Cost to Paint Exterior of a House in Seattle [2026 Data]

Exterior painting costs in Seattle average $4,305, and most projects in the city total between $2,912 and $5,748. Prices vary mostly based on home size and home height, but the siding material you have installed can influence prep time and ease of application, along with labor costs. Seattle residents should expect above-average costs for exterior painting due to the high cost of living, which has a big impact on labor costs.

Exterior Painting Cost Factors

Painting the exterior of a house in Seattle, Washington, can cost as little as $1,200 or as much as $8,786, depending on a few key factors. Make sure you consider all of the following to avoid surprises on your exterior painting estimate.

Home Size

It averages between $2 and $5.45 per square foot to paint the exterior of a house in Seattle. That means that the bigger your home is, the more money it will cost to paint. The average home in the city is just under 1,900 square feet, so you can adjust your budget depending on how your home’s square footage compares. Homes with more stories and hard-to-reach areas, like dormers, will also increase costs by around 50% per story.

Number of Stories

Painting a two-story house can cost up to 50% more than painting a one-story house. This is mainly because the additional stories are harder to reach, so setting up scaffolding and ladders will tack on extra labor costs. 

Nearly 40% of all homes in Seattle are single-story homes, so there’s a very good chance you won’t need to pay additional fees to have your professional paint siding on the second story.

If you do have to account for those extra costs, here’s what those increases could look like:

• Add 30% above 8 feet.

• Add 60% above 13 feet. 

• Add 90% above 17 feet.

• Add 120% above 19 feet.

Siding Type

While your home size and height are the two biggest cost factors to consider, the siding material you need painted can also influence your total. Some materials, like brick and stucco, are more likely to need repairs, resurfacing, and multiple coats of primer, which extend project time and increase labor costs accordingly.

Vinyl and fiber cement siding require less prep work before painting, and they’re less textured, which makes application easier. These are the most common siding materials in Seattle because they’re affordable and stand up well to the frequent rainfall in the city, and they’re also two of the most affordable to paint. You may need power washing before painting, but you’re less likely to need repairs and multiple coats of primer.

Prep Work 

Paint stripping costs $0.65 to $2.75 per square foot and is necessary to remove old paint in poor condition, such as paint that is cracking, flaking, or bubbling. These issues can prevent the new coats of paint from going on smoothly. This prep work is more common for certain siding materials, like brick or stucco, so most homeowners in Seattle, who have vinyl and fiber cement siding more often than not, won’t need to budget for this work.

You’ll also need to prime the home before painting, and primer costs $20 to $100 per gallon, not including labor. Most pros will include primer in the project’s total cost.

Add-Ons

You may want to paint more than just your home’s siding or touch up exterior paint on other surfaces, like trim. Maybe you need a fresh coat of paint on your deck, or your porch needs some TLC. Here are the costs of common exterior house painting add-ons:

Exterior Painter Costs

When you hire an exterior painting company in Seattle, you can expect between 80% and 95% of your total to go toward labor. Hiring a professional painting team costs between $1.35 and $4.75 per square foot or between $30 and $140 per hour for each painter. That price includes both adding primer and painting the home’s exterior.

Labor costs in Seattle are much higher than you’d see in most other cities, largely because the cost of living is 43% higher than the national average, and labor costs scale with the local cost of living. While labor is expensive, it’s still worth it to hire a pro for the job, as it will keep you off a ladder for safety, save you time, and provide the best curb appeal possible.

Does Exterior Painting Increase Home Value?

Speaking of curb appeal, painting the exterior of your home will boost its value because it makes your home more appealing to buyers. On average, Seattle homeowners can expect exterior painting projects to provide a return on investment (ROI) of 50%.

You can get more value for your money and potentially add more to your property value by choosing a type of exterior paint that’s designed to stand up to the frequent rainfall that occurs in Seattle. Going with a neutral color that conforms to your neighborhood can also help maximize your ROI.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We’ve surveyed thousands of real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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