House Painting Cost Australia 2026: Interior, Exterior and by Room

Painting the inside of a typical three-bedroom Australian house costs about $6,000 to $12,000 in 2026 for walls, ceilings, doors and trims, done by professional painters with good-quality paint. The exterior is where prices spread out: a brick veneer house where only the eaves, fascia and trims get painted can cost $3,500 to $8,000, while a weatherboard home of the same size often runs $8,000 to $16,000 because every board needs preparation and two coats.

This guide is about the total cost of a paint job: whole homes, single rooms and exteriors. If you want the hourly and daily rates painters charge, see our separate guide to painter hourly rates in Australia. All figures here are indicative, include GST and assume a professional finish. Paint jobs vary a lot with condition and preparation, so get at least three written quotes for the same scope.

Interior painting cost by home size

These ranges cover a full interior repaint with two coats on walls and ceilings, doors, frames and skirting boards, standard patching, and mid-to-premium trade paint.

Walls only, without ceilings and trims, typically costs 40 to 55 percent of these figures. High ceilings, raked ceilings, stairwells and voids push the price up because they need scaffolding or tall platforms.

Rates by surface

Painters often build their quote from area rates like these, which include paint and labour:

• Walls, two coats: $14 to $25 per m² of wall area
• Ceilings, two coats: $12 to $22 per m² of ceiling
• Doors and frames: $120 to $250 per door, both sides
• Skirting boards: $8 to $15 per linear metre
• Feature wall in a strong colour: $150 to $350

A three-bedroom house of around 125 m² has roughly 350 to 400 m² of wall area. At $14 to $25 per m² that is $4,900 to $10,000 for walls alone, which is why most whole-home quotes land in the range above once ceilings and trims are added.

What each room costs to paint

For one or two rooms, painters usually quote per room. These prices include walls, ceiling and trims with two coats, assuming the room is emptied or furniture is moved to the centre.

Kitchens and bathrooms cost more per square metre than their size suggests. There is a lot of cutting in around cabinets, tiles and fittings, and bathrooms need a mould-resistant paint and often a stain-blocking undercoat on ceilings. A single small room also carries the painter's setup time and minimum charge, so one bedroom on its own costs more per square metre than the same room as part of a whole-house job.

Exterior painting cost by house type

Exterior prices depend more on the wall material than on floor area, because the material decides how much of the house actually gets painted and how much preparation it needs.

Painting rendered or weatherboard walls usually costs $15 to $30 per m² of wall for two coats including standard preparation. Weatherboards with flaking paint can need far more preparation than that, and older timber windows with putty and multiple panes are slow work at $150 to $350 each.

Roofs are a separate job with different gear and coatings. See our roof painting cost guide if you are considering doing the roof at the same time.

Painting inside and out: whole-home totals

For a typical three-bedroom single-storey home, a full interior and exterior repaint usually costs:

• Brick veneer: $10,000 to $19,000
• Rendered: $13,000 to $25,000
• Weatherboard: $14,000 to $27,000

Booking both with one painter can save some money on setup and travel, and the painter can match colours across trims inside and out. The trade-off is time: a whole-home job takes several weeks, and exterior work is weather-dependent.

Prices around the country

The table is for an interior repaint of a three-bedroom single-storey house, walls, ceilings and trims.

Three paint jobs, line by line

All figures include GST and paint.

Interior repaint of a brick veneer home in Campbelltown, NSW

A three-bedroom house of about 125 m², furnished, with scuffed walls, a few nail holes and a water stain on the bathroom ceiling. Owner chose a warm white throughout with one feature wall.

Exterior of a weatherboard cottage in Ballarat, VIC

A single-storey Edwardian weatherboard with about 140 m² of boards, flaking paint on the west side, ten timber sash windows and a front verandah.

Exterior of a two-storey rendered home in Baldivis, WA

A 2000s two-storey with about 260 m² of painted render, aluminium windows that do not need painting, and fine cracking on the west wall.

