Exterior Painting cost in Washington, DC
Washington, DC · updated August 2026
$8,000
Typical local cost
$3,500 – $18,800
Typical range
- per sq ft of wall area
- $3 – $7.50
- Permit
- Usually no
- Typical timeline
- 4-8 days of work
Installed, local pricing
$0 – $0 in fees
4-8 days of work
Washington runs +25% against the U.S. average · data confidence Medium · modeled estimate, not a quote
Most Washington homeowners pay around $8,000. The local adjustment for this trade is x1.255 — driven mainly by District of Columbia labor rates and 5% exposure to local code requirements.
Estimate your Washington job
Priced with this market's cost index, so the calculator, the size table and the ranges on this page all agree.
Paint needed
2.3 gallons
2 coats
- Paintable area
- 396 sq ft
- Buy
- 3 gallons
- Primer (1 coat)
- 1.2 gallons
- Paint cost estimate
- $141 – $290
Estimates only. Local pricing, site conditions and code requirements change the real number.
Cost by project size
Generated from the same unit pricing the calculator uses.
| Project size | Estimated range |
|---|---|
| 900 sq ft of wall area | $2,700 – $6,800 |
| 1,200 sq ft of wall area | $3,600 – $9,000 |
| 1,600 sq ft of wall area | $4,800 – $12,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft of wall area | $6,000 – $15,000 |
| 2,700 sq ft of wall area | $8,100 – $20,300 |
Based on Washington pricing of $3–$8 per sq ft of wall area.
Where the money goes
- Labor
- $5,900
- 74% of median
- Materials
- $2,100
- 26% of median
- Permit & fees
- $0
- 0% of median
Washington project costs+25% vs U.S. average
Based on District of Columbia labor rates, local material logistics and permit-fee posture for this trade.
What the project looks like start to finish
Typical sequence for this scope. Timing varies with contractor backlog and plan-review queues.
01
Planning & quotes
Scope, material choice, contractor selection
02
Scheduling
No permit typically required for this scope
03
Materials & staging
Order lead time on non-stock materials
04
Installation
4-8 days of work
05
Closeout
Final sign-off, warranty and documentation
Washington labor intelligence
What the trade charges here, and how much of your price it is.
Loaded hourly rate
$77–$100
Exterior crews in District of Columbia · +29% vs U.S. ($68/hr)
Typical crew
2 × 4 days
On-site time for a typical exterior paint job here.
Labor in the price
$5,900
74% of the median — the rest is material, disposal and permit.
Because labor is 74% of this job, Washington wage levels move the price far more than material prices do. A quote well under this labor figure usually means a smaller crew, a longer schedule, or unlicensed help.
Basis: Hometriva labor model: national exterior crew rates adjusted by the District of Columbia labor factor (x1.286). · BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Hometriva methodology
Why Washington differs from the national average
The local delta, broken into dollars by driver.
Trade labor rates+$1,350
District of Columbia crews price 29% above the national average, and labor is 74% of this job.
Material and delivery+$225
Materials are nationally traded, so they move less — but delivery into this market runs 14% over baseline.
Code and inspection load+$50
Exterior Painting carries 5% exposure to local code requirements, and this jurisdiction's review load indexes at x1.12.
Basis: Decomposition of the modeled Washington median against the U.S. median for this scope. · City of Washington building department, Hometriva methodology
Washington vs District of Columbia vs the U.S.
Change the inputs, see your number
The same local model, run against your job instead of the average one.
Simulated exterior painting in Washington
$8,000
Likely range $3,500 – $18,800
Simulated from the same local model as the numbers above — it changes the inputs, not the pricing method.
What makes the number move
- Wall square footage and number of stories
- Stucco crack patching before painting
- Elastomeric versus standard acrylic coating
- Trim, soffit and shutter detail
- Pressure washing and mildew treatment
Who issues each permit
Tracked per discipline — the building permit issuer is not always the body that reviews electrical, plumbing, zoning or fire.
| Discipline | Issuing authority |
|---|---|
| building | City of Washington building departmentModeled estimate |
| electrical | City of Washington building departmentModeled estimate |
| mechanical | City of Washington building departmentModeled estimate |
| plumbing | City of Washington building departmentModeled estimate |
| zoning | City of Washington building departmentModeled estimate |
| fire | City of Washington building departmentModeled estimate |
Permit requirement in Washington
Usually no permit is required in Washington, but zoning rules such as setbacks and HOA approval can still apply.
- Permitting authority
- City of Washington building departmentModeled estimate
- Permit fee
- Estimated allowance $0–$0Modeled from comparable fee schedules — not an official quoted fee.
Local conditions that change this job
Only the exposures that materially affect exterior painting.
Cooling load / heat exposure
Moderate54/100
Humidity
High66/100
Solar irradiance
Moderate48/100
Annual rainfall
High60/100
The Department of Buildings reviews all work district-wide, and historic-district review covers a large share of the housing stock.
Nearby market comparison
| Market | Local factor | Median | Per sq ft of wall area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington (this page) | x1.255 | $8,000 | $3 – $7.50 |
| Baltimore | x1.096 | $7,000 | $2.50 – $6.50 |
| Richmond | x0.991 | $6,300 | $2 – $6 |
| Philadelphia | x1.186 | $7,600 | $2.50 – $7 |
What Washington homeowners actually paid
Real reported invoices from this market, aggregated. Add yours — it takes 20 seconds and no personal details.
Quotes homeowners were given in Washington
Quotes run ahead of final invoices. Reporting yours shows the local spread and where there is room to negotiate.
How Hometriva estimates Washington exterior paint costs
Hometriva does not publish invented city prices. The Washington estimate for exterior painting is produced by this chain, and every input is stored separately:
- National baseline$6,400
Typical U.S. cost for exterior painting on a single-family home.
- Local labor factorx1.286
Washington-area trade labor rates, weighted at 74% of this job.
- Material factorx1.137
Material and delivery pricing into District of Columbia, weighted at 26%.
- Regulatory factorx1.122
Local code, product-approval and inspection load, applied at 5% for this project type.
- Applied multiplierx1.255
Blended Washington adjustment specific to exterior painting.
- Permit component$0 – $0
Budgeted separately from the contract price because it is paid to the jurisdiction.
Because labor, material and regulatory factors are weighted per project, exterior painting in Washington carries a different local adjustment than other trades in the same market.
Reviewed by
Hometriva Cost Data Desk
Maintains the unit-cost baselines, local adjustment factors and material pricing. Reviewed for exterior painting pricing in Washington, DC.
- • National unit-cost baselines against current trade pricing
- • Local labor and materials factors for the market
- • Material installed-cost ranges and service life
Last reviewed August 2026 · Editorial standards · Report an error
Frequently asked questions
How often should a Florida house be repainted?
Expect 5 to 7 years for standard acrylic on stucco in coastal Florida and 8 to 12 years for a properly applied elastomeric coating. South-facing walls fail first.
Sources
Sources & verification
- City of Washington building department
- Washington permit portal
- DC Department of Buildings
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Last verified August 2026. Cost figures are modeled estimates based on national baselines adjusted for local labor and material pricing — they are not quotes. Permit rules change; confirm with the building department before starting work.