Painting the outside of a house costs $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot in 2026, by national published figures, or $3,000 to $10,000 for an average 2,000 square foot home. In Modesto the big variables are the wall material, usually stucco or wood, and how much the sun has broken down the old paint.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, paint prices and the condition of your own 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 exterior of an average 2,000 square foot house, at $1.50 to $5.00 per square foot of paintable wall. HomeGuide says the average job takes 4 to 5 days.
| 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 |
Where a Modesto house falls depends on the prep. A stucco house with sound paint is at the simpler end. Wood siding and fascia that have cracked and peeled in the sun take far more labor.
How much does it cost to paint a two-story house outside?
A two-story house costs more per square foot than a single story, because of ladders, staging and slower work up high. HomeGuide's main exterior page publishes no separate two-story figure.
Its other pages give some guidance. The vinyl siding page lists two stories at $1,500 to $7,900. The brick page lists $2.50 to $3.50 per square foot for two stories against $1.50 to $2.50 for one. The aluminum page says multi-story access can cost up to 50% more. We price a two-story home after we see how the upper walls can be reached.
How much for a small single-story ranch?
A 1,000 to 1,500 square foot single-story ranch costs $1,200 to $6,000 to paint outside, by the national table above. Ranch houses are the easiest exteriors to reach, so labor per square foot is at the low end.
Modesto has thousands of single-story ranch homes from the 1950s through the 1970s. The price on those is set less by height and more by the wood: fascia, eaves, garage trim and any wood or plywood siding that needs 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 house, by the national figures. Shutters are $50 to $100 per pair and a front door is $125 to $225.
- Eaves, fascia and soffit: $2 to $6 per linear foot.
- Exterior window frame: $40 to $150 per window.
- Garage door: $150 to $550.
- Gutters and downspouts: $1.25 to $2.70 per linear foot.
A trim-only job is common here. On a stucco house the walls often outlast the wood trim, because the sun cracks paint on fascia and garage trim years before the stucco needs a coat.
Does the exterior price include power washing, scraping and caulking?
It should, and in our quotes it does. Washing, scraping loose paint, caulking open joints and priming bare spots are part of an exterior job, and the quote should include each of them by name.
When priced on their own, national figures put pressure washing a house at $170 to $360. No labor price is published for caulking alone. If a quote does not mention prep, ask what is included before you compare it with another.
How much more does it cost if the old paint is peeling?
Peeling paint adds cost because every loose area has to be scraped, sanded and primed before paint. No per-house figure is published for exterior scraping, so we price it after seeing how much has failed.
Per-area national figures give a sense of it: stripping is $1.91 to $2.38 per square foot and priming is $2.63 to $7.05 per square foot, on HomeGuide's painter page. On a house built before 1978, peeling paint may contain lead, and the lead-safe setup adds time as well. See our lead paint page.
How much does it cost to paint stucco, wood, vinyl or brick?
It costs $2.00 to $5.00 per square foot to paint stucco, by HomeGuide's main exterior page. Its stucco page gives $1.00 to $5.50 per square foot, or $2,400 to $8,100 for an average house.
| Wall type | National range per sq ft | Published paint life |
|---|---|---|
| Stucco | $2.00 to $5.00 | 5 to 7 years |
| Wood siding | $1.50 to $5.00 | 3 to 7 years |
| Vinyl siding | $1.50 to $4.50 | 2 to 10 years |
| Aluminum siding | $2.00 to $4.50 | 5 to 10 years |
| Brick | $2.50 to $5.00 | 3 to 20 years |
Stucco and wood are what we paint most in Modesto. Stucco is rough and soaks up paint, so it takes more material. Elastomeric coating on stucco costs $900 to $2,000 more than acrylic on a 2,000 square foot house, by the stucco page. Full brick houses are rare here. Brick is mostly a trim band on the front.
Spraying or rolling outside: is there a cost or quality difference?
Spraying is faster, so labor is lower, but it uses more paint and needs more masking. Rolling is slower and pushes paint into the surface. On stucco, the best result is often both: spray the paint on, then roll it in while wet. That is called back-rolling.
Quality depends on the prep and the thickness of the coat, not on the tool. In Modesto, afternoon wind and summer heat limit when spraying can be done well. Ask each painter which method they will use and whether they back-roll the first coat on stucco.
How long does exterior paint last in Modesto?
National published figures give 5 to 10 years on average for exterior paint, with 5 to 7 years on stucco and 3 to 7 years on wood siding. There is no published figure for Modesto alone.
What we can say is that the valley sun is hard on paint. South and west walls fade and chalk first, and wood trim fails before stucco. Good prep and two full coats of quality exterior paint are what buy the extra years.
A free walkthrough and a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (209) 231-7078.