Painting the outside of a house costs $3,000 to $10,000 for an average 2,000 square foot home in 2026, by national published figures. In St. Louis the first question is what is being painted. On a brick house it is often only the wood: cornice, windows, doors, dormers and porch. On a frame house in Webster Groves or Kirkwood it is every board.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, paint prices and the condition of your own walls, wood and brick move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How much does it cost to paint the exterior of a house?
Nationally it costs $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot to paint the exterior of a house, or $3,000 to $10,000 for an average 2,000 square foot home. The price per square foot is for the painted wall area, not the floor area.
| House size | Paintable area assumed | National range |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 800 sq ft | $1,200 to $4,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 1,200 sq ft | $1,800 to $6,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 1,700 sq ft | $2,600 to $8,500 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 2,100 sq ft | $3,200 to $10,500 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | $3,800 to $12,500 |
| 4,000 sq ft | 3,350 sq ft | $5,000 to $16,800 |
These tables assume the whole wall is painted. A bare brick house with painted trim does not fit them, so see the trim question below.
How much to paint a two-story house outside?
HomeGuide's main exterior page gives no separate figure for a two-story house. Its page on brick puts two-story homes at $2.50 to $3.50 per square foot and tall or detailed homes at $3.50 to $4.50. Its page on vinyl siding gives $1,500 to $7,900 for two stories and $3,200 to $13,100 for three.
Height matters here. Many city houses are two and a half stories on a narrow lot, with a gangway a few feet wide between neighbors. That means long ladders, careful setups and slower work at the cornice and dormers.
How much for a small single-story ranch?
For a one-story ranch, HomeGuide's brick page gives $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot, and its vinyl page gives $1,000 to $3,600 for a single story home of 1,000 to 1,500 square feet. The general table above gives $1,200 to $4,000 for 1,000 square feet.
The brick ranches of Affton and Florissant usually need much less than that table assumes, because only the eaves, gables, windows and doors are painted. We price what is actually there.
How much to paint just the trim, shutters and front door?
Exterior trim costs $1 to $4 per linear foot, or $1,000 to $2,500 for a house, by the national figures. Shutters are $50 to $100 per pair. A front door is $125 to $225. Eaves, fascia and soffits are $2 to $6 per linear foot, and an exterior window frame is $40 to $150.
This is the most common exterior job on a St. Louis brick house. The count of windows and the state of the old paint decide the price. Old wood sashes with failed putty take far longer than wrapped aluminum trim.
Does the exterior price include power washing, scraping and caulking?
In our quotes, yes: washing, scraping, caulking and priming are part of the job and are written into the price. Not every painter includes them, so check. As separate items, the national figures put pressure washing a house at $170 to $360.
No published figure exists for scraping a whole house or for caulking labor. Both depend on how much old paint has failed, and that can only be judged on site.
How much more if the old paint is peeling?
Peeling paint adds cost, but no national figure is published for a whole house, so we price it after seeing the walls. The published unit figures are $1.50 to $5.00 per linear foot to remove paint from trim and $2.63 to $7.05 per square foot for priming.
On houses built before 1978, peeling paint also brings in the lead-safe work rules, which add set-up and clean-up time. See our page on lead paint rules in Missouri.
How much does it cost to paint vinyl siding, brick or stucco?
By each material's own HomeGuide page, it costs $1 to $3 per square foot to paint vinyl siding, $1.50 to $4.50 for brick and $1.00 to $5.50 for stucco. Aluminum siding is $1 to $4 per square foot.
| Wall type | Per square foot | Average house |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | $1 to $3 | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| Aluminum siding | $1 to $4 | $1,500 to $7,000 |
| Brick | $1.50 to $4.50 | $2,000 to $8,000 |
| Stucco | $1.00 to $5.50 | $2,400 to $8,100 |
| Wood siding | $1.50 to $5.00 | No table published |
HomeGuide's main exterior page lists slightly different figures for the same materials: vinyl $1.50 to $4.50, aluminum $2.00 to $4.50, stucco $2.00 to $5.00 and brick $2.50 to $5.00. We show the figures from each material's own page.
Spray or roll outside: is there a cost or quality difference?
Spraying is faster on big open walls and rolling or brushing is slower but pushes paint into the surface. Both give a good finish when done right. The best result on rough wood, old clapboard and masonry is often spraying and then back-rolling or back-brushing while the paint is wet.
On tight city lots we brush and roll a lot, because overspray can drift onto a neighbor's car or brick. On large frame houses and fences with room around them, spraying saves time. We choose the method for the house and the wind that day.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (314) 742-3507.