Exterior house painting cost in Melbourne sits at roughly $4,200 to $10,500 for a single-storey home and $7,900 to $18,900 for a two-storey home as of 2026, according to the independent cost guide What’s The Damage (GST included, verified October 2026). Timber weatherboards that need full preparation cost more, at about $9,450 to $25,200. Height, the type of cladding, the condition of the old paint and how easy the house is to reach decide where your home lands.
This article looks at the outside of the house in detail. For interior and whole-house figures, see our main guide to how much it costs to paint a house in Melbourne, which uses the same source.
How much does exterior house painting cost in Melbourne?
The table below uses the Melbourne figures published by What’s The Damage, an independent Australian cost guide. All prices include GST and were last verified in October 2026.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior, single-storey | $4,200 | $6,800 | $10,500 |
| Exterior, two-storey | $7,900 | $13,650 | $18,900 |
| Exterior, timber weatherboard (full prep) | $9,450 | $15,750 | $25,200 |
| Exterior wall area, per square metre | $26 | $42 | $63 |
| Fence painting or staining | $525 | $1,250 | $2,625 |
| Deck staining | $525 | $1,150 | $2,100 |
The guide also gives $4,200 to $8,000 for painting a standard brick home. It reports that painter costs in Melbourne have risen around 3.9% over the past year, and puts a typical exterior job at four to seven days.
Single-storey vs double-storey: how much more does a second storey cost?
At the typical figures, a two-storey exterior costs about $6,850 more than a single-storey one ($13,650 against $6,800). That isn’t only because there is more wall. A second storey changes how the job is done:
- Access equipment. A single-storey house can usually be painted from ladders and planks. Upper walls, eaves and gables often need scaffold, a mobile tower or an elevated work platform.
- Slower work at height. Every move of a ladder or platform takes time, and work at height has to be planned and set up safely.
- More weather exposure. Upper walls and eaves catch more sun and wind, so they often need more preparation.
Scaffolding and access costs
Scaffold is often the single biggest extra on a two-storey job. What’s The Damage’s separate Melbourne scaffolding guide (GST included, verified October 2026) lists:
| Scaffold item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-level scaffold, per job | $3,800 | $8,550 | $13,300 |
| Single-level perimeter scaffold, erect and dismantle | $1,900 | $3,800 | $6,700 |
| Mobile or tower scaffold hire, per week | $150 | $285 | $330 |
| Ongoing scaffold hire, per week | $145 | $380 | $570 |
The guide explains that scaffolders usually charge in two parts: a one-off fee to put the scaffold up and take it down, then a weekly hire rate for as long as it stays up. That is one reason wet weather costs money on a two-storey job: if rain stops work, the scaffold is still on hire.
Not every two-storey home needs full scaffold. A painter might use a mobile tower on a flat driveway, or an elevated work platform where there is room to drive one in. Steep blocks, narrow side passages, conservatories and fragile roofs all limit the options.
Safety rules shape this too. Under WorkSafe Victoria’s compliance code on preventing falls, construction work with a risk of a fall of more than two metres is high risk construction work, which needs a safe work method statement before it starts. The code treats ladders as the last option, to be used only when a higher level of control, such as scaffold or a platform, isn’t reasonably practicable. A painter who quotes a two-storey job off ladders alone should be able to explain how they will work safely.
Weatherboard vs brick vs render: which costs most?
Melbourne has every kind of cladding: weatherboard in the inner and older suburbs, brick veneer through the middle suburbs, render on newer and renovated homes, and plenty of houses that mix all three. Each needs different preparation and products, which is why the cladding matters as much as the size of the house.
Timber weatherboard
Weatherboards are the most expensive to paint. The cost guide puts a weatherboard house that needs every board scraped, sanded, filled and primed at $9,450 to $25,200. Every board has a top and bottom edge to cut in, gaps open and close as the timber moves, and bare spots need priming before the topcoats. Our guide to how to paint weatherboards explains the preparation in detail, and our weatherboard house painting service shows how we handle it.
Brick
What’s The Damage says Melbourne’s brick veneer homes are generally cheaper to paint externally than weatherboard, and gives $4,200 to $8,000 for painting a standard brick home. It notes that the job needs a thorough high-pressure wash, a masonry primer and two coats of quality masonry paint.
The guide also points out that once brick is painted, it needs repainting every 10 to 15 years, so painting face brick for the first time is a long-term commitment. Previously painted brick is a simpler repaint.