What makes a paint quote go up

Surface condition and preparation

Preparation is most of a good paint job. Filling cracks, sanding, washing, spot-priming and sealing stains take longer than the painting itself on an older home. A newish house in good condition is quick. A 1960s house with cracked cornices, gloss enamel trims and nicotine-stained ceilings is not, and the quote should reflect it. If there are plaster cracks or holes beyond simple patching, our plaster repair cost guide covers what those repairs cost before painting.

Colour changes

Going from a dark colour to a light one, or covering a strong feature wall, often needs a sealer or undercoat plus two top coats. Expect 15 to 30 percent more for big colour changes.

Ceiling height and access

Standard 2.4 to 2.7 metre ceilings are done from a small step or platform. Period homes with 3.3 metre ceilings, stairwells and raked ceilings need taller platforms or internal scaffolding. Outside, two-storey walls need scaffolding, a boom lift or ladders with proper fall protection.

Occupied or empty

Painting an empty house is faster than working around furniture, pets and a family. Many painters charge 10 to 20 percent more for a furnished home because of the time spent moving and covering things.

Paint quality

Premium paints cost more per litre but cover better, wash better and last longer. On a full interior, the difference between budget and premium paint might be $500 to $1,500, a small share of the total. Ask which brand and product range is quoted.

Trims and detail

Ornate cornices, picture rails, timber panelling, VJ walls in Queenslanders, decorative fretwork and old sash windows all take far longer than flat plasterboard. Gloss enamel trims usually need sanding and an adhesion primer before a water-based topcoat will stick.

Labour and paint: how the money splits

On most residential jobs, paint and materials make up roughly 15 to 25 percent of the price and labour the rest. A three-bedroom interior might use 60 to 100 litres of paint, which at trade prices is perhaps $1,000 to $2,000 depending on the brand. The remaining $5,000 to $10,000 is two or three painters for one to two weeks. That is why buying the paint yourself rarely saves much, and why preparation time, not paint, is what separates quotes. For a breakdown of what painters charge per hour and per day, read our painter rates guide.

Licensing rules for painters by state

• NSW: residential painting work worth more than $5,000, including labour and materials, needs a licensed painter or contractor. Check the licence on the NSW Fair Trading register. Jobs over $20,000 also need home building compensation cover.
• Queensland: painting and decorating work valued over $3,300 needs a QBCC licence.
• Western Australia: painting work valued over $1,000 must be done by a registered painting contractor. See Building and Energy WA for current rules.
• Victoria, SA, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT: there is generally no separate painting licence for residential repaints, though general building rules can apply to larger jobs. Check with the Building and Plumbing Commission (VIC), Consumer and Business Services (SA), CBOS (TAS), Access Canberra or the NT Building Practitioners Board.

Whatever the state, ask for public liability insurance. Paint on carpets, benchtops and cars is the most common claim.

Lead paint, asbestos and working at heights

Homes built before about 1970 may have lead-based paint in older layers, especially on trims, windows, doors and exterior weatherboards. Sanding, scraping or heat-gunning it creates toxic dust and fumes that are particularly harmful to young children and pregnant women. A painter working on an older home should test suspect paint and use lead-safe methods, such as wet sanding, dust containment, and HEPA vacuuming. Ask how they handle it.

Some textured ceilings and fibro eaves in homes built before 1990 may contain asbestos. Painting over intact asbestos sheeting is generally fine, but sanding, scraping or pressure washing it is not. If in doubt, get it tested.

Exterior painting at height is a common source of falls. Professionals should use scaffolding, platforms or boom lifts for upper-storey work, not leaning ladders for long periods. Safe Work Australia has guidance on working at heights that applies to painters as much as roofers.

How long a paint job takes and lasts

A three-bedroom interior takes a crew of two about one to two weeks. A single-storey exterior takes one to three weeks depending on material and weather. Two-storey homes and heritage weatherboards can take a month or more. Paint should not go on exterior surfaces in rain, heavy dew, strong wind or extreme heat, so build in some slack.

