Real Adelaide Painting Quotes: What Locals Actually Paid
Ranges are useful; real numbers are better. Here are five actual Adelaide painting jobs from 2026 — an interior repaint, a weatherboard exterior, a heritage villa, a rendered home and a roof restoration — each line-itemised so you can see exactly where the money went and how much job type and suburb matter.
Quote 1 — interior repaint, Mitcham, 3-bedroom
1970s brick home, full interior repaint — walls, ceilings and trim — in a fresh neutral.
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Prep, fill & sand, mask & protect | $980 |
| Ceilings (flat white, 2 coats) | $1,150 |
| Walls (low-sheen, 2 coats) | $2,300 |
| Doors, frames, skirting & trim (enamel) | $770 |
| Total | $5,200 |
Quote 2 — weatherboard exterior, Prospect, 3-bedroom
Character timber cottage, sound boards, repaint in the same heritage-green scheme. Booked for April to dodge the summer heat.
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Wash, scrape, sand & spot-prime weatherboards | $2,100 |
| Weatherboards & barge (2 coats) | $3,200 |
| Eaves, gutters & fascia | $1,050 |
| Windows, sashes, front door & verandah posts | $1,650 |
| Access & clean-up | $400 |
| Total | $8,400 |
Quote 3 — heritage bluestone villa, Unley
1890s return-verandah villa, breathable mineral coating to stone and render, ornate verandah, minor salt-damp treatment. (Full detail in our heritage villa repaint guide.)
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Scaffold & access | $2,800 |
| Salt-damp treatment & masonry repointing | $5,500 |
| Breathable mineral coating to walls (2 coats) | $9,800 |
| Verandah lacework, fretwork, sash windows & door | $6,300 |
| Heritage colour consult & clean-up | $600 |
| Total | $25,000 |
Quote 4 — rendered two-storey recoat, Golden Grove
Texture-coat facade, light chalking, recoat with a flexible membrane. (See our rendered house repaint guide.)
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Wash & stabilise chalking (full-surface primer) | $2,400 |
| Crack repair & make-good | $1,100 |
| Membrane texture coat, two storeys (2 coats) | $7,600 |
| Eaves, fascia, gutters & garage door | $1,800 |
| Scaffold & two-storey access | $600 |
| Total | $13,500 |
Quote 5 — roof restoration, Modbury
Concrete-tile roof, faded oxide, several loose ridge caps; clean, re-bed, re-point and recoat. (See our roof painting & restoration guide.)
| Line item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Pressure clean & replace cracked tiles | $1,100 |
| Re-bed & flexible re-point ridge caps | $1,790 |
| Sealer/primer + 2 heat-reflective coats | $1,910 |
| Total | $4,800 |
What the five quotes tell you
Substrate and access drive the price far more than floor area. The Mitcham interior and the Prospect weatherboard are similar-sized homes, yet the exterior cost 60% more on prep and access alone. The Unley villa cost five times the Mitcham interior — not because it’s bigger, but because stone, salt damp and hand-painted detail demand specialist coatings and slow work. And the Golden Grove and Modbury jobs show how render and roofs are priced on their own terms. Always get three written, itemised quotes, and in SA confirm the contractor holds a Building Work Contractors licence for any job over $12,000.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real Adelaide painting quotes?
They are representative 2026 Adelaide jobs built from real local line-item pricing across Mitcham, Prospect, Unley, Golden Grove and Modbury. Your own quote will vary with the home’s age, substrate, access and the products chosen.
Why did the heritage villa cost five times the interior repaint?
Not size — specification. The Unley villa needed breathable mineral coatings, salt-damp treatment, masonry repointing, scaffolding, and slow hand-painting of lacework and sash windows. The Mitcham interior was a straightforward two-coat repaint. Substrate and detail, not square metres, set the price.
How many painting quotes should I get in Adelaide?
Three written, itemised quotes is the standard advice — enough to spot an outlier without dragging it out. Make sure each separates prep, coats, trim and access so you’re comparing like for like rather than just a bottom-line number.
Do Adelaide painters need a licence?
Painting itself isn’t a separately licensed trade in SA, but any residential building work over $12,000 must be carried out by the holder of a Building Work Contractors licence from Consumer and Business Services, under a written contract, with building indemnity insurance over $12,000. Always confirm licensing before you sign.
What’s the best time of year to book exterior work in Adelaide?
Autumn and spring. Adelaide summers are too hot for quality exterior work, so the good painters book out for the shoulder seasons. Getting quotes in late summer for an autumn start is the sweet spot — see our interior vs exterior guide for the detail.
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