How Much Does It Cost To Paint A 2000 Sq Ft House? (2023 Estimates)

So, if you want to learn how much you should plan on spending to get your 2000 sq ft house painted, then keep reading for all our tips and insights below!

How Much Does It Cost To Paint A 2000 Sq Ft House?

Painting The Exterior

Exterior painting cost will be anywhere from $2,000-$8,000 to paint your home's exterior if you hire a pro.

Painting 2,000 square feet on the exterior of your home could cost less than painting the same amount on the interior if your home has a simple design that is easy to paint.

For example, say you have a square framed home with wood siding and minimal window trim/windows to mask over---painters charge less for easy jobs. 

Remember, the paint and supplies cost significantly less than the time it takes to prep a paint job.

Painting The Interior

Interior house painting generally requires a little bit more attention to detail, so professionals might want to charge you more for the interior than the exterior. 

That's normal, however, the price range is about the same as the exterior(somewhere between $2,000 and $8,000 for a decent paint job. 

DIY Painting 2,000 Square Feet

If you decide to do it yourself, the paint will cost about $400. Then, you'll have to factor in other painting tools that you don't have for your total project costs.

Cost Factors When Painting:

• Amount of prep work

If your house has lots of windows, lots of trim, if it's fully furnished, etc the paint job is going to be more time-consuming and ultimately going to cost more money.

• Paint quality

You can purchase paint that costs ~$20/gallon or paint that costs ~$40 per gallon, and it all depends on the quality you want out of your paint finish.

• Building condition

Aside from the prep work that is needed to paint, what is needed so that prep work can be started? Some interiors may need drastic drywall repair, and exteriors may need the siding to be completely replaced due to mold or deterioration.

• Labor 

You can spend a lot or a little on the labor for your paint job. 

Chances are, if you spend a lot of money, the paint job will be done in a flash.

And on the contrary, if you spend very little money, you are going to be spending a lot of time completing the job yourself.

Read More >> What Are The Best Exterior Primer Paints?

Average Cost To Paint A 2000 Square Foot House If You Do It Yourself?

We highly recommend painting yourself if you have the time, however, if it entails dangerous maneuvers like climbing up on a ladder, then it might be smart to hire someone else for the job. 

The average cost to paint if the square footage of your home is 2,000 square feet is about $500, because the paint will cost at least $360, and additional prep materials like caulk, spackle, painter's tape, paint sprayer, etc will add cost depending on the job.

Average Cost To Paint A 2000 Square Foot House If You Hire a Professional Company?

Exterior Painting

The national average for painting the exterior of a house ranges from $2,000-$8,000+, and this price doesn't really change for the interior. 

Painting the exterior could end up being on the cheaper side if you have a really simple design that doesn't require very much prep work.

Interior Painting

Interior painting could cost less than exterior because you can get away with using paint that is less durable, and it also doesn't typically involve any dangerous maneuvers that will cause the painters to want to give you a higher bid. 

On the other hand, the painters might want to charge you more for painting an interior because it involves more detail and prep work, and attention to detail.

Estimated Cost of Paint For A 2000 Sq Ft House?

We've done some research to find some ballpark pricing, and here's an estimate we scooped up:

10 gallons of primer(approx. $80/5 gallon bucket) + 10 gallons of high-quality paint(approx. $100/5 gallon bucket) = $360 total cost of paint

Since we already know the square footage, estimating the cost of paint is relatively easy. 

All you have to do is read the paint label to find out how many square feet each gallon will cover.

For general reference, each gallon will cover ~400 square feet of the painting surface. That means if you apply two coats(which you should), then you will get 200 square feet of finished product from each gallon. 

For the best results on your residential paint project, you'll want ~2 coats of prime + ~2 coats of the color coat.

That means you'll need about 10 gallons of primer, and 10 gallons of eggshell finish paint for a 2000 square foot project whether it be interior or exterior.

Estimated Cost of Labor For A 2000 sq ft house?

