Exterior Painting in Indianapolis
Exterior house painters in Indianapolis
Chalky siding, peeling trim, or a color that has not looked right since the 1990s. We wash, scrape, prime and repair before we paint, because an Indiana winter finds every shortcut by March.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Wash, scrape, prime, then paint
- Rot repaired before painting
Paint lines and window treatment brands we work with
Quick answer
Exterior painting in Indianapolis runs from April through October when surfaces stay warm enough to cure, and a typical house takes about a week from washing to the final trim coat. Published market figures land most exterior repaints between $1,800 and $4,500, or $1.50 to $4 per square foot of wall area, with prep condition and the number of stories deciding the number.
What the job involves
What a repaint has to survive here, and how we prep for it
Updated September 2026
Exterior paint in central Indiana fails from the bottom up and the joints in: the sill, the bottom lap of siding, the fascia seam, the porch post base. Water sits, freezes and pushes the old coat off, so the job starts with a soft wash to remove chalk and mildew, then scraping every loose edge, feathering it smooth, and priming bare wood the same day.
Rotted wood is cut out and replaced before any paint goes on; our wood rot repair page covers what gets replaced. Caulk goes only where two materials meet, never at the bottom edge of siding where the wall has to breathe. Two coats of a 100% acrylic line from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams or PPG go on, sprayed and back-rolled on siding, brushed on trim, when the surface temperature is inside the product's range.
What moves the price
What sets the price of an exterior repaint
Priced on wall area, stories and prep condition. Market ranges run $1.50 to $4 per square foot, with most houses between $1,800 and $4,500 before rot repair.
- Wall area and stories A second story adds staging time; market figures show multi-story work can raise labor by up to 50%.
- Prep condition Sound paint is quick; stripping peeling paint runs $0.50 to $2 per square foot on its own.
- Siding material Wood needs the most scraping and priming; aluminum needs chalk removal; vinyl and fiber cement mostly need washing.
- Rot and carpentry Replacing sills, fascia or trim boards is priced by the piece.
- Trim, doors and shutters Every window, door and shutter is brush work; heavy trim costs more.
- Color change Dark to light, or a saturated new color, usually adds a full primer coat.
- Access and landscaping Dense shrubs, steep grades and tight lots slow staging.
Ranges are published market figures for planning only, not a quote from us; your price depends on the factors above.
Variations of this job
The exterior house painting jobs we get called for
Wood siding
Wood clapboard, cedar shakes and board-and-batten take paint best and need the most prep. Every loose edge is scraped and feathered, knots and bare wood get an oil or alkyd primer, and rusted nail heads are set and sealed. On older wood the paint is often sound in the field and failing only at butt ends and bottom laps, so we prep those hard and leave sound paint alone. Siding is sprayed and back-rolled to work the paint into the grain; trim is brushed.
Aluminum siding
Aluminum siding chalks: the factory finish oxidizes into a powder that wipes off on your hand, and paint over chalk peels in sheets. A thorough wash with a chalk-removing cleaner is most of the job, followed by a bonding primer on bare or heavily oxidized panels. The panels rarely fail, but seams, J-channel and corner posts trap water and need attention. Dents stay dents, since paint does not fill them. Sprayed satin acrylic gives an even finish a brush cannot on ribbed aluminum.
Vinyl siding
Vinyl can be painted, with two rules. The new color must be the same or lighter in light reflectance than the original, because a darker color absorbs more sun and can warp the panel, and the paint must be a line formulated for vinyl so it flexes through summer and winter. Within those limits, painting tired vinyl costs far less than replacing it. Prep is a wash and a check for cracked or unhooked panels, and we show you which of your color choices sit inside the manufacturers' vinyl-safe palettes.
Fiber cement siding
Fiber cement, usually sold under the HardiePlank name, holds paint longer than wood and does not chalk like aluminum, but it still needs repainting when the factory finish fades or a builder's thin field coat wears through. The bare cut ends at corners and around windows are the weak spot; they absorb water and need priming and caulking. Repaint is a wash, a check of every caulk joint, primer on bare or heavily faded areas, and two coats of a 100% acrylic exterior paint. Because the surface is rigid and smooth, the result looks close to new.
Local context
How this work runs around Indianapolis
A normal Indianapolis year brings 106 nights at or below freezing and about 43 inches of precipitation spread through every month, so the same wall is soaked, frozen and thawed dozens of times between November and March. That is why we prime bare wood the day it is exposed and caulk the joints, not the drip edges. Inside historic districts such as Lockerbie Square, Old Northside, Herron-Morton Place and Woodruff Place, an exterior color change needs preservation commission clearance, and we schedule around that approval.
Timeline
How long the house is under paint
A single-story house runs about a week: a wash day, a drying day, a day or two of scraping and repair, then two paint days. Two stories, heavy prep or rot repair stretch that, and rain resets it. You live in the house throughout; doors are painted so one entry always stays usable.
From your call to the final walk-through
How an exterior repaint runs
- 01
Call and describe the house
Stories, siding type, what is failing. We book the visit on the call.
- 02
Walk-around estimate
Every wall checked, suspect trim probed for rot, color talked through in daylight.
- 03
Written scope
Prep by surface, carpentry list, product and sheen, target weather window.
- 04
Wash
Soft wash for chalk, mildew and dirt, then a dry day.
- 05
Scrape, sand, repair, prime
Loose paint off, edges feathered, rot replaced, bare wood primed same day.
- 06
Caulk and paint
Joints caulked, then two coats: sprayed and back-rolled on siding, brushed on trim.
- 07
Walk-around and cleanup
You check every elevation with us; masking off, yard as we found it.
Washed, scraped, primed and painted to last a Indianapolis winter
Call (317) 680-1946FAQ
Questions we hear on this job
Late April through October, when surfaces stay above the paint's minimum while it dries.
No. Every loose edge is scraped and feathered before priming. Paint over peeling paint peels with it.
Yes, before painting. The wood rot repair page covers what we replace and when epoxy is enough.
Only within the manufacturer's vinyl-safe palette; darker colors absorb heat and can warp the panel.
Two finish coats on every surface, plus primer on bare wood, repairs and strong color changes.
Only inside the city's historic districts, where exterior changes including color go through the preservation commission.
Related services
Other exterior painting work we handle
Brick Painting & Limewash
Limewash finish, painted chimney and more.
brick painting & limewash serviceGarage & Entry Door Painting
Steel garage doors, exterior shutters and more.
Garage & Entry Door PaintingWrought Iron & Metal Railing Painting
Wrought iron porch and stair railings, rusted railings and bases and more.
learn about wrought iron & metal railing paintingExterior Trim, Soffit & Fascia Painting
Fascia boards, porch ceilings and more.
Exterior Trim, Soffit & Fascia Painting in IndianapolisReady when you are
Get a walk-around booked before the weather window closes
Exterior calendars fill from spring on. Call with your siding type and stories and we will set the visit on the phone, any hour.
Faber Paint & Blinds service office
3053 Stillcrest Ln, Indianapolis, IN 46217