By True Shine Painters ·
The short version
- Preparation and repairs often take as long as the painting itself, and sometimes longer.
- A single bedroom is often a day or two including prep, as a general guide only.
- Ceilings, high walls, stairwells and dark colour changes all add time.
- Exterior painting is weather dependent, so allow slack in the schedule.
- Each coat needs to dry and cure for the time the manufacturer specifies before the next goes on.
So how long does a typical house take to paint?
Nobody can honestly give you an exact figure without seeing the house, but general ranges help you plan. Treat these as rough guidance for typical Melbourne homes, not a promise from any painter.
A single bedroom with walls and trims is often a day or two including prep. A living area with high ceilings or a lot of trims can take longer. A full interior repaint of a three or four bedroom house commonly runs several days to a couple of weeks, depending on how many painters are on site and how much repair work is needed. A full exterior on a single-storey home often lands somewhere from several days to two weeks, and double-storey homes, or ones needing a lot of scraping, can take longer.
If a painter promises a house will be done in a shockingly short time, ask what they are cutting. It is usually the prep, or the drying time between coats, and both show up later as peeling, patchiness or roller marks.
Why does preparation take so long?
Prep is the least visible part of a paint job and the one that decides how long the finish lasts. Walls need to be checked, dents and nail holes filled, cracks raked out and repaired, and patched areas sanded flush. Bare or repaired spots need a spot prime so they do not show through the finish coat. Then the surface needs to be cleaned, because paint will not stick well to dust and grease.
Fillers and primers need time to dry before they can be sanded or painted over. A small hairline crack can be done quickly. A room full of old damage, wallpaper glue or flaking paint is a different story.
On exteriors, prep often includes washing the walls, scraping loose paint, sanding back rough edges, repairing timber and sealing gaps. This is a big part of why an exterior takes longer than people expect.
- Light prep: a few nail holes, scuffs and a wipe down.
- Medium prep: multiple cracks, patches and a spot prime.
- Heavy prep: flaking paint, damaged plaster, stained ceilings or timber repairs.
What else makes a paint job take longer?
Size is the obvious factor, but layout matters as much as floor area. A small house with lots of doors, windows, built-in robes and detailed trims can take longer than a bigger house with plain walls and few features.
Ceilings add time. They are painted first, they are awkward to work on, and they often need two coats to look even. High ceilings, voids and staircases may need scaffolding or extended access gear, which takes time to set up and move.
Colour changes also matter. Going from a dark colour to a light one, or from a light one to a bold feature colour, may need a tinted primer or an extra coat to get solid coverage. Detailed cutting in against a different colour also takes patience.
Finally, doors, frames and skirting boards look like small jobs but add up. Trims are usually painted in a harder wearing finish that needs careful work, and each door can involve sanding, priming, two coats and drying time.
How does drying and recoat time affect the schedule?
Paint is not finished when it feels dry. Most water-based acrylics are touch dry within a few hours and ready to recoat within a few hours to overnight, depending on the product, the temperature and the humidity. Oil-based products generally take much longer. The manufacturer publishes recoat and cure times on the data sheet, and a careful painter follows them rather than rushing a second coat over a damp first.
Cure time is a separate thing again. Paint can feel dry to the touch while it is still hardening, so it is best to go easy on freshly painted walls and doors for a while. Do not push furniture against them, stick anything to them or scrub them straight away. Check the product data sheet for how long it suggests waiting before washing or heavy use.
In cold, damp Melbourne winter weather, drying slows down, and indoors it helps to keep the house ventilated and, where the product allows, at a mild temperature.
How does weather change an exterior paint schedule?
Exterior paint needs the right conditions to bond and cure. Rain, heavy dew, high humidity, strong wind and very hot, direct sun can all cause problems, from washed-off paint to blistering to dust stuck in a wet surface. Each product data sheet lists the temperature range and conditions it is suited to.
Melbourne can deliver four seasons in a day, and that makes exterior schedules flexible. Painters often plan to shift the job around the forecast and work on sheltered walls when the weather turns. A few wet days can push a job out by more than a few days, because surfaces need to dry properly before the work restarts.
Early mornings in summer can be damp with dew, and afternoons can be too hot on north and west facing walls. Good painters plan the order of the walls around the sun for this reason. If a painter is not open to delays for weather, ask questions.
How can I get a realistic timeframe for my house?
Ask for it in the quote. A useful quote sets out the rooms or surfaces in scope, the amount of prep, the number of coats and an estimated timeframe with a note about weather for exterior work. If the painter has not seen the house, or at least good photos, the timeframe is a guess.
Ask how many people will be on site, whether the job will be done in one continuous block or staged, and what happens if the weather or a repair adds time. Tell them about any deadlines up front, such as a settlement date, a tenant change over or a family event, so they can say honestly whether it is realistic.
True Shine Painters gives free quotes across Melbourne's west, and a timeframe is a normal part of the conversation.