Painting your home: How long will it take?

Painting an entire house, both interior and exterior, can be a massive job. There are many factors involved. For example the walls may require a considerable amount of preparation, especially if it has been a while between paint jobs. There may be decorative features or areas which require some detail. Determining how long it will take to paint your particular house requires assessing what your home will need.

Painting your home: Where to start?

You will be unable to gauge how long painting your house will take until you have assessed the approximate area you want painted, the preparation involved, and how easy access will be. What type of paint you want will also affect how long it will take.
Start by doing a walk through and noting all the areas which require painting, and deciding upon colours and any decorative embellishments. A good paint job is far more than simply applying a coat of paint, with a large range of different finishing styles available. Once the walk through has been completed and you are clear on what you want done, get quotes from painting contractors if you do not intend doing the job yourself. Painting can be more complex than it seems at first, and novices waste a lot of time fixing mistakes and mopping up spills. A good contractor will be able to help prepare a plan, which will also give approximate timings for job completion.

How long will it take to paint your home?

When considering how long it will take to paint your entire house, assess these factors:

• Tally up approximately how much surface area you have to paint. Include any ceilings and outdoor walls
• Consider details. Do you have a lot of fiddly extras such as window mouldings or ceiling decorations that will take extra time?
• Are you happy with a simple paint job or do you want effects such as texturing on feature walls?
• Consider access. Bringing in tall ladders to access high ceilings or removing undergrowth from exterior walls will take longer
• How much preparation is required? If surfaces require stripping, sanding, or other preparation this will add to the time
• What tools will be required? Open, large areas may be quicker to paint using wide brushes, rollers or even a spray outfit than fiddly smaller areas
• What type of paint you use will affect painting time - glossy paints require longer to dry and more coats than matte ones

How long it will take to paint your entire house depends on a number of factors. You will need to put aside at least a week for the job, and take details, access, tools and other factors into account to decide how long you will need. Hiring a contractor may make sense if you have limited time, as reliable painting contractors will be able to give you an estimate and stick to it.