Painting it yourself is cheaper in cash, but not in time. For one bedroom, Auckland painting businesses put DIY materials at about $300 to $600, against a professional price of $800 to $2,000. The saving is real. What it costs you is a weekend or two of moving furniture, filling, sanding, cutting in and two coats, plus the skill to get clean lines. Outside, the job is bigger, higher and weather-dependent, and heritage homes can have lead paint that should not be sanded by hand without precautions. Here's the honest checklist: what each job really takes, where DIY goes wrong, and when it pays to get a free estimate.
Is it cheaper to paint yourself or hire a painter?
Yes, painting yourself is cheaper in money: you pay for paint and gear, not labour. Labour is most of a painter's price, at roughly $30 to $60 an hour in published Auckland rates. But a professional is faster, owns the right equipment and gets a cleaner finish. For a single room, DIY often makes sense. For a whole exterior, two storeys or lead paint, a painter usually does.
| Job | DIY materials (published estimate) | Professional price (published Auckland range) |
|---|---|---|
| One bedroom | $300 to $600 | $800 to $2,000 |
| Whole interior, three bedrooms | depends on the paint and gear you choose | $4,500 to $15,000 |
| Single-storey exterior | paint, primer, plus ladder or scaffold hire | $5,000 to $15,000 |
The DIY column leaves out your time and any gear you need to buy or hire, such as ladders, drop sheets, a sander or scaffolding. Use house painting prices to compare properly.
What does painting a room yourself really take?
For a typical bedroom, plan on a full weekend. Day one is emptying and protecting the room, filling holes, sanding, washing the walls and cutting in the first coat. Day two is rolling the first coat, waiting the recoat time on the tin, then the second coat on walls and trims. Ceilings add more. Most people underestimate the preparation, which is where the finish is won or lost.
The real list for one room:
- Move the furniture out or to the middle, and cover the floor.
- Remove switch plates and fittings, and mask edges.
- Fill holes and cracks, let the filler dry, then sand smooth.
- Wash the walls so the paint sticks.
- Paint the ceiling first, then cut in the walls with a brush and roll them.
- Second coat after the recoat time on the label.
- Doors, frames and skirtings last, in a harder-wearing finish.
Buy enough paint: Resene's method is to divide the wall area by the spreading rate on the tin and multiply by the number of coats. A standard bedroom usually needs more than one 4 litre tin for two coats. See interior painting for how to measure.
Can you paint the outside of your house yourself?
You can, but it is a much bigger job than a room. You will be washing, scraping, sanding, priming and painting every board, window and fascia, often from a ladder, and working around Auckland's weather. Single-storey houses in good condition are the most realistic DIY job. Two storeys, flaking paint, rot or lead paint are where most people call in a painter.
Work at height is the big safety issue. WorkSafe New Zealand sets out how to work safely on roofs and at height, and professional painters use scaffolding and edge protection for that reason. Read painting the outside of your house yourself before you start.
Can I just paint over old paint on wood?
Only if the old paint is sound: clean, firmly stuck and not chalky or flaking. Wash it, sand it lightly so the new coat grips, prime any bare timber, then two coats. Paint that peels, blisters or rubs off as powder has to be scraped back first. On heritage homes, test for lead before you scrape or sand anything.
Health New Zealand advises presuming lead in paint on any building from the 1980s or earlier, and recommends wet sanding over dry sanding to keep dust down. If a test comes back positive, the job changes completely. See how to test for lead paint and lead paint on heritage homes.
How do professional painters paint so fast?
Experience, the right gear and a set routine. Professionals prepare the whole area before they open a tin, cut in quickly with a good brush, roll in a steady pattern, and often use an airless sprayer on large outside walls or empty rooms. They also work in a team, so one person prepares while another paints. What takes a homeowner a weekend often takes a painter a day.
When is it worth hiring a painter instead?
Call a painter when the job is high, big, damaged or hazardous. That means two-storey exteriors, houses with flaking paint or rot, heritage homes with lead paint, high stairwells and ceilings, and any job where the finish really matters, such as before you sell. Also when you simply don't have the weekends. A quote costs nothing and tells you exactly what you'd be saving.
The honest checklist. Hire a painter if any of these are true:
- The work is above a single storey, or needs scaffolding.
- The old paint is flaking, chalky or bare in places.
- The house was built before the 1980s and the paint hasn't been tested for lead.
- You need the job done by a set date.
- You have started, and you are over it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I prep a house for painting?
Wash every surface to remove dirt, salt and mould, and let it dry. Scrape and sand loose or flaking paint back to a firm edge, fill holes and cracks, replace rotten timber, and spot-prime bare wood. Mask windows and cover gardens and paths. On heritage homes, test for lead first, because lead paint needs wet methods and full clean-up.
How long does it take to paint a house yourself?
Much longer than a painter. A bedroom is a weekend for most people. A whole interior can take several weekends. A single-storey exterior can take weeks of evenings and weekends, because of preparation and weather. Auckland painting businesses publish estimates of three to seven working days for an exterior with a crew, which gives you a sense of the hours involved.
What should I ask a painter if I decide not to DIY?
Ask for a written quote that lists the preparation, repairs, products, number of coats, scaffolding and clean-up, and whether GST is included. Ask how they handle lead paint on heritage homes, and how they protect your floors and garden. Comparing two or three quotes against what DIY would cost you in time helps you decide.
Can I do the prep myself and get a painter to finish?
Some painters will agree to it, and it can lower the price. Others prefer to do their own preparation, because the finish depends on it and they are responsible for the result. If you want to try, say so when you ask for quotes, and agree in writing exactly what you will do and what the painter will do.
Started and over it?
It happens. The wardrobe goes in, the room needs painting, you buy the paint, and halfway through the first wall you realise it's a bigger job than it looked. You don't have to finish it yourself. Tell us what's done and what's left, and we'll arrange a free estimate to finish the job.