How Much Does It Cost to Paint a Brick House

It’s that time again – it’s time to paint your home! Perhaps you want to touch up the exterior of your home so it looks more appealing, or you just feel like changing things up a little. The problem? You have a brick house. Do you need to paint things differently when you have a brick house, and is it going to cost more money?

In this article, we’re going to answer this question. In doing so, we’re going to cover a few key things. We’re going to go into how much it usually costs to paint the exterior of a brick home by yourself, and we’re going to dive into ways that you can save money when you’re painting a brick house.

We’ve covered how much it will cost you to paint a house by yourself and how much it’ll cost to get a professional to do the painting for you.

Finally, we will go into the estimated costs for buying the supplies and the labor when you want to paint your house.

With that in mind, here’s how much it costs to paint a brick house!

What Does It Cost to Paint the Exterior of a House?

The answer to this question largely depends on how large the home in question is. You will need to know the size of the home in square feet, and you will need to know just how much work you will need to do to prepare in order to ensure that the job is done correctly.

It can often be rather difficult at first to know how much it will cost to paint the outside of a house. That’s why we’re going to break down the usual costs that you will have when you are trying to paint a house by yourself, and we will compare this to the costs that you will incur if you hire a professional to do the work for you.

How Much Does it Cost to Paint a Brick House Yourself?

DIY is often a great way to save yourself a bit of money when you are painting a brick house. Labor can cost a lot of money. If you don’t need to spend money on paying someone to do the work, it’s only natural to assume that you’ll have a little bit of extra money in your pocket at the end of the project.

With that being said, you may have some extra expenses that you need to consider if you are painting the house yourself. These are expenses that you wouldn’t have to worry about if you were hiring someone else to do the work for you.

For instance, you’ll need safety equipment, drop cloths, painter’s tape, paint rollers, brushes and paint trays. This isn’t even an exhaustive list.

Now, you may already have some of this gear at home, in which case your costs will drop a little. In this case, all you will need to do is buy the paint that you need in order to do the job.

Otherwise, here are some of the general prices that you may expect to pay for various items for your paint job.

• Painters Tape – $7
• Paint sprayer – $35-$85
• Drop cloths – $30
• Power wash
• Ladder – $50 – $80
• Paint Brushes – $10
• Disposable painting gloves – $8
• Disposable painter’s masks – $20
• Safety goggles – $12
• Paint tray – $8
• A gallon of exterior paint – $35 – $85
• Paint bucket – $12
• A gallon of primer – $35 – $55
• Caulk – $10
• Caulking gun – $15

The costs can often vary depending on the paint that you are planning on using, so it’s worth remembering that when you are budgeting.

If you don’t have all of the materials, then, you may expect to spend around $250 – $800 on gathering the materials and getting the paint and the primer together. Of course, this cost may be higher or lower, depending on the size of the house and any other additional costs that you may incur while you’re working on the project.

You’re likely going to be spending more money if you choose to buy a luxury paint that’s worth more money. You may also find yourself spending more money if you need to buy a few different colors of paint for the house.

Now, the costs mentioned above may still seem incredibly expensive. Thankfully though, even this cost is still going to be a lot less than you would have to pay if you hired a professional to do the work for you. In addition to this, it gets cheaper each time that you do it since you’ll have the painting supplies so you don’t need to buy them again. All you’ll need is to buy the primer and the paint.

Learning to paint your own home is a pretty rewarding thing, and it’s easy to do. For this reason, it’s in your best interest to paint your own home rather than getting a professional to do it. It can take some time to do, but you’ll get better at it after a while.

It can often be a lot harder to paint the exterior of a home, however. This is because you need to consider the weather when you are painting outdoors. If you aren’t feeling confident about waterproofing the exterior of your home, getting a professional in to help you can be useful.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Professional?

Painting a house isn’t for everyone. If painting your brick house yourself seems a little bit outside of your comfort zone, you may want to get a professional to help you out.

It’s worth remembering that the price is going to vary, not only depending on the size of your home but also based on the company that you hire to do the work. For that reason, we’re just going to be listing national averages here, since it would be nearly impossible to mention exact prices since they can vary so much.

