The average cost to paint a stucco house ranges from $3,600 to $7,200, with a national average of $4,500. The size of your home and paint type impact cost the most.
Stucco makes for a beautiful and durable home exterior. It naturally resists mold and mildew, lasts 50 years with proper maintenance, and expands and contracts with the weather to avoid structural damage. It requires a new coat of paint every five to 10 years to keep things looking tip-top and to avoid costly repairs, but stucco isn’t as cheap to paint as some other exterior materials. Hiring a pro to paint the exterior of a stucco house can cost $3,600 to $7,200, or even more depending on factors like the size of the property, the type of paint used, and add-ons like sheen. Read on to see how that cost breaks down and where you can save.
The cost to paint a stucco home varies according to a number of factors. Here is what will determine your budget when hiring a local exterior painter.
Most pros use the home’s size and dimensions to determine the cost of an exterior painting project. Simply put, the more surface area that needs to be painted, the higher the cost will be. Depending on your location and the stucco’s condition, the cost to paint usually breaks down to around $1.80 to $3.60 per square foot. Dig up your home’s schematics to find the square footage of your exterior layout to get an idea of how much area you’ll need to cover. Remember that all houses are different, and one 2,000-square-foot home is likely to have a different-sized exterior from another. It all depends on the shape of the house. the design architecture, and the complexity of any additional fixtures so consider these ranges a starting point for your budget.
| Home Size (sq. ft.) | Cost to Paint |
|---|---|
| 1,500 – 2,000 | $1,200 – $9,400 |
| 2,000 – 2,500 | $1,700 – $11,600 |
| 2,500 – 3,000+ | $2,100 – $13,800+ |
Labor accounts for a big chunk of the total project cost and is closely tied with the size of the home. Hiring an exterior painter costs $25 to $100 per hour, or $1.50 to $4 per square foot, depending on experience level and the job's difficulty. On average, it takes three to five days to paint the exterior of a 2,000-square-foot home, but this can vary greatly based on actual square footage. For a more specific timeframe, talk to your pro. Seasoned pros have painted hundreds of houses, so coming up with an estimated completion time should be no problem.
Paint intended for a home's exterior must be durable and able to withstand the elements, so the cost per gallon is higher than regular indoor paint. Painting a home requires 10 to 30 gallons of paint, depending on the home’s size, so it’s important to make sure you’re buying the right kind of paint for the job before you shell out the cash. Here are the most common exterior paint types and their associated costs.
Elastomeric: This type of paint dries into a layer of protective rubber, offering supreme durability over your stucco walls. It’s tricky to lay down because it requires extreme precision, but you get extreme weather resistance once applied. This thick, durable exterior lasts around 10 years, hides cracks, and protects the wall from moisture damage. Elastomeric paint costs $1.50 to $5 per square foot, totaling $3,000 to $8,500 for a 2,000-square-foot home.
Color coat: If you just want your stucco to change colors and don’t care too much about weather resistance and durability, go with a budget-friendly color coat paint. Color coat paint costs $1.50 to $8 per square foot, totaling $3,000 to $16,000 for a 2,000-square-foot home.
Fog coat: This paint is a unique mix of pigment, cement, and lime, and is a good option for refreshing or recoloring stucco walls. It’s fairly budget-friendly and offers some decent durability and weather resistance, but the color choices are limited. Going with a fog coat costs $1.30 to $6 per square foot, totaling $2,600 to $12,000 for a 2,000-square-foot house.
Acrylic: Acrylic paint is breathable and flexible, weathering the elements fairly well, though it doesn’t last as long as elastomeric paint. You get plenty of color options here to suit aesthetic preferences. Acrylic paint costs $1 to $5.50 per square foot, totaling $2,000 to $11,000 for a 2,000-square-foot home.
Masonry Paint: This paint bonds extremely well to stucco, making it a preferred choice for many homeowners. The durability is high, it’s resistant to mildew, and is a good fit for most environments. The only downside? There aren’t that many colors. Masonry paint costs $1.25 to $7 per square foot, totaling $2,500 to $14,000 for a 2,000-square-foot home.
