How much does it cost to paint a room in Melbourne?
What does it cost to paint a room in Melbourne? 2026 price ranges for bedrooms, living areas, ceilings and feature walls, plus what moves the price.
AMP 08 · Pre-sale painting
Pre-sale painting in Melbourne
Buyers form an opinion of a house from the listing photos and the walk up the path. Scuffed walls, a peeling front fence or a dated feature colour can make a sound home look tired. A focused repaint before the campaign fixes what buyers notice first, on a schedule that suits your agent and photographer.
What we usually paint before a sale
- Living areas and hallways
- Ceilings with water stains or marks
- Doors, skirting boards and architraves
- Bold feature walls repainted neutral
- Front door, fence and entry
- Eaves, fascias and window frames
- Patch repairs after picture hooks and fixtures
- Rental and end-of-lease refreshes
How a pre-sale repaint works
- 01Walk through. A free inspection, ideally with your agent’s list of what buyers will notice.
- 02Prioritise. A written quote that separates must-dos from nice-to-haves, so you can set the budget.
- 03Schedule. Work booked backwards from your photography date, with time for the paint to dry.
- 04Paint. Room by room, with floors and furniture protected and the house left tidy each day.
- 05Ready for photos. A final walk-through and touch-ups, so the house is ready for the camera.
Where to spend first
You don’t have to repaint the whole house to make a difference. Most of the value is in the surfaces buyers see first and the ones that suggest maintenance has been put off:
- The street view: front fence, front door, entry, window frames and eaves. This is the first photo in most listings.
- Living areas, the kitchen and the main hallway, where buyers spend the most time during an inspection.
- Marks that raise questions: water stains on ceilings, peeling paint in bathrooms and cracked trims.
- Bold or very personal colours, which are repainted in a neutral scheme so buyers can picture their own furniture.
Bedrooms, laundries and garages can often be left with a clean and touch-up if the budget is tight. We give you a quote that lists each area separately, so you and your agent can decide what is worth doing.
Choosing colours that suit a sale
A pre-sale repaint is not the time for a statement colour. Warm whites and soft neutrals make rooms look bigger and brighter in photos and go with most furniture. Outside, colours should suit the style and era of the house and its street. Our guides to colours for small and dark rooms and choosing exterior colours for a Melbourne home explain the choices, and a colour consultation takes the guesswork out.
Timing it around your campaign
Paint needs time to dry before furniture goes back and a stylist moves in, and exterior work depends on the weather. We plan the job backwards from your photography date and leave a buffer for rain, so the house is ready when the photographer arrives. Tell us your key dates at the inspection, and we will tell you whether they work.
If the house is vacant, the work is quicker because there is no furniture to move. If you are still living there, or it is tenanted, we work room by room and agree access times. Our article on how long it takes to paint a house gives typical timeframes.
Fix before you paint
Fresh paint over a problem will not hide it from a building inspector. Cracks are filled properly, rotten timber is replaced before it is painted, and water stains are only painted once the leak is fixed. In older homes we treat old paint as possibly lead-based and never dry sand it. Our guide to peeling, cracking and blistering paint explains what common faults mean.
What affects the price of pre-sale painting
Every pre-sale job is quoted after a free site inspection, usually with a written quote the next day. The price depends on:
- Which rooms and surfaces are included, and whether the house is inside, outside or both.
- The condition of the walls and trims, and the repairs needed first.
- How many colours are changing, especially dark walls going light.
- Whether the house is vacant, lived in or tenanted.
- How tight the deadline is.
Our guides to what it costs to paint a room, exterior house painting costs and the cost of painting a whole house in Melbourne give current price ranges.
Backed by our 7-year guarantee
Every job is covered by a written 7-year satisfaction guarantee and $10M public liability insurance. We are a member of Master Painters Australia and our team is Working with Children checked.
Pre-sale painting near you
All areas →- Doncaster EastOur home base. Brick veneer family homes from the 1960s to the 1980s, plus newer double-storey builds.
- DoncasterPost-war brick homes alongside townhouses and the apartment buildings around Doncaster Hill.
- TemplestoweLarger 1970s to 1990s homes on leafy blocks, with decks, fences and high interior voids.
- BalwynInterwar brick homes and Californian bungalows next to large new rendered houses.
- KewVictorian and Edwardian homes, interwar houses and post-war flats, many in heritage precincts.
- CamberwellEdwardian red brick, weatherboards and Californian bungalows, plus the Camberwell Junction shops.
- ToorakGrand rendered homes, gloss-painted joinery and apartment buildings of every era.
- Donvale1970s and 80s homes on large, treed blocks, with stained timber, raked ceilings, decks and fences.
- Templestowe Lower1960s and 70s brick veneer homes on hilly streets, many extended over the years.
- BulleenPost-war brick homes, Mediterranean-style render and iron, and townhouses on subdivided blocks.
- Box Hill NorthPost-war weatherboard and brick homes alongside new townhouses and units.
- Balwyn NorthPost-war cream brick and mid-century homes, and large new rendered houses on rebuild sites.
- WarrandyteTimber, mud brick and stone homes on steep bush blocks along the Yarra.
Pre-sale painting questions
Is it worth painting a house before selling?
It often is when the paint is visibly worn, marked or dated, because buyers notice it in the listing photos and at inspections. The best value is usually in the street view, living areas and anything that looks like deferred maintenance. Your agent can tell you what buyers in your area expect.
What colour should I paint my house before selling?
Warm whites and soft neutrals inside, because they photograph well and suit most furniture. Outside, choose colours that suit the style of the house and the street. A colour consultation helps if you are unsure.
How far ahead of the campaign should I book painters?
As early as you can, especially for exterior work in spring and summer. Give us your photography date at the inspection and we will plan the job back from it, with a buffer for weather.
Can you work with my real estate agent or stylist?
Yes. We are happy to walk through with your agent, work from their list and fit around the stylist’s schedule.
Do you paint rental properties between tenants?
Yes. We can refresh a rental between tenancies, working to the dates your property manager gives us.
Related services
All services →
AMP 01
Interior painting
Walls, ceilings, trims and doors, with furniture moved and floors protected.
AMP 02
Exterior painting
Weatherboard, render, brick, eaves and fences, prepared so the finish lasts.
AMP 03
Weatherboard house painting
Boards, laps and trims prepared, sealed and repainted to last through Melbourne winters.
Pre-sale painting advice
All painting advice →
How to choose exterior house colours for a Melbourne home
Choosing exterior house colours starts with your roof, brick and street, not a colour chart. Follow these steps to pick a scheme you will love for years.
Paint colours for small rooms and dark rooms: what actually works
The best paint colours for small rooms and dark rooms: LRV, warm whites, sheen and ceilings. Make a tight space feel bigger and brighter.
Get your pre-sale painting quoted
Book a free site inspection and get your written quote the next day.