How Much Do You Pay a Painter Per Hour?

Please note that the price information in this article was based on data from 2018 and may now be outdated. 

Some painters will charge you by the hour, others may charge a fixed rate or use rates per room or square metre. Regardless, painting projects can get pricey.

So, if you don’t want to watch your fortune fritter away, you better not make hasty decisions. First, do your research on how much money you’ll have to fork out for your paint job.

Here, we inspect the average hourly rates painters will quote you in Australia. With this knowledge, you can choose the best painter for your job at the best price with greater confidence. And get your painting project rolling in a jiffy.

What hourly rate do painters charge?

You must have asked yourself this question somewhere along the line while planning your interior makeover. How much will you have to pay per hour for a house painting service?

There are huge price range differences in hourly rates different professional painters will give you when offering their quotes.

This will largely depend on the painter’s experience, the complexity of the job, the location and whether you need interior versus exterior jobs done. Moreover, you can expect higher rates in the summer because that’s when the demand for painters is typically higher.

Finally, the average price range for a paint job in Australia typically runs from $25/h to $60/h.

Expect to be quoted in the bottom of the range if you’re only in for simpler work. While for a more complex job the price will be moving towards the top of the range.

Based on the average quoted rate for a standard house painting job, which is $40/hr, you’ll have to shell out $320 a day, if it takes only one painter to do the job. To arrive at the final price estimate, you have to check with your painter how many days the project will take.

Yet, note this is just a ballpark figure since there are many aspects painters consider when coming up with their hourly rate. The price will typically include the cost of paint, plus labour, material, travel and running costs.

How much work can be done in an hour?

Essentially, when paying per hour, your price will depend on how much time it will take to paint your home and how many painters will be needed for the job. That’s where things get complex.

However, an experienced painter will be able to size up your project even when bidding an online quote and give relatively accurate time estimates. That’s why it’s vital for you to give as many details as possible, so you get the most accurate quotes.

A painter can cover approximately 20 square metres in an hour with one coat of paint. This is a good average to go by, but there are lots of variables that will make a production rate go up and down.

Now, let’s look at the factors that will impact the speed and the price of your paint job.

Photo by Sarah Jane from Pexels

Factors that will influence production rates

How much time it will take a painter to do the job from day start to day finish will depend on multiple factors. This is something you’ll want to discuss with a painter before hiring them.

Some of those factors might be the size of the job, whether the rooms are furnished or empty, whether the woodwork elements are included, etc. Also, setup, cleanup and drying time will also have to be factored in.

Now, let’s browse through some major factors that will determine the length of your painting project as well as impact the rates.

The size of the project

One of the first questions painters will throw at you is about the size of the place. How big or small the project is is one of the aspects that carries the most weight price-wise, since this will have a knock-on effect on the quantity of paint and materials required as well as the number of man-hours.

Skills and experience

More experienced painters will normally charge more, while the newbies in the industry will be those who offer the cheapest hourly rates. But, don’t be deceived by the bargain offers, especially when paying by the hour, because inexperienced partners may end up working twice as long as the pros.

You want your house remodelling properly done, so stay away from those that compete solely on price. And of course, you should only go for painters with credentials, recommendations and insurance coverage.

Prep time

Painting surface preparation is central to the success of a paint job. It’s also the segment of work that can be even more time consuming than rolling the wall.

For painters, however, this is the least favourite part when it comes to estimates. They usually find it hard to work out how much work will be involved in wall preparation. This is because the amount of prep work will vary greatly from the job to the next.

Greater damage will call for more repair, which equals more time, which equals more money.

The best way for painters to know what they’re dealing with is to visit the homeowner for an onsite inspection.

Onsite inspection can help a painter determine if there are:

• Holes that need patching
• Wood surfaces that should be sanded and dusted
• Plaster and drywall issues calling for repairs or replastering
• Greasy walls that have to be cleaned so the new paint can adhere well

Work complexity

If you want a custom painting project done, such as painting vaulted, coffered or tray ceilings, this can add up loads of hours to the time total. Also, adding architraves and crown moulding is all labour-intensive, so prepare to wait more and pay extra.

These custom tasks that require detailed work will take more time without exception compared to rolling a flat wall with no obstacles. It’s also difficult to tell the exact time these project will take to be completed.

Paint coats needed

Depending on the condition of the walls and special colours used, your walls may need more or fewer coats of paint. Additional layers will consume more time.

Typically, if the walls are in good condition two coats of paint will be needed. While some surfaces will require a primer layer before finishing them with the final coats.

Primer is critical when transitioning from darker to lighter colour tones. And if you’re into accent colours, painting up to three coats will be required.

The choice of colours

If a job requires one paint colour for the walls, another for the architraves and a different colour option for the ceiling trim, painters are going to need to devote their full attention to it. And plenty of time as well. Cutting lines straight is not something you can pay only half your attention to.

Likewise, picking out deep colours to go with a light ceiling option is going to add some more man-hours.

If you’re still drawing lots on who should decide on the colours, you can find a wellspring of ideas on Pinterest and other home interior blogs. You can also resort to painting companies as they will often offer colour consultation services.

Beat the clock and get the quotes

Now you know how much you can expect to pay, what are the factors that will determine the length of your painting project, as well as impact the rate at which you are charged?

Use a good tradie website like Service Seeking to quickly get some ballpark numbers for your painting job. We have no shortage of reliable local painters who are ready to provide you with competitive quotes and excellent services, so you can put your mind at ease remodelling-wise and get the best value for your money.