Are you wondering how much it costs to paint your vinyl siding?
You’ve come to the right place!
In this ProPaintCorner.com guide, you’ll learn:
- The typical cost of DIY painting vinyl siding
- How to save money when painting vinyl siding
- How much it usually costs to hire a professional vs. do it yourself for vinyl siding
- The estimated cost of labor and supplies to paint your vinyl siding
And much more!
So, if you want to learn about the cost of painting vinyl siding, then keep reading our guide for all our tips and insights below!
Psst! Are you wondering how much it will cost to paint your home's entire exterior instead?
Read More >> How Much Does It Cost To Paint A House's Exterior?
How Much Does It Cost To Paint Vinyl Siding?
The truth is, painting vinyl siding will vary in cost greatly depending on a variety of factors.
For instance, if your current siding is worse for wear and has a bunch of mildew, mold, or other glaring issues, it's going to cost more to bleach that away, use caulk to seal up cracks, and do a thorough power wash to prepare the surface for paint.
Obviously, different siding materials age differently and therefore require different levels of prep work.
But, even though vinyl siding doesn't age as poorly as wood siding, it still has it's share of problems with grime.
So, if you know your old siding needs a lot of help to get it prepared for new paint, please factor that into the cost estimates below before making a decision about DIY vs. hiring a painting contractor.
The short answer here is that painting vinyl siding can cost between $100 to $250 per 300 sq ft. of surface area.
And when you compare that with a full siding replacement job done by professional contractors, repainting the siding will save you more than 50% of your money if you can extend it's life a few years.
Here are a few price estimates based on the average two-story home sizes:
National Average Cost for a 2,500 sq ft. home: $1,500
DIY High-End Cost: $1,500
DIY Low-End Cost: $775
Professional High-End Cost: $7,500
Professional Low-End Cost: $2,500
But, these numbers - as you can see - vary a lot and in order to estimate the overall costs for your home, you need to take into consideration all the factors that determine the project costs.
Let's break those down a bit further below!
Average Cost To Paint Vinyl Siding If You Do It Yourself?
If you're handy and have a decent grasp on home improvement projects, giving your siding a new look without breaking the bank, painting your siding yourself can drive down the overall paint cost dramatically!
But, before you get your paint supplies together, make sure you consider all the things that this painting job might entail.
For example, while repainting your existing siding is much less expensive than paying for new vinyl siding (and usually paying for professional new siding installation), there are other aspects of this project that can drive up costs.
This might include power washing, sanding, acquiring a ladder if you have a two-story home, and even getting a paint sprayer to apply the paint smoothly and evenly.
All of these things will drive up the paint cost significantly and shouldn't be ignored, because the fact of the matter is exterior paint and exterior painting projects are much more crucial to the safety and durability of your home than interior painting projects will be.
Ensuring that you do this project well is important for the weatherproofing of your home and the lifespan of your exterior siding.
Supply Costs
There are several key painting supplies you'll need to get this job done properly.
Below, I'll break them down in an itemized list so you can total up the supplies you'll need and get a more precise idea of the supply and paint costs you'll incur if you decide to DIY this paint job:
- Drop Cloths (2 packs at least) - $22
- Painter's Masking Tape (2 rolls) - $15
- Paint Sprayer - $55
- Paint Tray - $6
- Paint Brushes (For Detailing) - $10
- Disposable Painter's Masks - $20
- Disposable Painting Gloves - $8
- Safety Goggles - $12
- 1 Gallon of High-Quality Exterior Paint (such as Benjamin Moore Paint) - $65
- 1 Gallon of Regular Quality Exterior Paint - $38
- 1 Gallon of Primer - $38
Now, if you've painted before or you have access to some (or all) of these supplies already that will drive down your paint costs significantly, but I'm going to assume you'll need to buy everything on this list - including a reasonably priced paint sprayer - to get the paint job done.
Based on that assumption, and based on the national average size of a 2,500 sq ft. home, the range of costs for painting vinyl siding is:
$775 - $1,500
While this might seem like a high project cost, it's mostly based on the assumption that you have a 2,500 square foot home to paint and you need about 8 gallons of paint and primer to cover the surface well.
But, the overall project costs will depend greatly on the type of paint you choose, the type of paint finish you choose, and how much primer you need.
For instance, if you're trying to cover up a darker color with high-quality eggshell paint, it's going to cost more than if you're just repainting the siding the same color and can use a lower-priced paint like KILZ to get the job done.
Even if you are going the high-quality route, however, the total cost of your paint job is still going to save you plenty of money in the long run compared to hiring a professional painter.
Plus, the amount of curb appeal it can add to your home's exterior can increase your resale value significantly, so the higher total cost of the project might pay for itself if you're planning to sell soon.
Read More >> How Do You Paint Your Home's Exterior Yourself?
Average Cost To Paint Vinyl Siding If You Hire Professional Painters?
So now you might be wondering - how much money am I really saving by going the DIY route compared to hiring a professional painter?