Render
The guide doesn’t list render as a separate line, so rendered homes are usually priced on wall area and condition. Hairline cracks need filling, chalky old paint needs washing and sealing, and new render has to cure before it is painted: allow at least 28 days, and up to eight weeks for some systems, and check the paint maker’s data sheet. Taubmans’ Sunproof Exterior datasheet says to allow cement render and masonry 28 days, and Dulux’s guidance for its Texture Full Cover product is four to eight weeks. Textured finishes take more paint and more time than smooth ones. Our guide to how to paint rendered walls covers the common problems, and our render painting service covers crack repair, salt treatment and coatings.
Mixed cladding
Many Melbourne homes combine brick, weatherboard gables, rendered extensions, fibre cement eaves and metal gutters. Each surface needs its own preparation and sometimes its own primer, so a house with several types takes longer than one with a single cladding.
Preparation: where most of the money goes
On an exterior job, preparation is the part you are really paying for, because it decides how long the paint lasts. It typically includes:
- Washing down to remove dirt, chalk, mould and cobwebs
- Scraping back loose and flaking paint
- Sanding edges smooth so they don’t show through the new coat
- Filling cracks and gaps, and replacing failed caulking
- Spot-priming bare timber, metal and repaired areas
- Masking windows, paths, plants and fixtures
The cost guide notes that in pre-1970s homes, preparation can account for 40 to 50% of total painting time. Old paint may also contain lead, especially in homes built before 1970, according to the Australian Government’s Lead Alert guide. Lead-safe preparation takes longer and costs more; our house painting cost guide explains how it affects a quote, and our article on lead paint in older homes explains how to test for it.
If your current paint is peeling or blistering, the cause has to be fixed before repainting. Our guide to peeling, cracking and blistering paint covers the usual culprits.
Other things that change an exterior quote
- What is included. Walls only, or also eaves, fascias, gutters, downpipes, window frames, doors, fences and decks? Fences and decks are often priced separately, and whether you paint or stain them changes the work involved; our guide to deck and fence painting vs staining compares the two.
- Number of colours. A body colour, a trim colour and an accent colour mean more cutting in and masking than a single colour.
- Heritage detail. Fretwork, finials, turned verandah posts and decorative bargeboards on Victorian and Edwardian homes are slow, careful work; our house painting cost guide covers the premium for period detail. Our guide to painting a Victorian, Edwardian or bungalow home explains why.
- Paint system. Premium exterior paints cost more per litre, and bare or repaired surfaces need a primer or sealer first. Some products need more coats to meet their maker’s warranty; our comparison of Dulux, Taubmans and Wattyl explains how their guarantees differ.
- Weather. Melbourne’s changeable weather affects how many good painting days a job gets, especially in winter. See the best time to paint your house exterior in Melbourne.
How to compare exterior painting quotes
Exterior quotes can vary by thousands of dollars for the same house. Usually that is because each painter has priced a different job. Before you compare prices, check that every quote spells out:
- Which surfaces are included and which are not
- The preparation steps, including washing, scraping, filling and priming
- The paint brand, product and sheen for each surface, and the number of coats
- Who supplies and pays for scaffold or other access equipment
- How weather delays are handled
- The guarantee, and whether it covers workmanship or only the paint
Our guide to what a painting quote should include covers the red flags, and how to choose a house painter lists the questions worth asking.
Getting a fixed price for your exterior
Online ranges can’t see your house. A painter who walks around it can check the cladding, the condition of the old paint, signs of moisture and rot, the access on each side and the ground for ladders or scaffold. That is what turns a range into a fixed price.
At AMP Master Painters, every exterior painting job starts with a free site inspection and scope, and you usually receive a written quote the next day. We have painted Melbourne homes since 1998 from our base in Doncaster East, we use premium Dulux, Taubmans and Wattyl paints, and every job carries a written 7-year guarantee. If you are changing colours, a colour consultation is part of the process.
The bottom line
As of 2026, Melbourne price guides put a single-storey exterior at roughly $4,200 to $10,500 and a two-storey exterior at $7,900 to $18,900, with weatherboards needing full preparation reaching $25,200. A second storey adds access costs, weatherboard costs more than brick, and preparation is the biggest variable on any older home. Use the ranges to set a budget, then get a fixed written quote based on an inspection.
