The Cost to Paint a Two-Storey House in Phuket

What makes up the cost to paint a two-storey house?

The cost to paint a two-storey house in Phuket uses the same formula as every painting job by Phuket Pro Painters, as explained on the page about how house painting prices in Phuket are worked out. What sets a two-storey house apart from a single-storey one is the value of some of the variables in the formula, not a different formula.

The figures for each item are in the estimate tables on the website. Every figure is an estimate. The real price is confirmed in the written quotation after the free site survey.

Why does a two-storey house cost more to paint than a single-storey house?

There is more exterior wall than owners expect

A two-storey house with the same floor area as a single-storey house has less roof but exterior walls about twice as tall. Owners who estimate the painting cost from the floor area therefore tend to arrive at a figure that is too low. The area used for pricing must always be the wall surface.

Painters work more slowly at height

Work on the upper floor means going up and down scaffolding or ladders, carrying paint and tools up, and working with more care than when standing on the ground. The time per square metre is longer. The height charge in the price reflects this.

Scaffolding is an item of its own

Scaffolding or work at height is charged separately from the painting, because it depends on the shape of the house and the space around it, not on the painted area alone. A house with open ground on all sides is easier to scaffold than a house whose walls stand close to the boundary wall or to the neighbours, which is common in housing estates and townhouses in Phuket.

The interior has places that are higher than normal

Many two-storey houses have a stairwell or a double-height hall where the wall runs unbroken from the ground floor to the upper floor. That wall needs interior scaffolding or a long ladder and usually counts as hard to reach, even though the work is indoors.

How do I measure the walls of a two-storey house myself?

Measuring the house yourself gives a closer estimate before a painter visits. A tape measure and the house plans, if you have them, are enough.

Exterior walls

1. Measure the distance around the house on each floor, in metres. The upper and lower floors may not be the same.
2. Measure the wall height of each floor, from the floor to the level of the next floor, or to the eaves.
3. Multiply the distance around the house by the height for each floor, then add the two results.
4. Add any gable ends, treating each as a triangle: base times height, divided by two.
5. Take off the doors, the windows and the garage door.

Interior walls and ceilings

Measure one room at a time. Add the width of the room to the length, multiply by two, then multiply by the height from floor to ceiling. Take off the doors and windows. The ceiling area of a room equals its width times its length. Do not forget the stairwell, the upstairs landing and the parts of bathroom walls that are not tiled.

Parts that are often missed

Eaves soffits, fascia boards, carport columns and beams, balcony parapets, boundary walls and gates are the parts owners most often forget to count. If those parts are to be painted as well, tell the painter during the survey. Woodwork and metalwork have their own base rates, separate from walls.

Once you have the numbers, enter them in the house painting cost calculator and set the height to two storeys. Tick height access for the exterior walls and roof. The result shows painting and surface preparation for each surface as its own line.

Which hiring option suits a two-storey house?

There are two hiring options for a home of any size. With labour only, the customer buys the paint in the quantity we calculate. With labour and paint, the price includes primer and top coats in the grade chosen. A two-storey house uses a lot of paint, especially on the outside. Customers who would find it awkward to transport and store many tins tend to choose labour and paint. Customers who have a regular paint shop or want to decide the brand themselves tend to choose labour only, which is a common arrangement in Thailand.

With labour and paint, the grade does not have to be the same over the whole house. The upper exterior walls that face the afternoon sun and the rain are the first place to put a weather-resistant grade.

How does Phuket's weather affect painting a two-storey house?

The upper walls of a two-storey house stand clear of boundary walls and trees, so they take the full force of sun, wind and rain. Phuket has heavy rain during the south-west monsoon, roughly May to October, and exterior work has to be planned around the weather. Paint must go onto a dry wall and needs time to dry before the next shower. Scaffolding also stays up longer if rain stops the work. Exterior painting is easier to schedule in the dry season, roughly November to April. Interior work can be done all year, although paint dries more slowly on very humid days.

Homes near the coast also get salt-laden sea air. Upper-floor metalwork such as balcony railings rusts quickly there and should be included in the survey.

What should a quotation for a two-storey house show?

A quotation that an owner can read and check shows the following as separate items:

• the area of each type of work, such as exterior walls, interior walls and ceilings;
• the hiring option, and the paint grade if paint is included;
• the number of coats, where the default is one primer coat and two top coats;
• surface preparation, by the wall condition found;
• scaffolding or work at height;
• the terms of the workmanship warranty after handover.

Phuket Pro Painters issues a written quotation before work starts, every time, after surveying and measuring the property at no charge. If the painter finds large cracks or damp walls during the survey, we say so, because Phuket Pro Painters does not take on structural crack repair or waterproofing. Problems of that kind need a specialist before painting.

What is the next step for the owner of a two-storey house?

Owners who want to see the scope of a full repaint can read the page about our whole-house painting service. For anyone interested only in the outside walls, the page about the exterior painting service explains the steps and what to know about scaffolding. Other topics, such as choosing colours and getting ready before the painters arrive, are collected in the full set of painting guides.