Exterior house painting cost in Toronto

Exterior painting in Toronto runs $1.75 to $4.50 per square foot of wall area depending on what the house is clad in, for two coats with standard prep and labour included and paint extra. A one storey bungalow on vinyl typically lands around $1,600 to $2,500, a two storey brick semi around $8,200 to $12,300, and a large detached wood sided house with peeling paint around $10,100 to $16,100. All figures are CAD, before HST at 13%.

The spread is wide because three things multiply together on every exterior job: what the surface is, how high it is, and what shape it is in.

Rates by siding type

Vinyl and aluminum are smooth and fast, so they sit at the bottom. Wood has to be scraped, spot primed and cut around every board edge. Brick is the most expensive because masonry absorbs paint, needs a masonry system and cannot be rushed.

Everything that is not flat wall is priced separately:

How exterior wall area is worked out

You rarely know your exterior wall area either, so it gets derived from the footprint.

Perimeter = 4 x the square root of the footprint, x 1.10. The 1.10 accounts for the fact that a real house has bays, returns and a rear addition rather than being a perfect square.

Wall area = perimeter x 9.5 ft per storey x number of storeys, minus 18% for windows and doors. The 9.5 feet per storey includes the rim joist and the strip of foundation that shows above grade.

Soffit and fascia are estimated at about 1.4 linear feet of trim for every foot of perimeter, which covers the eaves on both long sides plus the rake on the gable ends.

Worked example: a bungalow on vinyl

700 sq ft footprint, one storey, vinyl siding in good condition, open lot with ladder access all round.

• Perimeter: the square root of 700 is about 26.5, so 4 x 26.5 x 1.10 = about 116 feet
• Wall area: 116 x 9.5 x 1 storey = about 1,105 sq ft, less 18%, is roughly 905 sq ft
• Siding: 905 x $1.75 to $2.75 = $1,585 to $2,490

One storey, good condition and easy access are all baseline multipliers, so nothing is added: $1,600 to $2,500 (CAD, before HST).

Soffit and fascia on top: 116 x 1.4 = about 163 linear feet, x $3.00 to $5.00 = $500 to $800. Add a front door at $250 to $450 and a single garage door at $300 to $550 and the whole exterior is roughly $2,650 to $4,300.

Worked example: a two storey brick semi

1,000 sq ft footprint, two storeys, brick, sound existing coating, the tight side yard that comes with most Toronto semis.

• Perimeter: 4 x the square root of 1,000 (about 31.6) x 1.10 = about 139 feet
• Wall area: 139 x 9.5 x 2 = about 2,640 sq ft, less 18%, is roughly 2,170 sq ft
• Brick: 2,170 x $3.00 to $4.50 = $6,500 to $9,750
• Multipliers: two storeys adds 15%, tight access adds 10%, so 1.15 x 1.10 = about 1.27

$6,500 x 1.27 = about $8,200. $9,750 x 1.27 = about $12,300.

$8,200 to $12,300 for the brick alone. Soffit, fascia and rake at 195 linear feet adds $600 to $1,000.

A semi shares a party wall, so you are only painting three elevations, but the perimeter formula already averages that out across the footprint. If your semi is unusually narrow and deep, measure the three exposed sides and use the real number.

Worth saying plainly: painting brick is close to permanent. Once it is coated it has to be recoated for the life of the house and it cannot easily be reversed. Mineral or masonry stain breathes better than a film forming paint on old Toronto brick, and a contractor who does not raise that distinction is not the one to hire.

Worked example: a large detached with peeling wood

1,500 sq ft footprint, two storeys, wood siding with peeling and chalking that needs scraping and priming, tight access down one side.

• Perimeter: 4 x the square root of 1,500 (about 38.7) x 1.10 = about 170 feet
• Wall area: 170 x 9.5 x 2 = about 3,240 sq ft, less 18%, is roughly 2,655 sq ft
• Wood: 2,655 x $2.50 to $4.00 = $6,640 to $10,620
• Multipliers: two storeys 15%, peeling condition 20%, tight access 10%. 1.15 x 1.20 x 1.10 = about 1.52

$6,640 x 1.52 = about $10,100. $10,620 x 1.52 = about $16,100.