Now, here’s the kicker. If you have a larger home then you’re going to be spending more money. This estimate may not be entirely accurate for your home.

In general though, you’ll likely be spending roughly $2-3 per square foot. This means that if you have a home with two stories measuring roughly 2400 square feet, you may be spending between $5000 to $8000 to get the exterior of your home painted. Again, this depends on where you are living and the company that you choose to hire.

A contractor will usually choose to charge you for the whole package rather than figuring out an hourly rate. This is usually because calculating things in terms of square feet can give the contractor an indication about how much the materials and the labor are going to cost.

Here’s another thing worth remembering. You are probably going to be spending more money to pay for your exterior walls to be painted – it’s a lot cheaper to paint interior walls. This is generally thanks to the fact that you don’t need to think about the durability and protecting your walls from the elements when they are inside. In addition to that, an interior wall usually won’t need so many layers of paint.

When it comes to brick, you’re going to need a lot more layers of paint because the material is very absorbent. As such, getting a contractor to do the work is usually best for a brick home since they will ensure that the paint is durable and lasts a long time.

Costs Per Square Foot

So, how much will the paint cost per square foot? Well, the paint that you choose can have a huge impact on this. One thing worth keeping in mind is that you’re more than likely going to need a minimum of two coats – it’s better to have 3 coats since this will help to ensure that the paint is completely sealed.

The first thing to do is to look at your paint and check how much a gallon will cover. Get paint that’s specifically designed for outdoor use though – interior paint is not going to cut it on your exterior.

After you have done this, work out how large your home is. This will help you to figure out how many gallons you are going to need to fully cover your property.

For instance, some paint brands will give you around 250 – 400 square foot coverage for each gallon of paint that you have. If your home is around 2400 square feet then you’ll need 8 gallons of this paint to cover the entire property. To be safe, it’s best to get up to 12 gallons in the event that you need additional coats.

Painting the Brick

It’s very important to ensure that you are buying paint that is specially made for brick, otherwise it won’t adhere to your walls properly. Thankfully you can usually get some very affordable paints for brick on the market. You can usually expect to pay around $20 per gallon to $80 per gallon.

The paint isn’t the only important thing that you will need, however. You are also going to need to get a good quality primer. This will give you the best finish since the surface will be smoother, so the paint will go onto the brick much more easily.

Loose paint will even be less likely to get trapped in the cracks in the brick too when you apply a primer. Get a good quality primer, and get slightly cheaper paint in order to save some money.

The Preparation Process

Preparing your paint job is a vital step if you want to ensure that you get the best possible results. You are going to need to power wash and scrub down the brick on the exterior of your house before you start painting.

Your paint will stick to the wall much more easily if you don’t have any grime or dirt on the walls. Ensure that you don’t have any mold or mildew on the brick.

You can get a mildew-resistant paint if you happen to find mildew on the brick, as this will help to keep your brick protected from mold and mildew in the future.

This may seem like a minor step, but it’s certainly an important one.

Saving Money

Now, as we’ve already established, painting a brick home can be rather expensive.

If you are painting the house yourself though, there are a couple of ways that you can save yourself some money during the process.

Paint Type

One of the best ways to save yourself money when you’re painting a house is to consider the type of paint that you’re using. Choose your paint wisely, since this can have a big impact on the amount of money that you’re spending on paint.

Naturally, you’re going to be spending a lot more money if you are using a number of different paint colors on your house. You’re going to need separate cans of paint for each color, after all. Buying the paint in quart sizes can help you to save a little bit of money if you just want one feature wall, however. Buy one quart of the feature color, then spend the rest of your money on buying more of the main color.

It’s also important to think about the paint finish that you’re choosing. You will generally find that a semi-gloss or a high-gloss paint will cost you far more money than matte paint. With that in mind, you may be able to save yourself some money if you go for the matte option instead.

Likewise, oil-based paints cost considerably more money than latex paints. If you’re on a budget then latex paint will be better. Oil-based paints are generally much harder to use if you’re a beginner too.

Should You Buy or Rent Your Supplies?

