How Much Does it Cost to Paint an Exterior Door?

Reviewed by Joe Roberts remodeling expert. Written by Fixr.com.

The cost of painting an exterior door

On average, most exterior doors cost about $156 to professionally sand, prime, and paint. However, prices for this project can depend significantly on the square footage of your door, the type of paint you choose, and the number of coats your painter applies. For this reason, homeowners commonly spend anywhere between $112 and $205 to get an exterior door painted. In some cases, the cost per door can exceed this price range. 

The benefits of regularly repainting your exterior doors are well worth the costs. Not only does paint freshen up a door’s look, but it also increases its defense against the elements. A new coat of paint can help a door last much longer and increase your home’s curb appeal.

Keep reading to learn more about painting your exterior doors and estimate your total costs for professional painting services.

Factors that can influence exterior door painting costs

Labor rates

Most house painting professionals charge an hourly rate of between $51 and $94 per hour to paint an exterior door. While this might seem pretty low compared to the average prices we’ve listed, keep in mind that painting an exterior door can take several hours.

This is partially because there’s a lot of prep work involved. The painters usually have to remove the old paint (either by sanding or stripping), remove or cover the door’s hardware with masking tape, refresh the caulking, and apply primer. Then the actual painting can begin.

When done right, this project can take anywhere between one and five hours from beginning to end.

The size of the door

Painting companies typically charge between $4 and $7.50 per square foot to paint an exterior door. So, the larger your door, the more you should expect to pay. Most exterior doors have a standard size of 80 inches by 36 inches—or 20 square feet—though this isn’t always the case for older homes or homes with custom doors. 

This table can help you estimate what you’ll pay to paint your front door.

Average costs to paint exterior doors of different sizes

If you don’t already know the size of the door you want to paint, now’s a good time to take some quick measurements. Then, multiply the door’s square footage by our per-square-foot price range to determine how much you’re likely to pay for your paint job. 

The type of paint you use

As with any home improvement project, you’ll pay extra for better materials to paint your door. If you get high-quality paint and sealant that can withstand adverse weather conditions while maintaining a beautiful facade, you’ll pay more than if you opt for paint that won’t last very long.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the two main exterior paint types, their advantages, and their disadvantages:

• Water-based paint, also called latex-based paint, is highly resistant to UV rays and tends to withstand changing temperatures well. Because of its durability and weather resistance, water-based paint is incredibly popular. It usually costs more than oil paint, though. 
• Oil-based paint breaks down when exposed to excessive heat and UV rays, making it less than ideal for sunny regions. Oil paints also don’t expand and contract as well when temperatures change, so they’re more likely to crack and peel. Lastly, oil-based paint sometimes develops a chalky look after a while. The primary advantage of oil-based paint is its price; it’s generally cheaper than water-based paint. 

Both paint options are available in matte, semi-gloss, and high gloss finishes, and they also come in a huge variety of colors, so you don’t have to worry about appearance when choosing the right paint for your door. Just be aware that—depending on market conditions—different colors and finishes may cost more than others. 

On top of the paint costs, you’ll also need to pay for the primer and sealant your painters use. Not all paints need sealant and primer, though. Additionally, the type of primer and sealant you should use will largely be determined by which type of paint you get, so you may not get a lot of options here. 

You should also know that some paints and paint colors don’t work as well with certain door materials, so ask your painter which type of paint is best to use on your door. 

Exterior door painting pricing tiers

The budget option

Getting your door professionally painted doesn’t have to be exorbitantly expensive. You can save a lot of money on your painting service by simply opting for a low-end oil paint (as long as it’ll work on your door) instead of getting a deluxe latex option.

You can also cut your costs nearly in half by only painting the exterior side of your door instead of painting both sides. This isn’t always an ideal solution, but it is a common one. Many people have the insides and outsides of their front doors painted different colors. Cutting costs this way will still freshen up your door’s outside appearance and protect the side that’s most vulnerable to the elements.

Even if you need to go cheap, though, we don’t recommend DIY exterior painting jobs. Painting a front door is much more high-stakes than painting an interior door because doing it wrong can cause the door to rot or rust. Even if you’ve done a ton of interior painting jobs, you should still leave exterior painting to the pros. 

The mid-range option

If you have room in your budget to do this job right, then get both sides of your door painted with the highest-quality paint your painter recommends for your region and your door. In many cases, this will be a water-based latex paint, though depending on what your door is made from, high-end oil paint may work better. 

Keep in mind that going this route means you’ll pay on the high end of the average for this job, so prepare your budget accordingly. 

The high-end option

Why stop at your front door? If you’ve got the money, it might be a good idea to repaint all of your home’s exterior doors at once. This will give them a cohesive appearance and help each of them last much longer.

Of course, depending on how many exterior doors your home has, this will cost you hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars more than just painting the outside of your front door. If you decide to paint your back door, a couple of side doors, and your garage door as well as your entryway door, you could realistically spend up to $2,000 on this project. 

How to pay for your exterior door’s paint job

For the most part, you can usually cover the costs of painting a single exterior door with cash or a credit card. The first option is always preferable since paying with credit means you’ll have to pay a lot of interest as well. But since door painting is relatively inexpensive compared to bigger jobs like door replacement, you can usually pay the debt down pretty quickly.

Your other option is to finance through your painting company. With this method, you’ll work out a payment plan with your painters. This option will also come with an interest rate, but it will likely be more favorable than your credit card’s. 

Just be aware that financing through your painters might not be an option if you’re only painting a single door. Many painting companies don’t offer financing on jobs that cost under $1,000.

Other factors to consider

HOA

As with any renovation to the exterior of your home, you usually need to get your HOA’s approval before you paint your front door a different color. Otherwise, your association could fine you and force you to paint the door again, this time in a color they approve of – and you’ll have to pay for the whole thing. Skip all this costly unpleasantness by planning your door painting project with your HOA. 

Caring for your door

One of the best things you can do for your newly painted door is keep it clean. Regularly wipe the door down with mild soapy water to clear dust buildup, especially after heavy storms. 

In addition to keeping the door’s appearance fresh, this will also give you a chance to closely inspect the door for chips and cracks in the paint. These should be patched up as soon as you notice them to prevent moisture from seeping in beneath your door’s finish, so be sure to hold onto a little of the paint your painters used. 

Painting your door on your budget

Getting your exterior doors painted by professionals is one of the best ways to give your home a quick facelift and increase its defense against the elements. Since this job is so much cheaper than other renovation projects, it’s also one of the most affordable ways to accomplish these goals as well.