Beyond square footage, labor, and paint, there are some other cost factors that could come into play as you source contractors for this job.
Without a deep cleaning beforehand, a fresh coat of paint might not adhere to your stucco properly, so absolutely factor in a professional power wash to the budget. Pressure washing a house costs $200 to $420, depending on the home’s size and dimensions, or you can DIY a deep clean.
You should also conduct any necessary repairs to the stucco itself before laying down paint to avoid damage. Repairing a few cracks costs around $200, but deeper repairs average $1,200 and go up to $2,000 or more. Factor in wait time here, as stucco repairs must set for one to six weeks before adding paint. Talk to your pro for a more exact timeframe.
Beyond primer and paint, throwing down a layer of sheen can make those walls really pop, but exercise caution. Pros recommend against using satin or high-gloss sheen, as they amplify imperfections within the stucco. Go with semi-gloss or matte sheen for the best results, which cost anywhere from $15 to $60 per gallon.
The taller your home, the harder it is to safely get to the top to lay down a coat of paint. Multi-story homes drive up a project's cost by adding another layer of complexity and potential danger (not to mention more square footage.) To get to the top stories, painters must install scaffolding, use ladders, and clear away debris like tree branches. This work adds around $0.10 to $0.25 per square foot to the project cost.
Installing new stucco siding is expensive, so you probably don’t want to take on this job as your very first painting project. If you are comfortable with this type of work, you’ll save 70 to 80 percent of the project budget, as labor is the primary cost factor.
However, painting stucco by yourself presents some risks, as it’s easy for little mistakes to add up and place a spotlight on any cracks or imperfections. Additionally, if you have a multi-story home, you’ll need to wear protective gear, exercise extreme caution, and have a helper to hold the ladder. Work slowly and carefully to complete the job safely.
While you’ll save money by going the DIY route, you’ll lose time. It takes a seasoned pro three to five days to complete a house painting job, and will likely take a handy but inexperienced homeowner twice as long.
To DIY, you’ll have to source the paint, related materials, and any tools, which will likely cost you more in materials than it would a pro.
Finally, painting a multi-story home can be dangerous, so consider a pro for this part of the job, even if you want to paint the bottom story yourself. Remember, pros are insured and licensed to do this work, which adds peace of mind when ladders and scaffolding come into play.
Painting a house is an expensive venture, so look for any ways to save a few bucks where possible. Here are some tips for doing just that.
Do the prep work yourself: Clean the walls yourself, and remove debris to keep things tidy. Remember, painters charge by the hour, so it should cost less if they can get straight to work instead of fussing with a mess.
Go for a smooth texture: The rougher the texture, the more paint you’ll need. In other words, a smooth finish stucco exterior doesn’t require as much paint as the iconic lace and skip texture.
Combine projects: Tack on trim and some interiors to this painting project to save on labor costs if you know you’ll need to refresh them sooner or later.
Gather multiple quotes: Shopping around before settling on a candidate is always a good idea. This also helps you get an accurate local price range.
Bring the paint yourself: Knock a few bucks off your final bill by providing the paint yourself. Note: This only saves money if you already have plenty of the appropriate paint, as pros pick it up cheaply.
Stucco by itself is durable, but even paint made for harsh environmental conditions requires regular maintenance and upkeep. In other words, repaint your stucco every five to 10 years, depending on its current condition. Trust your senses. If it looks fine, it probably is fine. If it looks cracked and worn down, give it a new coat.
Painting your stucco wall is a lower-cost alternative to re-stuccoing the entire exterior, but certain paints lead to moisture issues. Make sure you choose the right paint for your stucco and for your local environmental conditions. Stucco can last up to 60 years, and taking proper care of it can ensure you hit that target's latter end.
Rollers and airless sprayers both work for applying paint to stucco, but a brush is not a viable option. Rollers work fine but will get exhausting with large projects like an entire home exterior, so only use a roller with a small job. For big jobs, go with an airless sprayer, as they work quickly and are easy to use.
