for my painter to have a licence?

The answer to this depends on your location. Some states may not need a licence. Areas that need permission currently are Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.

Painters need a recognised qualification like Certificate III in decorating and painting to get a licence. They are required to complete a painting apprenticeship to gain this qualification or have existing skills that can be assessed by this requirement.

Factors to consider when hiring a painter:

Before hiring a painter, let him answer the following questions:

• Do you have a licence?
• Do you have insurance to work in my home?
• How long will it take you to complete my job?
• Can you give me a written quote?
• Do you have references that I can follow up?
• Advice you should get from a professional painter.

You should expect the following advice from a professional painter

Nathan Waldron is a painter of Phoenix colour and has over 15 years experience in painting. His opinion is that you shouldn't be driven by price when checking quotes from painters.

He says that you need to prepare for high-quality results. While some people may opt for cheap quotes if they don’t prepare from scratch they might get the results after one year or more.

He recommends that you should be keen to match the right paint with the surface.

How do painters arrive at their rates?

How much do painters charge per square meter? Even though a painter will give a quote of the entire job when calculating the rates, this calculation is based on the meter basis. However, most cases these prices are inclusive of the paints and supplies needed. The charge per square meter is misleading as it accounts the labour of a painting job.

Interior factors to consider:

• Do you need any surface repair or preparation?
• Are there any trims or architraves?
• What is the height of the ceiling?
• What is the number of the doors that you need to paint?

Exterior factors to consider include:

• How easy is it to access your house? Is it on a level block?
• Is your house multi-leveled? If your house needs scaffolding, the cost might be more since there will be extra labour.
• Do your exterior fascias need different treatment?

How much do painters charge?

It is normal to find a wide difference between the rates when you try to get quotes from different painters. Many reasons can contribute to this.

Painters with a lot of experience can have a higher price to account for the preparation tasks required but they will use good quality materials and paint.

However, they should justify all these in a written quote. If you don't get a painter, who convinces you why he charges that amount, keep searching for the ideal painter.

So, how much will it cost to paint the interior of a house?

Interior house painters Melbourne charge an average cost of about $10 to $30 per square metre inclusive of the ceiling based on the finishing coats or a single undercoat.

It might cost about $10 if the painter uses a single colour with minimum trim work and preparation. If the job is more difficult and needs different colours, separate colour for the ceiling trim and gloss architraves, it might cost about $30 or more on every square metre.

 You should prepare to pay more on wallpapering or if you want to achieve sponged or crackle effects.

If you have a unit of 2 bedrooms, a laundry, and one bathroom, expect a quote of $2500-$3500. If you want fewer rooms to be painted in a kitchen/dining area, two bedrooms expect a quote of $800 -$1500.

The cost of painting the exterior of a house

Expect a quote of $15 to $45 for every square metre for painting the exterior of your home. The cost of painting timber surfaces could be between $12 to $60 on every square metre.

Expect a price of between $5,500 to $8,000 inclusive of fascia for a two story, three bedroom house. If you have a weatherboard home, it could cost between $10,000 to 20,000 depending on the condition of the surface of that house and its size.

This quote includes all previously painted areas and preparation work.

What is the cost of painting a roof?

Painting a roof can cost between $2,800 to $4,500 if it is a three bedroom home with metal, terracotta or tile surface. The final cost will depend on the existing state of your roof. The final price will also be inclusive of roof repairs such as repainting.

The prices and costs quoted above were sourced when this article was written. They may vary locally and can be affected by market forces. They should, therefore, be used only as a guide.

Looking for a painter in your neighbourhood to help with a home project? Simply list your job on Bricks+Agent, a convenient community hub to connect homeowners with local professionals. Register today for free and get the home help you need. 

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