Exterior painting costs $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot in 2026, by national published figures. In Manhattan the outside of a building is rarely siding. It is a townhouse front, a rear wall, a cornice, doors, window trim, ironwork or a storefront, and access often costs as much as the painting.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Manhattan labor rates, building rules, access and the state of your walls move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How much does it cost to paint the exterior of a house?
Nationally, it costs $3,000 to $10,000 to paint the outside of an average 2,000 square foot house, or $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot of painted surface. HomeGuide prices by the paintable area, not the floor area.
| Home size | Paintable area assumed | National range |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 800 sq ft | $1,200 to $4,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 1,200 sq ft | $1,800 to $6,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 1,700 sq ft | $2,600 to $8,500 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 2,100 sq ft | $3,200 to $10,500 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | $3,800 to $12,500 |
Those figures assume a free-standing house with four walls you can walk around. A Manhattan row house has a front and a back, shares its side walls and stands right on the sidewalk. The painted area is smaller, but reaching it is harder. We measure the actual surfaces and price from there.
How much to paint a two-story or taller townhouse outside?
HomeGuide's main exterior page gives no price by number of floors. Its page on brick does: $2.50 to $3.50 per square foot for a two-story house and $3.50 to $4.50 for tall or detailed buildings, against $1.50 to $2.50 for one story.
Most townhouses here are three to five floors. Work that high over a public sidewalk needs proper scaffolding or other safe access, and the Department of Buildings has its own rules for scaffolds and sidewalk sheds. Access is priced after we see the building.
How much for a small single-story building or ranch?
A small one-story house of 1,000 square feet costs $1,200 to $4,000 to paint outside, by the national figures. For brick, a one-story or ranch house is listed at $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot.
Manhattan has almost no ranch houses. The nearest things here are single-story shops, garages, rear extensions and garden walls. They are quick to reach from the ground, so most of the price is cleaning, scraping and priming.
How much to paint just the trim, shutters and front door?
Exterior trim costs $1 to $4 per linear foot to paint, or $1,000 to $2,500 for a typical house, by the national figures. Shutters are listed at $50 to $100 per pair and a front door at $125 to $225.
- Double front doors: $250 to $400.
- Exterior window frame: $40 to $150 per window.
- Eaves, fascia and soffit: $2 to $6 per linear foot.
- Deck or porch railing: $2 to $8 per linear foot.
This is the most common exterior job we see: the front door, the window trim and the stoop railings of a brownstone. A paneled wood door that has been painted many times needs careful stripping or sanding to look sharp again.
Does the exterior price include power washing, scraping and caulking?
Our quotes include the prep: washing, scraping, sanding, caulking and priming. Always check, because some painters list these as extras. Nationally, pressure washing a house before painting is listed at $170 to $360.
HomeGuide has no labor price for caulking on its own. Ask every painter to write the prep steps into the quote, since prep is what makes exterior paint last through a New York winter.
How much more if the old paint is peeling?
Peeling paint adds cost because every loose edge has to be scraped back to sound paint, sanded and spot primed. No published figure covers scraping a whole building, so we price it after a close look.
HomeGuide does list paint removal on trim at $1.50 to $5.00 per linear foot, and paint removal from brick at $1.50 to $9.50 per square foot. On buildings from before 1978 the peeling paint may contain lead, and that changes how the work must be done. See our page on lead paint rules.
How much does it cost to paint brick, stucco or vinyl siding?
Per square foot, the national figures are $2.50 to $5.00 for brick, $2.00 to $5.00 for stucco and $1.50 to $4.50 for vinyl, from HomeGuide's main exterior page.
| Surface | Per square foot (main page) | Per square foot (that material's own page) |
|---|---|---|
| Brick | $2.50 to $5.00 | $1.50 to $4.50 |
| Stucco | $2.00 to $5.00 | $1.00 to $5.50 |
| Wood | $1.50 to $5.00 | No separate page |
| Aluminum siding | $2.00 to $4.50 | $1 to $4 |
| Vinyl siding | $1.50 to $4.50 | $1 to $3 |
Brick and stucco are what you find on Manhattan rear walls, extensions and garden walls. Vinyl and aluminum siding are rare here. Our page on painting brick, stucco and siding covers what each one needs.
How much to paint iron railings, fences and fire escapes?
Railings are listed at $2 to $8 per linear foot, by the national figures. No published figure exists for fire escapes, window guards or cast-iron fronts, so we price those on site.
Rust is the real job on metal. It has to be scraped and wire brushed, then primed with a rust-inhibiting primer before the finish coat. Painting over rust only hides it for a season.
How much does a storefront cost to paint?
HomeGuide has no storefront figure. Its commercial page lists exterior commercial painting that needs scaffolding at $5 to $10 or more per square foot, and interior commercial work at $2 to $6.
Most Manhattan storefronts are a ground-level job: the frame, the sign band, the door and the roll-down gate. We look at the surfaces and give a written price.
Spray or roll outside: is there a cost or quality difference?
Spraying is faster on big open walls, and brushing and rolling give more control. Both give a good finish when the prep is right and the paint goes on at the proper thickness.
In Manhattan, outdoor spraying is seldom the right choice. Buildings touch each other, cars are parked at the curb and people walk underneath. Overspray travels. Doors, trim, ironwork and most masonry here are brushed and rolled.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (917) 970-7431.