Interior paint generally lasts 7 to 10 years in bedrooms and living areas, less in kids' rooms, hallways and kitchens. Exterior paint on render and brick trims lasts about 8 to 12 years; on weatherboards facing west or north, 6 to 10 years is more realistic. Dark exterior colours fade and heat up faster. A soft wash every couple of years extends the life of exterior paint; our pressure cleaning cost guide covers that cost.

Painting before a sale or between tenants

A fresh coat of neutral paint is one of the most common pre-sale jobs, because scuffed walls and dated colours show up badly in listing photos. Vendors usually focus on the rooms buyers notice first: the entry, living areas, kitchen and main bedroom, plus the front of the house. A targeted pre-sale repaint of those areas often costs $3,000 to $7,000 rather than the full interior price. Agents tend to recommend light, warm whites and soft greys that suit most furniture.

For landlords, a repaint between tenancies works best when the property is empty, which keeps the price down and the job fast. Use a washable low-sheen paint in living areas so marks can be wiped off rather than repainted, and keep a labelled tin of each colour for touch-ups. Damage beyond fair wear and tear can sometimes be claimed against the bond, but normal fading and minor scuffs over several years usually cannot.

Picking sheen levels that last

Sheen affects how long a paint job looks good. Flat or matt finishes hide imperfections on ceilings and walls with uneven plaster but mark easily. Low sheen is the standard for living areas and bedrooms because it wipes clean without highlighting every bump. Semi-gloss suits kitchens, bathrooms and laundries, where moisture and splashes are common. Gloss or semi-gloss enamel is the usual choice for doors, frames and skirting boards. Choosing the right sheen for each room costs nothing extra and saves a repaint later.

DIY painting: what you really save

Interior painting is the most DIY-friendly job in the house. If you paint a bedroom yourself, you will spend about $150 to $300 on paint and supplies and save $400 to $900 in labour. The catch is time and finish. A professional crew paints a bedroom in a day; most owners take a weekend and still end up with uneven cut-in lines and roller marks on ceilings.

A sensible split for many households: do the simple bedrooms and walls yourself, and pay a painter for ceilings, stairwells, trims, kitchens, bathrooms and anything outside above the ground floor. Exterior work on two-storey homes, and anything involving lead paint, is best left to professionals.

Practical ways to reduce the bill

• Empty the rooms. Moving furniture out or to the centre and taking down pictures, curtains and hooks saves painter hours.
• Stick to one colour throughout. One wall colour and one trim colour cuts time, reduces leftover paint and simplifies touch-ups.
• Skip the ceilings if they are fine. Ceilings often look good for years longer than walls.
• Book in the quieter months. Late autumn and winter are quieter for interiors in the southern states. Exterior painters are busiest in spring and summer.
• Do the patching prep yourself, carefully. Filling nail holes and removing fittings is easy. Leave sanding of older homes to the painter if lead paint is possible.
• Bundle interior and exterior. A single booking for both often earns a discount and avoids two lots of setup.

Getting a painting quote you can trust

A written painting quote should spell out:

• Every room and surface included, and what is excluded
• Preparation steps: washing, patching, sanding, sealing, priming
• Paint brand, product range, sheen and number of coats for each surface
• Who moves furniture and protects floors and fittings
• Scaffolding or access equipment for high areas
• Start date, expected duration and payment schedule
• Licence number where required, ABN, insurance and a workmanship warranty

Be wary of a single lump-sum quote with no breakdown, no mention of preparation, a price far below others, cash-only deals, or a big deposit before the job starts. In NSW, the deposit on residential work over $5,000 is capped at 10 percent; other states have their own limits.

Hiring painters and prep help through Yakka

Painting is a natural fit for Yakka Labour. You can find painters near you for a single room, a full interior or an exterior repaint, and compare their rates and reviews. For bigger jobs, many owners also book a labourer for a day of painting prep: moving furniture, removing curtains and fittings, masking, washing walls and cleaning up drop sheets at the end.

Check licences where your state requires them, particularly in NSW, Queensland and WA, and confirm insurance before work begins.