Painter cost to paint one room | R800 – R1 800 |
Painter cost per square meter incl. materials | R100 – R250 |
Labour cost per square meter excl. materials | R50 – R80 |
Daily labour cost for a painter | R500 – R650 |
Cost Of A Painter: How Much Does Paint Per Square Meter Cost?
Kandua has thousands of vetted painters. Share details of your painting job and compare different pros and their quotes to find the right one for you
Typically, paint per square meter costs R50-80 for the labour only, and if you include materials, it will cost around R100-R250. However, painters will need more information about your specific job and may even need to view the area to give you an accurate quote.
Kandua has thousands of vetted painters – click below to share details of your painting job and compare different pros and their quotes to find the right one for you.
Read on for more about what may affect the cost of painting your room or house.
Table of Contents
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What colour is the area you want to paint over?
If you want to paint over a dark colour with a lighter colour, then the painter will need to give the walls an extra coat of primer as well as more coats of the colour you choose. This is to cover the darker colour without affecting the tone or shade of the new colour.
What texture is the wall?
Rough-textured walls require more labour to make sure you’ve coated the surface correctly. They also use about 20 - 25% more paint than smooth textured walls. This means the painter will need to use more paint which will affect the paint per square meter cost.

How much does it cost to paint a house?
There are a variety of things that affect the cost to paint a house. An experienced painter will be able to give you an estimate per square meter, provided you can supply them with some more information. We’ve chatted to the top painters in the industry and they have given us the most important factors that will affect the cost of a painter and the amount of paint needed.
- Size of the house – How many bedrooms does the house have? Is there also a garage? The painter needs to know the size of the area to be painted, in order to calculate how much paint they will need to paint the house and how long it will take.
- Accessibility – The cost to paint a house will also depend on whether or not the house is easily accessible. A house without trees and obstructions in the way will cost less to paint than a double story house with an attic and trees hanging over parts of the walls, and that might require scaffolding.
- Type and quality of paint – The cost to paint a house will be influenced by the type of paint you choose. A high-quality paint will be more expensive but you will probably need fewer coats. This could save you in the long run with a lower paint per square meter cost.
- Amount of colours used – The more paint colours used to paint the house, the more work goes into cleaning and preparing for the different colours. This will also affect the cost to paint a house.
- Additional requirements – If the exterior walls of the house need to be patched or repaired it will also affect the cost to paint a house. The painter will have to put in more hours into the task and is likely to add to the cost of a painter , pushing the price up.

Breakdown of the costs to paint a house
Materials and equipment – The painting quote will generally include the cost to buy the materials and all the equipment needed. You can buy the paint yourself but you run the risk of purchasing inferior products which won’t last as long or look nice once painted on.
Labour costs – A professional painter isn’t just charging you to paint the walls and go. They prime the walls, prepare the space that will be painted and make sure the surrounding areas are protected against paint splashes – this all adds up when getting a quote for the cost of a painter.
Clean up – Painters normally include a cleanup cost in their quote.

Tips for hiring a top painter
- Get multiple quotes – We recommend that you get multiple painting quotes from pros. You can get lots of quotes in under 60 seconds by using Kandua.com.
- Reviews – Once you’ve received quotes from pros – take the time to read the painters' reviews. These reviews will give you a good indication of their previous conduct and their workmanship.
- Pricing – Avoid making your decision based on price alone. The most expensive quote doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best quote. Choose your painter based on price, reviews and your gut feeling.
Tip from Kandua: Visit your nearest Leroy Merlin which has an excellent range of paint supplies and equipment at great prices.
Kandua.com has lots of experienced, background checked, vetted and reviewed painters across South Africa. Get multiple painting quotes in 1 minute or less. All you have to do is:
- Search for a painter in your area.
- Answer a couple of questions about your painting job.
- Give us your contact details so pros can get hold of you.
- Connected with vetted and reviewed painters.
- Read their online reviews.
- Choose the pro that's right for you.
- Areas we service: Johannesburg painters – Pretoria painters – Cape Town painters – Durban painters
- If you have any questions on hiring a carpenter, or how Kandua.com works – we’ve got the answers for you on our FAQ page