The estimated cost of labor for a $4,000 (average cost) paint job on your 2,000 square foot house would be around $3,600 if you subtract the cost of the paint. 

This number will obviously change depending on the price you pay for your specific job. Let's elaborate:

When a painting contractor or salesman gives you a price for your entire home, the price they give you is completely made up, and there are a few different factors that come into play. 

Here are a few variables that will change the price of your painting bid:

• The difficulty of the job

Painting pros will 100% charge you a higher price on a new paint job if it requires getting up on a ladder and performing more dangerous work. 

Say you need a completely moldy property ---the painters will either advise you to call a hazmat team or charge you a premium price just because they won't want to do it.

• Manipulation of the sales team

Remember, some painting contractors have a sales team where their job is to literally bid the price too high so that they can earn a fat commission.

Keep this in mind when hiring painters to come to paint your project, and don't forget to get multiple bids from different painting companies to find out which is going to give you the best deal.

• Distance

Distance always comes into play when painters give you a price because they have to cut out time to get to the job. 

A pro painter might jack up the price on your home's exterior just because he/she doesn't want to take the time to commute to your location. 

Read More >> What Is The Best Interior Paint To Use?

DIY Price Of Labor

You obviously won't have any labor cost when painting yourself, but what you will lose is time. 

In some cases, you might think that you are saving money by doing the job yourself when the fact is you could have hired out the work for much less than what you make at your day job.

Hourly painting labor costs differ from state to state. 

For example, painting employees in Utah might make $20/hour while painters in New York make $40. It really just depends on the economy of the area. 

How To Save Money When Painting A 2000 sq ft house?

Purchase In Quantity

You will save money on paint when purchasing a 5-gallon bucket compared to a gallon of paint.

We don't typically purchase paint from home improvement stores like Home Depot(Behr is a super hard paint to apply) because it lacks quality. 

You are better off purchasing quality paint from Amazon or using a specialty paint shop that sells quality high-gloss and other types of paint. 

The quality of paint makes a big difference because it is so easy to work with. Brands like Sherwin-Williams make paint applications a breeze.

Painting fewer coats can be a good idea if you are repainting with the interior paint, however, you have to consider that applying a fresh coat of paint won't always cover up the old paint color. 

That's why it's a good idea to paint at least 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of high-gloss finish coat(or your sheen of choice).

Hire A Handyman

You might check your local classifieds/marketplace for a local handyman who is licensed and insured for the job.

You could end up paying a lot less to get your house painted by a handyman that charges at an hourly rate when compared to a painting company that will charge you a flat rate that is usually pretty expensive.

Use The Internet To Help

The internet is a fantastic tool to help, whether it's looking up cost guides, or purchasing paint and supplies for your repaint.

Borrow Paint Tools From A Friend/Neighbor

Don't have a paint sprayer? Your neighbor might be willing to lend you one. Painting your home is one of those tasks that happens once every 10-20 years, so it might not be in your favor to buy an expensive paint sprayer if your neighbor is willing to let you go to town with theirs.

You could also purchase a cheap HVLP paint sprayer off Amazon that performs paint jobs effortlessly.

Paint It Yourself

There is a lot of prep work that is required when painting, but if you have the free time and an able body, painting yourself will save you a large chunk of cash.

Not sure what you'll need for the job? Let's go over a few of the basics to help you save money:

• Caulk

Even if you are repainting, caulking will help seal in all the trim and cracks in your paint job. Caulk is completely necessary for interior and exterior painting. A wet rag and a bucket will help you clean off your hands after wiping the caulk.

• Sandpaper

Sanding is also a must even when repainting. You'll want some sanding sponges for sanding the trim and also a sanding pole with some 120-grit sandpaper for sanding the drywall before painting and in between coats.

• Drop cloths

Drop cloths help you keep your work area clean, whether it's laying one down over a wood floor or draping it over a leather couch. Painting contractors always have a few drop cloths in their inventory to prevent from disastrous paint spills.