Well, this will depend on where you're located (with bigger cities having higher total costs than more rural areas) and how much square footage you need to be painted.
Most professional painters will charge by the square foot, rather than in hours because it makes it easier for them to estimate the labor costs of the project for their team.
With that in mind, you'll find most painting companies charge between $1-$4 per square foot.
Which again, means if you have a house on par with the national average square footage of 2,500, you're looking at a price range of:
$2,500 to $7,500
This may seem like a large total price tag, however, if your home desperately needs a fresh coat of paint in order to sell, paying a team of professional painters to get the job done right can save you a ton of time and possible pay for itself upon the sale of your home.
Read More >> What Are The Best Paint Sprayers For Painting Walls?
Estimated Cost of Paint For Vinyl Siding?
One thing I'd like to break down a bit further is the paint cost associated with painting vinyl siding.
This is one of the biggest variables that influence the total cost of your painting job for your home's exterior, and it's also one of the areas where I'd recommend investing a bit more in order to yield the best results.
This thing about paint is the higher quality paint you choose, generally, you're going to get higher quality results.
But, I understand that paint can cost an arm and a leg for something as big as a 2,500 sq ft home.
If you want to get a better idea of which high-quality exterior paint to choose for painting vinyl siding, I'd recommend checking out our price guide article on Benjamin Moore paint.
You could also purchase Sherwin Williams or Behr paint as well as these are the top quality brands on the market, but in my opinion, Benjamin Moore makes the best exterior paints for the price.
That said, my estimates for this article account for about 8-9 gallons of paint for a 2,500 sq ft home because - in general - a can of paint can cover about 300 sq ft of surface area.
One other reason I recommend Benjamin Moore for this is because all of their paints are paint/primer combos which means you could cut out the primer costs.
While I don't personally think that cutting out primer is going to yield the best results, if you're not attempting to cover up a darker color of paint and you really need to save the money, Benjamin Moore paint/primer combos are a good way to do that.
With all that said, the overall estimated cost of just the paint for this project is:
High-End Paint Cost for 2,500 sq ft. house: $650
Low-End Paint Cost for 2,500 sq ft. house: $325
How Can You Save Money When Painting Vinyl Siding?
If you're determined to save as much money on painting your vinyl siding as possible by doing it yourself, there are a few ways you can save money in the process.
Lowering the total cost of your painting project ultimately comes down to finding the right places to cut costs without sacrificing the overall quality of your finished painting job.
Types Of Paint
One of the best ways to save money is to choose the type of paint you're using carefully.
Obviously, if you choose to go with multiple paint colors, your project costs will be more.
Typically, high-gloss and semi-gloss paints cost more than eggshell or flat paints.
Also, latex paints are typically cheaper than oil-based paints, though they're generally a little less durable so keep that in mind when painting your home's exterior. Exterior paint needs to be more durable than interior paint, especially if you live in an area with extreme weather.
So use caution when attempting to cut costs in this area.
Read More >> What Are The Best Exterior Primers For Covering Peeling Paint?
Renting vs. Buying Supplies
Did you know you can actually rent certain painting supplies rather than having to buy them?
Most Home Depot stores and Lowe's stores have a rental program where you can rent out certain painting and home improvement supplies.
So if you know you'll only need those supplies for this particular project, that can be a much more cost-effective way to get the things you need.
Here's another thing that blew my mind when I learned it: some libraries rent out basic home improvement supplies!
Check with your local library to see if they have any tools like paint rollers and paint trays on hand that you can borrow. That'll save you lots of money on your painting project and you'll still be able to get the job done right.
Obviously, the cheapest route here is to see if any of your friends and family have some painting supplies they could lend you for the day.
Read More >> What Are The Best Paint Rollers To Use?
Sales And Dented Cans
Another way you could try to save money on paint is by waiting for your local hardware store to run a sale. Even if they knock off a few dollars on a can of paint, this can save you a bunch of money if you know you have a bunch of square footage to cover.
You can also see if they have any dented or otherwise blemished cans that they could sell to you for less.
Most people don't want to buy dented cans (just like ugly produce) but the paint inside is the same stuff, and if you can get it for a bit cheaper that's more money left over for you!
Hot Tip: One more place you can look for cheap paint is Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. This works best if you're not picky on color or you're going with a standard color like white.
I've seen some people getting rid of a large number of paint cans near their expiry date for FREE on those sites, so it might pay off to be a little thrifty.
Final Thoughts On Painting Costs For Painting Vinyl Siding
Now that we've broken down the estimated costs for painting your vinyl, these cost estimates should give you a good idea of the overall price you're looking at.
While every painting project is different, knowing the range of costs before you start is always helpful so you can find all the areas of the budget that you can cut back on.
Plus, it can help you decide whether you want to hire a painting service to help you avoid the time-consuming undertaking of painting it yourself.
No matter how you decide to get your house painted, I wish you the best of luck on your painting project.
As always, happy painting!
