Exterior Painting Costs for Triangle Houses

Exterior paint protects siding and trim from the Triangle's summer sun and humidity, and a good job on a well-prepped house can last years. The price depends less on paint than on the house: its size, height, siding and condition.

The national ranges

HomeGuide's exterior painting guide (July 9, 2025) says professional exterior painting costs $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot, or $3,000 to $10,000 for an average 2,000-square-foot house. Painters who charge by the hour charge $25 to $75.

By siding type

HomeGuide's prices include labor and materials. It also notes that painting vinyl siding may void some siding warranties, so check yours first.

Other exterior items

What drives the price

Prep. Scraping, sanding, caulking, priming bare wood and replacing rotted trim take most of the labor on older houses. A house that's been neglected costs much more than one repainted on schedule.

Height and access. Two-story houses, steep lots and houses with porches over slopes require taller ladders, scaffolding or lifts.

Detail. Victorian trim, shutters and multiple colors add hours.

Color change. A big color change, especially light over dark, may need an extra coat.

Rot repair. Window sills, fascia and the bottoms of trim boards often rot first. Ask how repairs will be priced.

Lead paint in older homes

Many houses built before 1978 have lead paint on the exterior. In North Carolina, renovation work that disturbs paint in pre-1978 homes must be done by a certified renovation firm following lead-safe practices. HomeGuide puts lead paint removal at $6 to $17 per square foot, though full removal is rarely needed for repainting; lead-safe prep and containment usually are. This matters in older neighborhoods like Oakwood and historic Hillsborough. See our lead-safe renovation guide.

In local historic districts, the rules for color, siding and trim vary by town and district. Check with preservation staff before replacing siding or trim, and before assuming a color change is exempt.

A worked example

Suppose a painter measures 2,000 square feet of paintable wall on a 1990s house with fiber-cement siding and painted trim. At HomeGuide's $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot, the walls alone would land somewhere between $3,000 and $10,000. Where it falls depends on the factors above. A single-story house with sound caulk and one body color sits toward the bottom. A tall house on a sloping lot with peeling trim, three colors and a dozen rotted sill ends sits toward the top. Add trim at $1 to $4 per linear foot if it's priced separately, plus doors, the garage door and any deck or porch floor. This is a hypothetical for reading quotes, not a local price. Your bids will tell you where your house actually falls.

Making the paint job last

Most exterior paint fails because of moisture, not age. You can stretch the life of a paint job in a few ways:

• Keep gutters clean so water doesn't overflow onto fascia and trim.
• Trim shrubs back from the walls so siding can dry after rain.
• Make sure sprinklers don't spray the house.
• Recaulk joints around windows and trim when gaps open.
• Wash mildew off north-facing walls before it stains the finish.
• Touch up chips and bare wood promptly.

Annual inspections and small repairs cost far less than heavy prep on the next repaint.

When to paint

Spring and fall usually offer the best painting weather in the Triangle: mild temperatures and lower humidity. Summer painting is possible with early starts, but painters avoid direct afternoon sun on dark colors. Paint labels specify minimum temperatures for application and curing; ask your painter which product they're using.

Comparing bids

Make sure each bid specifies:

• surfaces included (siding, trim, doors, shutters, porch floors and ceilings);
• the prep process;
• primer use;
• paint brand, product line and number of coats;
• how rot repair is priced;
• lead-safe certification for pre-1978 houses;
• cleanup and touch-up;
• the warranty terms in writing.

Learn more in our exterior painting guide.