$10,100 to $16,100. The condition multiplier alone is roughly $1,700 to $2,700 of that, and it is the part people argue with. It is also the part that decides whether the finish lasts three years or ten.

The multipliers, and why they are not negotiable

Storeys. One storey is baseline. Two storeys adds 15%. Three adds 35%. This is ladder time, staging moves and the fact that a painter on a ladder simply covers less wall per hour than one standing on grass.

Condition. Sound paint needing a wash and a light sand is baseline. Some peeling or chalking to scrape and prime adds 20%. Heavy peeling, bare wood or repairs adds 45%.

Access. An open lot where ladders reach everything is baseline. Tight side yards or fences, which describes most Toronto semis and row houses, adds 10%. Anything needing scaffolding or a lift adds 25%.

Season. May to September is the baseline. April or October, weather permitting, takes 5% off, because crews would rather fill a shoulder week than sit idle.

Area. Downtown and central Toronto adds 6% for parking, permits for equipment on the boulevard and tight laneways. GTA outside Toronto comes off about 3%.

Paint for the outside

Exterior paint covers less than interior paint, about 300 sq ft per can rather than 350, because siding is textured and thirsty.

Cans = (wall area x 2 coats) divided by 300

For the brick semi, that is 2,170 x 2 divided by 300, which is about 15 cans:

• Contractor grade at $45 to $65 a can: roughly $700 to $1,000
• Premium at $70 to $95: roughly $1,050 to $1,450
• Designer at $110 to $140: roughly $1,650 to $2,100

Add about 8% for sundries and $35 to $55 a can for primer where bare wood or chalky aluminum needs it. On an exterior, the case for premium paint is much stronger than inside. The wall you just paid four figures to coat is going through Toronto freeze thaw cycles and humid summers, and a better resin holds its film through that longer.

What a real exterior quote should show you

A good exterior quote is mostly prep language. Look for the washing method, how far peeling paint will be scraped back, what gets spot primed, whether caulking is replaced or just topped up, and which coats go on which surfaces.

Also confirm two pieces of paperwork before anyone puts a ladder on your house: WSIB clearance and liability insurance. A fall from a second storey on your property is not a risk worth saving 10% on.

You can run your numbers through the free estimator for your own footprint, siding and condition and get these figures without the arithmetic. If you want a firm price for work like this, All Painting's exterior painting service is the Toronto contractor we recommend, on 416-710-4224.

See also our guide on when to paint an exterior in Ontario weather, how to read a painting quote and the overall house painting cost in Toronto.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to paint the outside of a house in Toronto?

Between roughly $1,600 for a small single storey vinyl bungalow and $16,000 or more for a large two storey wood sided house with peeling paint, before HST. The rate is $1.75 to $4.50 per square foot of wall area by siding type, then multiplied for storeys, condition and access.

Is painting brick a good idea?

It is a real decision, not just a colour choice. Brick is the most expensive surface at $3.00 to $4.50 per square foot, it needs a breathable masonry system rather than ordinary exterior paint, and it commits you to recoating for the life of the house. On sound brick that you simply dislike the colour of, think carefully first.

How long does an exterior repaint take?

A painter covers about 600 sq ft per day outside, and a typical crew is two people. The 2,170 sq ft brick semi is around two days of coating, but with washing, scraping, caulking, trim and weather delays, plan for four to six days spread across a week.

Can I save money by booking in the spring or fall?

A little. April or October, weather permitting, takes about 5% off because crews want to fill shoulder weeks. Going further into the cold is false economy, since most exterior coatings need surface and air temperatures to stay above their minimum overnight as well as during the day.

Does the price include soffit, fascia and the garage door?

Not in the per square foot siding rate. Soffit, fascia and eaves trim are $3.00 to $5.00 per linear foot, a front door is $250 to $450 and a single garage door is $300 to $550. On a bungalow those extras can be close to half of what the walls cost.

Why does a tight side yard cost more?

Ladders and staging need footing and swing room. A one metre gap between you and the neighbour's fence means shorter ladder setups, more moves, and sometimes scaffolding or a lift. Tight access adds 10% and lift or scaffold access adds 25%.