How long does it take to paint a house?

We all want our home to look its best every day, which means we also want to be able to upgrade our home as fast as possible so it won’t get in the way of our daily routines.

If you’re considering hiring a professional painting service to paint your home, you might have some questions and concerns about the timeline of the undertaking. 

One of the first things you may ask your painters is, “How long does it take to paint a house?”

On average, a home painting project is completed in less than a week, but this timeline varies depending on a multitude of external and internal factors. 

We’ll take you through some of the most significant factors that affect a residential painting project and how they may play a role in your project timeline. 

The repairs and renovations involved

If your home is in need of some repair work or renovations, these will need to be done before the painting can commence. Depending on the extent of the work needed, this may take a significant portion of time before you can get to the actual painting part of the project. 

This stage can include sanding, filling, caulking work, and sanding down again so the walls are super smooth—all of which take extra time. 

If it’s a brand new home that you’re planning to paint, that too requires a fair amount of work on the drywall before your painters can take over. Working on the drywall usually adds 1–4 hours for patching smaller holes, and up to a full workday to replace an entire sheet. 

In addition, it’ll take an average of three more days for drywall to be completely dry. 

While this may seem like a hassle, making sure this foundation is right before your painting takes place will help guarantee a finished home that will be your pride and joy for many years down the line. 

The number of rooms that must be painted

Generally, painters take around 6 hours to complete a room of average size—around 12×12 feet. But if you have a lot of furniture that must be protected and moved around, it may extend these hours. 

If you’re wondering what the average time is for the completion of an interior painting project, it’s usually a room per day, per house painter. 

To answer the question, “How long does it take to paint a house?” An average-sized home of 1,500–2,000 square feet, may take an average of 3–5 days to complete. 

If your painting project also includes doors, trims, baseboards, and ceilings, the time may extend to an average of 4–6 days. 

The weather throughout the project

Particularly for exterior painting, the weather is an important deciding factor. A heavy rainy season, for example, can extend the time frame of your project.  

Rainy, wet, or damp weather will have a drastic effect on your paint, in addition to it taking much longer for your paint to dry. 

If you account for inclement weather, an average exterior painting project takes 7–10 days, but for smaller homes, this timeline will be much shorter.

We’re all after a swift and flawless paint job, and the best way to do that is to make sure the weather is on your side when you’re planning out your project. Whether that means timing it just right or avoiding the rainy or cold periods altogether when you start your project. 

Your professional painting team will be able to help you land on the ideal timeline that is convenient to you, and promises the very best finish for your home. 

The design and finishing coat

How long does it take to paint a house when you choose a unique design?

While standard painting work often assumes the application of one coat of white paint on the ceiling and two coats of colored paint on the walls, not everyone wants that traditional finish. 

If you’re looking to amp up the aesthetic of each of your rooms with unique colors, or customize a design for each of your home’s spaces, you’ll need to account for a significantly longer period for project completion.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you opt for dark colors like red, the paint has to be applied three or even four times on the same wall to bring out the bold hue. 

How long does it take to paint a house—it all depends on you

While the average number of days for a residential painting project may be much shorter, depending on the above factors, it may take less or more time than this estimate. 

Communicating your preferences and painting goals to your professional painters will help you determine the timeline of your project as accurately as possible.