How much does it cost to paint the exterior of a house in South Florida?
An exterior repaint in South Florida is priced by wall area, not by the floor area of the house, and Atrium's jobs land between $1.80 and $2.10 per square foot of wall, all in. For a typical single-family house that works out to roughly $3,000 to $9,500. Three recent jobs: 2,916 square feet of wall at $4,496, a two-story at 3,748 square feet for $7,528, and a large single-story at 5,155 square feet for $9,360. Across 136 exterior painting jobs completed since 2021, the median contract was $5,016.
Typical project range: $2,500 – $8,500 the middle half of 136 exterior painting jobs completed since 2021, at $1.80 to $2.10 per square foot of wall.
Three real jobs
These are actual Atrium exterior repaints, priced and delivered. They are the same three the rate band above was built from.
| House | Wall area | Total price | Per ft² of wall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single story | 2,916 ft² | $4,496 | $1.54 |
| Two story | 3,748 ft² | $7,528 | $2.01 |
| Large single story, 12.5 ft walls | 5,155 ft² | $9,360 | $1.82 |
The two-story costs more per square foot because everything above the first floor needs lifts or extended ladders and goes slower. The large single-story is cheaper per square foot than the small one — fixed costs like mobilization and masking spread over more wall.
What 136 completed jobs cost
From Atrium’s own job records, 2021 through August 2026. Contract values, not estimates.
| Contract value | Jobs | What sits in this band |
|---|---|---|
| Under $3,000 | 41 | Partial repaints, trim and fascia, small single-story houses |
| $3,000 – $5,000 | 26 | Single-story houses |
| $5,000 – $8,000 | 34 | Larger single-story and smaller two-story houses |
| $8,000 – $12,000 | 10 | Two-story houses, tall walls, heavier prep |
| $12,000 – $50,000 | 13 | Large houses, townhome rows, small commercial buildings |
| Over $50,000 | 12 | Condominium, multifamily and commercial buildings |
Median $5,016; the middle half of all jobs fell between $2,500 and $8,500. Boca Raton accounts for 51 of the 136.
Current promotion
Exterior repaint labor is $1,800 up to 2,500 square feet of wall, and $0.75 for every square foot above that. Materials are quoted separately.
Below 2,500 square feet the effective rate climbs, because $1,800 is a floor rather than a rate — a very small house still needs the same setup, washing and masking as a medium one. Checked against a real job: 2,916 square feet of wall is $1,800 plus 416 × $0.75, which is $2,112 of labor — exactly what that estimate carried.
What is included in the price
| Included | Quoted separately |
|---|---|
| Pressure cleaning | Soffit and fascia |
| Removing loose or flaking paint | Patio ceilings, beams and columns |
| Elastomeric sealant in masonry cracks | Pool and screen enclosures |
| Caulking window frames to stucco | Driveways and walkways |
| Stucco repair up to ½ inch | Stucco damage deeper than ½ inch |
| Masonry primer on all walls | Metal window frames and sliding doors |
| Two-coat finish, walls and trim | Interior face of doors |
| All masonry walls and trim | Metal doors and garage doors — enamel, optional |
This is the list worth comparing between quotes. When one bid comes in far below another, the difference is almost always a line missing from the left column — most often the primer, the second coat, or the crack sealant.
What moves the number
| What varies | Effect on price | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wall square footage | Largest single factor | Both labor and material scale with the surface being coated |
| One story vs. two | Roughly 35% more on the upper walls | Above-grade work needs lifts or extended ladders and goes slower |
| Footprint shape | Up to 25% more wall for the same floor area | Corners, wings and bump-outs all add perimeter |
| Ceiling height | Proportional | A 12.5 ft ground floor carries 25% more wall than a 10 ft one |
| Stucco condition | Negligible to substantial | Damage deeper than ½ inch is a separate scope and has to be repaired first |
| Paint line chosen | Moderate | Sherwin-Williams lines sit at different price points and warranty lengths |
The materials
Atrium’s standard exterior system is Sherwin-Williams: Loxon Acrylic Conditioner as the masonry primer, SuperPaint Exterior as the finish, and — when asked for — Sher-Cryl HPA enamel on metal doors and garage doors. Latitude, Resilience and Emerald Rain Refresh are offered as upgrades with longer manufacturer warranties. Between September 2023 and August 2026 the company bought 2,984 gallons of SuperPaint Exterior.
Warranty
1 year on labor and 7 years on material.
Where we work
Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Wellington, Highland Beach, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point, Parkland, Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, Tamarac, Sunrise, Davie, Weston, Miramar, Pembroke Pines and Miami — across Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Sources
- Atrium estimate records — three completed exterior repaints at 2,916 ft², 3,748 ft² and 5,155 ft² of wall
- Atrium exterior repaint assembly, August 2026 — all-in rate band of $1.80–$2.10 per square foot of wall
- Atrium job records, Buildertrend, 2021 – August 2026 — 136 exterior painting jobs with a recorded contract value
Related questions
- Why is the price based on wall area and not the size of my house?
- Because two houses with the same floor area can differ by 25% in wall area. A two-story house stacks the same floor plan into half the footprint but carries more wall. A house with many corners, wings and bump-outs carries more wall than a simple rectangle of the same size. Pricing off floor area silently over-quotes one house and under-quotes the other.
- How much wall area does my house have?
- More than most people guess. A single-story house with 2,000 square feet of living space typically carries somewhere around 1,600 to 2,000 square feet of wall, depending on the shape of the footprint and the ceiling height. A two-story adds roughly 80% of the perimeter again at 9 feet. We measure it from the building outline before quoting.
- What does the price include?
- Pressure cleaning, removing loose or flaking paint, elastomeric sealant in masonry cracks, caulking window frames to stucco, stucco repair up to half an inch, masonry primer on all walls, and a two-coat finish on all walls and trim.
- What is quoted separately?
- Soffit and fascia, patio ceilings, pool enclosures, driveways, metal window frames and sliding doors, and the enamel on metal doors and garage doors are priced as their own scopes rather than folded into the wall number. Stucco damage deeper than half an inch is also separate — it genuinely cannot be priced without seeing it, and painting over it wastes the paint.
- Do you have a promotion running?
- Yes. Exterior repaint labor is $1,800 up to 2,500 square feet of wall, and $0.75 for each square foot above that. Materials are quoted separately from the promotional labor price.
- How long does the warranty last?
- One year on labor and seven years on material. Ask any contractor to put both in writing — a warranty covering only the material leaves you paying labor twice if the coating fails.