Painting cost per square metre in 2026: what painters charge, and how to compare quotes without being overcharged

What does painting cost per square metre in 2026?

Ask ten painters and you'll get ten prices. Not because anyone is cheating, but because every house's walls are different. A smooth wall in a ground-floor bedroom and a peeling wall on the third floor that needs a ladder are completely different jobs.

Based on articles and price surveys published in Thailand, labour-only house painting (where you buy the paint yourself) runs at around ฿50–180 per square metre. The low end is for interior walls in good condition and large jobs. The high end is for work that needs a lot of surface preparation, tall walls, or exterior work. These figures vary by province, season and how busy the painter is. Use them as a measuring stick, not a fixed price.

Another option you'll often see is an all-in package that includes paint. Interior work in a small room starts at around ฿11,900 (minimum of about 10 sq m), exterior work starts at around ฿15,900, and if scaffolding is needed, it may start at around ฿10,000 on top.

• Labour only, interior walls in good condition: the low end of the ฿50–180/sq m range
• Labour only, walls that need scraping, repairs, or are very tall: the high end of the range
• All-in package with paint, interior: from around ฿11,900 (minimum about 10 sq m)
• All-in package with paint, exterior: from around ฿15,900
• Scaffolding for exterior work: from around ฿10,000

What house painting labour includes, and what you pay for separately

Before you compare prices, you need to know what you're buying. There are three main ways to hire painting. The first is labour only: you choose and buy the paint yourself, so you have full control over its quality. The second is an all-in package: the painter supplies the paint, which is convenient, but you need to ask clearly which paint and how many coats. The third is ordering paint with painters directly from a paint brand: you get the paint you chose and painters who know that paint well.

The thing people most often pay for twice is primer. Labour per square metre generally already includes 1 coat of primer and 2 coats of the paint itself. If a quote has a separate line for primer labour, ask straight away whether it's being charged twice. It's like ordering khao man gai (Hainanese chicken rice) and being charged extra for the dipping sauce. Not illegal, but you should know before you order.

• Usually included in labour: 1 coat of primer, 2 coats of paint, covering floors and furniture, taping, basic tidying up
• Usually charged separately: scraping off peeling or flaking paint, pressure-washing walls, repairing cracks, re-plastering walls
• Usually charged separately: scaffolding, work higher than a ladder can reach, painting door frames, doors and window grilles
• Ask: is paint included, which paint range, how many coats, moving furniture, rubbish removal

7 things that push up the cost of painting per square metre

Most of a higher price comes from surface preparation, not the painting itself. Good painters spend more time preparing a wall than painting it, because however good the paint is, it can't stick to a flaking wall.

If the wall has cracks that need re-plastering, use the government reference price as a yardstick. Under the Comptroller General's Department announcement (No. Kor Kor 0433.2/Wor 480, dated 26 June 2026), labour for plastering interior walls is ฿96 per square metre and exterior walls ฿109 per square metre (labour only). Private contractors may charge differently, but if the gap is large, ask for an explanation.

• Old paint that's peeling, flaking or blistering and has to be scraped off first
• Cracks and walls that need re-plastering
• Tall walls, high ceilings and stairwells that need scaffolding or a tall ladder
• Exterior work, which needs washing, algae removal and cooperative weather
• Going from a dark colour to a light one, which may need an extra coat
• Several colours in one room, cut-in lines or special patterns
• Very small jobs, since many painters have a minimum charge per job

Sample painting budgets: a 3 × 4 m bedroom and the outside of a 2-storey townhouse

A 3 × 4 m bedroom with a 2.6 m ceiling height has a perimeter of 3 + 4 + 3 + 4 = 14 m. The wall area is 14 × 2.6 = 36.4 sq m. Subtract the door (0.9 × 2.0 = 1.8) and the window (1.2 × 1.2 = 1.44) and you're left with about 33 sq m. Add the ceiling, 3 × 4 = 12 sq m, for a total of around 45 sq m.

Labour is 45 sq m × ฿50–180 = ฿2,250–8,100. If you buy the paint yourself, for example Voqe Wall Paint, which covers 35–40 sq m per gallon per coat, the walls are 33 sq m × 2 coats = 66 sq m, about 2 gallons, and the ceiling is 12 × 2 = 24 sq m, about 1 gallon. That's 3 gallons × ฿1,299 = ฿3,897. Add 1–2 gallons of primer for old plaster (฿630 a gallon), and the total bedroom budget comes to around ฿6,800–13,300, not including wall repairs.

For a 2-storey mid-terrace townhouse, painting the front and back: each wall is 5 × 7 m = 35 sq m, so 70 sq m for both. Subtract around 15 sq m for doors, windows and openings, leaving about 55 sq m. Labour is 55 × ฿50–180 = ฿2,750–9,900. Add scaffolding, which may start at around ฿10,000, and another 3–4 gallons of paint depending on the paint you choose, and exterior work easily runs well into the tens of thousands of baht, before washing the walls and repairing cracks.

• Formula: area (sq m) × labour per sq m + paint + surface repairs + scaffolding (if needed)
• 3 × 4 m bedroom (walls + ceiling, about 45 sq m): total budget around ฿6,800–13,300
• Front and back of a 2-storey townhouse (about 55 sq m): labour ฿2,750–9,900 + scaffolding + paint
• Corner house: add the side wall too, which may nearly double the area

Finding a painter: compare 3 quotes, and ask these 8 questions before you sign

Comparing prices only works if everyone quotes for the same job. Send every contractor the same wall photos, room sizes and list of work, then ask for an itemised quote. You'll see straight away who's cheap because they're good, and who's cheap because they cut steps.

Don't just compare the total at the bottom. A lower total may mean one coat, no primer, or paint thinned with too much water, and you'll see the results with the first rain.

• Does the price per square metre include primer?
• How many coats of paint, which range, which brand, and what percentage of water is it thinned with?
• What surface preparation is included: scraping, washing, crack repairs, and how is it charged?
• Are scaffolding, moving furniture and rubbish removal included or separate?
• How many days will it take, and what happens if it rains?
• How many payment instalments, and is the last one paid after you inspect the work?
• Is there a workmanship guarantee covering blistering and peeling, and for how many months?
• Can you see photos of real jobs or the numbers of past customers?

Warning signs when hiring a painter, and the Supply & Apply option

There are plenty of good painters, but there are headache-inducing ones too. Most of the warning signs show up on the day you discuss the job, before anyone has even opened a tin.

If you'd rather not chase painters yourself and want the paint you actually chose, Voqe's Supply & Apply service pairs our paint with painters trained on it. Send us photos of your walls for an assessment, and get a quote that shows the cost of paint and labour separately.

• Asks for a very large deposit before starting work
• Won't itemise, and only gives a single total
• Says you never need primer and can always paint straight over
• Doesn't ask about the condition of the walls or ask to see photos, but gives a price immediately
• No contract or paperwork of any kind, not even a message confirming the scope of work