• Paintbrushes

You'll want to grab a paintbrush for cutting in edges before rolling, and if you are spray painting you'll still want a paintbrush to go back and do a small touch-up afterward. 

• Painter's tape

Buy some quality paint tape, and you won't regret it. Why? The cheap tape can sometimes melt and be hard to unravel, plus cheap paint tape can sometimes be hard to remove after sitting on its surface for too long. 

• Paint masker/masking film

Want to save a bunch of time on your prep work? Buy a paint masker like this one. 

What does a paint masker do? 

A paint masker connects masking film or paper to the tape and lets you roll it out simultaneously. It's an easy way to cover just about anything because you can purchase masking film that comes in different sizes.

• Paint sprayer

A paint sprayer will help the job go a lot faster.

If you are painting on a new construction/exterior, then you should definitely use a paint sprayer because it is just so much easier. 

The only time when you wouldn't really want to use a paint sprayer is when painting decorated interiors that have a lot of furniture and objects to cover up.

• Latex paint

You'll more than likely want to use latex on your project, whether it be interior or exterior. Just be sure to purchase exterior-specific paint when painting the outside of your house. 

Remember to use a primer before painting for the best results!

Oil-based paint is outdated, toxic, and just not really a good solution for the modern-day paint job.

• Power washer(for exterior)

When painting the exterior of your house, you can easily prep the surface by power washing all the dirt, debris, loose pieces of paint, etc so that you are ready to paint once it dries. 

• Step Ladder

A step ladder is 100% necessity when painting, whether you are using it to spackle spots that are out of reach or cutting in the ceiling edges.

• A-Frame Multi-Purpose Ladder

An A-Frame ladder makes tasks like painting stairs a breeze. 

Check out our list of top-rated ladders for some good ideas(and prices) when purchasing a ladder for your paint job.

• Drywall Repair Kit

Drywall is never perfect, and you might want to patch some holes with a cheap and easy drywall repair kit from your local home improvement or hardware store aside from spackling in all the imperfections.

Remember, spackle is for filling in dents, not holes.

• Spackle

Spackle is great for smoothing out all the imperfections in the drywall or siding of your painting job. 

All you have to do is apply a small amount of spackle onto the surface with a putty knife with one motion, and wipe it flat with a second motion. Then you can go back and sand it flat ~20 minutes later with a sanding sponge.

• Blue dye

You can purchase a blue dye at your local painting store that mixes in with the spackle to make it more visible after it is applied. 

This is extremely useful because it helps the painter to not miss un-sanded spackle spots before painting.

• Screwdrivers

You'll need a small set of screwdrivers for removing things like outlet covers and lighting units. 

• Putty knife

Putty knife is an essential painting tool that helps with tasks like spackling, and they are also extremely useful for removing baseboards. 

• Nail set

Pro painters always keep a nail set handy to knock in those nails that are sticking out finish work like trim and baseboards.

Read More >> How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Single Room?

Difficult Job? You're Better Off Hiring A Pro

Hiring a pro isn't a bad idea. Besides, 2000 square feet is a pretty large surface area to paint, and it may be time-consuming to get the job done satisfactorily if you don't have any prior painting experience.

But, hiring a pro is more expensive when it comes to painting costs.

Why do professional painters cost so much? Here are a few reasons.

• Retain the value of your home

A pro paint job will help your home keep its value. Chances are, if you go to sell your home, you will get a better appraisal if it is painted up to perfection by a pro.

Having a pro exterior paint job increases the curb appeal of your home or business, so chances are you will get a better price if you are looking to sell in the future. 

• More attention to detail

A Professional will caulk in the cracks and spackle the walls better than an amateur. 

• Licensed and insured

Painting is more dangerous than you might think. One fall off a ladder can cause serious injury, and if the worker you have hired isn't insured for the job you might have problems. 

Ask Us Questions!

The biggest way to eliminate doubts and ultimately save money is by asking us questions on our page.

We want your home to turn out the way you wanted it to.