House painters
Compare local interior and exterior painters in your city. 19,568 pros listed in 4,085 cities across 51 states.
Reviewed and updated by the Fixerlane editorial team · How we research
What painting pros do
Pick the job you need rather than the trade, if you already know it.
Painting by city
What a painting job involves
Most of a good paint job is preparation: moving and covering furniture and floors, filling holes and cracks, sanding glossy or rough surfaces, scraping loose paint, caulking gaps, spot-priming repairs or stains, and masking. The coats go on last.
Interior jobs are walls, ceilings, trim and doors, and sometimes cabinets — which are a specialist job of their own. Exterior jobs add washing, scraping, wood repair, and a paint chosen for the surface and climate, with timing that depends on temperature and rain.
Older homes: lead paint
If your home was built before 1978, assume it may have lead-based paint until tested. Under EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in housing built before 1978 must be certified and follow lead-safe work practices, and must give you EPA’s “Renovate Right” pamphlet before starting. Small jobs — six square feet or less of paint per room inside, or 20 square feet or less outside — are exempt, though window replacement never is (EPA).
Ask any painter quoting on a pre-1978 home for their firm’s certification, and how they will contain and clean up dust. Sanding or scraping old paint without containment spreads lead dust, which is especially dangerous for young children and pregnant women.
How to choose a painter
- Get written quotes that list the prep, the number of coats, the brand and product line of paint, and what is and is not being painted. Two quotes are only comparable if those match.
- Ask about licensing. Many states require a contractor licence for painting work above a dollar threshold; check with your state board.
- Ask for proof of liability insurance, and workers’ compensation if they have a crew.
- For pre-1978 homes, ask for EPA Lead-Safe certification.
- Ask about the warranty on workmanship — peeling and blistering within a set period.
- Agree the payment schedule. A modest deposit is normal; paying most of the price up front is not.
What affects the cost
- Area and height: square footage of walls, ceilings, and how much is above ladder height.
- Prep: a room in good condition needs far less work than one with damaged plaster or peeling paint.
- Trim, doors, windows and cabinets, which take much longer per square foot than walls.
- Colour changes — a dark-to-light change usually needs more coats.
- Paint quality and who supplies it.
- Exterior: siding type, stories, wood repair, and lead-safe work on older homes.
DIY or pro — and ventilation
Painting a room yourself is a reasonable DIY job; pros earn their price on prep, ceilings, high exteriors, cabinets and speed. Either way, ventilate while painting and while it dries, and choose low-VOC products for rooms you will use straight away — EPA’s advice is to increase ventilation when using products that give off VOCs, which include most paints and varnishes (EPA). Leave scraping or sanding of possible lead paint to a certified firm.
Common questions
- How long does a room take to paint?
- It depends far more on prep and drying times than on the painting itself. Ask the painter for a schedule, including how long between coats.
- How many coats of paint do I need?
- Usually two over a primed or previously painted surface; more for a big colour change. A quote should say how many it includes.
- Do painters need a licence?
- It depends on the state, and often on the size of the job. Many states require a contractor licence above a dollar threshold. Check with your state board.
- What is the lead paint rule for painters?
- For homes built before 1978, EPA’s RRP rule requires firms paid to disturb paint to be Lead-Safe Certified and use lead-safe practices.
- Should I supply the paint?
- You can, but painters often get trade pricing and will know what suits the surface. If you supply it, agree the product and quantity first.
- When is the best time to paint the outside of a house?
- When it is dry and within the temperature range on the paint can, for the days of application and drying. Your painter should schedule around the forecast.
Related services
Sources
Safety and standards advice on this page comes from these publishers. Dates are the ones each page shows.
- US EPA, Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors (last updated March 31, 2026)
- US EPA, Volatile Organic Compounds’ Impact on Indoor Air Quality (last updated June 23, 2026)
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