So, here’s a painting hack! You may not be aware of this, but you can often rent some painting supplies instead of buying them. If you look in stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot, you will often find that they will allow you to rent some of their home improvement and painting gear.

This is a real lifesaver when you’re painting the exterior of your home. You can simply go to Home Depot to loan a ladder, paint sprayer or a pressure washer instead of spending lots of money on buying one outright. This can save you so much money.

In addition to this, there are also libraries that can loan you some home improvement supplies. That’s right folks, they’re not just there for renting The Hunger Games book trilogy for the 14th time! You can check in with your local library to see if you can rent things like paint sprayers, and this will save you some money.

Or, you can take the easy route. Ask your friends and family if they have some gear you can borrow!

Offers and Damaged Goods

Keep an eye out for some bargains in your local hardware store! The store will likely have some sales on paint every now and again, and you can take advantage of these sales to save some money on the cost of your paint. Even a few dollars can make a big difference!

Alternatively, you can check if the store has any slightly damaged cans that you can buy, since they tend to sell for less money. This is because a lot of people won’t buy a dented can, but you’re generally getting the same amount and quality of paint from a dented can that you would get from a can that hasn’t been damaged. People just don’t like to buy things that don’t look perfect!

If you want to get really crafty, you can even check out something like Facebook marketplace or gumtree. This is a great choice if you want to save some money but you’re not sure about what color you want to use yet. You will find a large assortment of paints for sale online in many different colors.

You can sometimes find these paints available for free if they are near their expiration date. If you’re thrifty, you should definitely give this a try!

Other Money Saving Methods

Before you choose to paint your home and buy all of the necessary gear, it’s worth your time to take a look at the quality of the paint that you have on your home right now.

For instance, if you are noticing that there are a lot of places in your home that need to be patched up with things like putty or caulk, or if you are seeing paint peeling a lot, it’s worth getting a painting contractor instead. You will get a much better result in this circumstance than you would if you attempted to paint the walls yourself.

Unless you’re a professional painter, there are some things that are better off left to the professionals. If you make a big mistake on the exterior of your home then everyone is going to see it as they are walking past. This is not ideal if you want to make a good impression!

You should think about other costs that may not be so obvious, too. For instance, there’s always a chance that the paint will wear down over time, or it may start to peel if it hasn’t been applied to the wall in the right way. There’s nothing worse than spending hundreds of dollars on painting your home only to need to repaint it again in a year’s time.

There are also chances that the paint may not react well to types of siding. It’s worth taking these hidden project costs into account. If there’s anything that you’re unsure of or if you don’t feel confident, you should get a contractor to do the work. In these situations, getting a contractor is often the most cost-effective solution in the long run.

You may think that $5000 to $8000 is a little bit too much money to pay for getting your home painted, but in reality, if the job is done well then it’s going to last you for a few years. Not only that, but your home will look great to passers-by too. It’s best to spend a little bit of extra money for a high-quality result than it is to cut corners and spend even more money in a year to paint the house all over again.

If you’re confident that you can do a good job and you’re a professional painter then go ahead, paint the exterior of your house! If you’ve never painted the exterior of a home before and you’ve only ever painted the interior, then it’s often better to ask for a little help.

Even an assessment conducted by a professional painter can be helpful. A professional can help you to figure out how difficult the job will be, and whether it’s something that you can do yourself or if you need a little bit of extra help.

Conclusion

So, that’s everything that you need to know about the specific costs when it comes to painting your house. Of course, they aren’t set in stone, but they may help you to make a reasonable budget when it’s time to paint your home.

Ultimately, every single paint job is unique. The size of the home is different, and each home will have unique needs. Having an idea of how much things are going to cost in advance though is incredibly useful since it will help you to break down your budget.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re doing it yourself or if you’re getting a professional to paint the exterior of your home – planning how things will be done is the first step in ensuring that you get the best possible results.

In summary, it’s going to cost you a lot less money to paint your house without any outside help. All it takes is time and a couple of key supplies.

On the other hand, you may get a better finish if you ask a professional to do the work for you. Ultimately, it depends on your needs and your budget. With the right planning though, you are sure to get fantastic results in no time!