Exterior painting cost comes down to five things: how much surface there is, how much preparation and repair it needs, whether pre-1978 lead-safe rules apply, how hard the walls are to reach, and how many colors and details are involved. A written estimate after an on-site look is the only reliable number.
A quote is labor plus materials. Labor is driven by hours: washing, scraping, repairs, caulking, priming, two finish coats and cleanup. Materials are driven by measured surface area and the spread rate of the paint chosen. Every estimate we give is free, written and based on an on-site assessment, because siding condition and access cannot be judged from a photo or a square-footage figure.
Paint makers publish how far a gallon goes. Benjamin Moore lists 350 to 450 square feet per gallon for its current Aura exterior. Two coats over 1,500 square feet of siding is 3,000 square feet of coverage, roughly 7 to 9 gallons; two coats over 3,000 square feet is 6,000 square feet, roughly 13 to 17 gallons. Rough or porous surfaces such as stucco, cedar shake and masonry fall toward the low end of the coverage range.
Prep is usually the largest labor item. Benjamin Moore's Aura exterior data sheet requires surfaces clean, dry and free of chalk, mildew and loose or scaling paint, says glossy surfaces must be dulled and calls for washing sheltered areas. A house with sound paint needs washing and spot priming; a house with widespread peeling needs scraping, feathering and priming across whole walls. Rotted trim or siding is repaired before it can hold paint.
Material changes the product system and labor. Benjamin Moore calls for a high-build block filler, at only 75 to 100 square feet per gallon, on rough masonry, while poured concrete and fiber cement take the finish directly. Cedar and redwood need an alkyd stain-suppressing primer that requires 50°F and 8 hours before topcoat. Vinyl usually needs no primer but is limited to colors with a Light Reflective Value of 57 or higher unless they are on an approved vinyl palette.
They add time. Under the EPA rule, paid work disturbing more than 20 square feet of exterior paint on a pre-1978 home must be done by an EPA-certified firm with doors and windows within 20 feet closed, ground sheeting 10 feet beyond the work, vertical containment near property lines, restricted practices and cleanup. Census estimates show 74.4% of Lehigh County and 70.8% of Northampton County homes were built before 1980.
Joseph Assise III Painting is based in Easton and serves towns across eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey, centered on the Lehigh Valley. Town pages:
Allentown, PA | Asbury, NJ | Bangor, PA | Bath, PA | Belvidere, NJ | Bethlehem, PA | Blairstown, NJ | Bloomsbury, NJ | Breinigsville, PA | Brodheadsville, PA | Budd Lake, NJ | Califon, NJ | Catasauqua, PA | Center Valley, PA | Chester, NJ | Clinton, NJ | Columbia, NJ | Coopersburg, PA | Coplay, PA | Danielsville, PA | Delaware Water Gap, PA | Doylestown, PA | East Stroudsburg, PA | Easton, PA | Effort, PA | Emmaus, PA | Flanders, NJ | Flemington, NJ | Fogelsville, PA | Forks Township, PA | Fountain Hill, PA | Frenchtown, NJ | Germansville, PA | Glen Gardner, NJ | Great Meadows, NJ | Hackettstown, NJ | Hampton, NJ | Hatfield, PA | Hellertown, PA | High Bridge, NJ | Hope, NJ | Jim Thorpe, PA | Kresgeville, PA | Kutztown, PA | Lehighton, PA | Long Valley, NJ | Macungie, PA | Martins Creek, PA | Mendham, NJ | Milford, NJ | Mount Olive, NJ | Mount Pocono, PA | Nazareth, PA | Netcong, NJ | New Hope, PA | New Tripoli, PA | Northampton, PA | Oxford, NJ | Palmer Township, PA | Palmerton, PA | Pen Argyl, PA | Perkasie, PA | Phillipsburg, NJ | Portland, PA | Quakertown, PA | Raubsville, PA | Riegelsville, PA | Roseto, PA | Saylorsburg, PA | Sellersville, PA | Slatedale, PA | Slatington, PA | Souderton, PA | Springtown, PA | Stanhope, NJ | Stewartsville, NJ | Stockertown, PA | Stroudsburg, PA | Tatamy, PA | Topton, PA | Trexlertown, PA | Upper Black Eddy, PA | Upper Mount Bethel, PA | Walnutport, PA | Washington, NJ | Wescosville, PA | Whitehall, PA | Williams Township, PA | Wind Gap, PA
Local guides with housing-age and climate data: Lafayette College, Easton | St. Luke's Easton Campus | Lehigh University, Bethlehem | SteelStacks, Bethlehem | Wind Creek, Bethlehem | Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest | Dorney Park, South Whitehall.
Because the biggest cost drivers are not visible from a square footage number. Peeling and chalking paint, rotted trim, the age of the house for lead-safe rules, wall height and access, and the number of colors all change the labor hours. We measure the surfaces, check their condition and give a free written estimate after an on-site visit, so the price reflects your house rather than an average.
It costs less up front, but the film is thinner. Benjamin Moore's current Aura exterior data sheet lists a dry film of 1.4 to 1.8 mils per coat, so a second coat roughly doubles the protective layer. Sherwin-Williams markets Duration Exterior as one coat for repaints, but coverage and hide still depend on the color change and surface. We apply two finish coats on exterior projects.
Divide the paintable area by the paint's spread rate and multiply by the number of coats. Benjamin Moore lists 350 to 450 square feet per gallon for Aura exterior, so two coats over 2,000 square feet of siding is about 9 to 11.5 gallons, before trim, doors and waste. Rough surfaces such as stucco or cedar shake use more paint because coverage falls toward the low end.
Often, because of preparation and lead-safe requirements. Homes built before 1978 fall under the EPA renovation rule when paid work disturbs more than 20 square feet of exterior paint, which requires a certified firm, containment and specific cleanup. Older homes also tend to have more paint layers, more peeling and more trim repair, all of which add labor before finish paint goes on.
Sources: Benjamin Moore Aura Waterborne Exterior Soft Gloss (N632) technical data sheet; Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec Hi-Build Masonry Block Filler (571) technical data sheet; Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Deck & Siding Primer (094) technical data sheet; Sherwin-Williams Duration Exterior product page and customer information sheet; EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, 40 CFR Part 745 Subpart E; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (table B25034); Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec Masonry 100% Acrylic Sealer (608) technical data sheet. Figures checked October 2026.
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