What Rockland Homeowners Actually Pay for Painting
Painting in Rockland County costs 10 to 18% above the national average. Professional painters charge $40 to $75 per hour. Most homes were built in the 1960s through 1980s, which means you're usually painting over old latex or oil-based paint with prep work needed.
A single room costs $325 to $750. Whole-house interior painting runs $4,000 to $11,000. Exterior painting costs $5,500 to $10,000. The final price depends on prep work, paint quality, and how much trim and detail your home has.
Here's what people are paying.
2026 Painting Cost Breakdown
These prices come from painters working in Rockland right now. Your cost depends on room size, ceiling height, prep work, and paint quality.
| Job Type | Typical Range | What Affects Price |
|---|---|---|
| Single room (12x12) | $325 – $750 | Includes walls and ceiling. Trim extra. |
| Whole house interior (1,500 sq ft) | $4,000 – $7,500 | 2-3 bedrooms. Trim, doors, ceilings included. |
| Whole house interior (2,500 sq ft) | $6,500 – $11,000 | 4+ bedrooms. More trim and detail work. |
| Exterior painting (1,500 sq ft home) | $5,500 – $8,000 | Siding, trim, shutters. Power washing included. |
| Exterior painting (2,500 sq ft home) | $7,500 – $10,000 | More surface area, ladders, scaffolding. |
| Kitchen cabinet painting | $1,800 – $4,500 | Includes prep, primer, topcoat. Removes and reinstalls hardware. |
| Deck or fence staining | $1.50 – $3.50/sq ft | Prep and cleaning included. Solid vs semi-transparent stain. |
How Costs Vary by Town
Where you live changes painting costs.
Nyack has older homes with high ceilings, plaster walls, and intricate trim work. Prep work takes longer because plaster cracks need repair. Expect prices at the high end of the range.
New City and Nanuet have mostly 1960s-1980s homes with standard 8-foot ceilings and drywall. Straightforward jobs. Pricing lands in the middle.
Spring Valley and Suffern have a mix of single-family and multi-family buildings. Interior work in apartment buildings requires scheduling around tenants. Labor rates are competitive.
Pearl River has post-war Cape Cods and colonials. Standard layouts, moderate trim work. Pricing is steady in the middle of the range.
Why Prep Work Matters
Most of the cost of painting is prep work, not paint. Painters spend 60 to 70% of the job prepping surfaces. That includes filling nail holes, sanding rough spots, caulking trim gaps, repairing cracks, and priming stains.
Homes with plaster walls (common in pre-1950 construction) need more prep than drywall. Plaster cracks over time and needs patching. Water stains need to be sealed with stain-blocking primer or they'll bleed through the new paint.
If you're painting over dark colors or switching from oil-based to latex paint, expect an extra coat of primer. That adds time and cost. Same with glossy surfaces (like old kitchen cabinets). They need to be sanded and primed before the new paint will stick.
Cheap paint jobs skip the prep work. You'll know in six months when nail pops show through, cracks reappear, and the paint starts peeling.
Lead Paint Considerations
Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint. Federal law requires contractors working on pre-1978 homes to be EPA Lead-Safe certified if they're disturbing painted surfaces (sanding, scraping, etc.).
Your painter should test for lead before starting work on any pre-1978 home. Lead-safe work practices add time and cost, but they're required by law and protect your family. Ask to see the contractor's EPA certification. If they don't have it, find a different painter.
Best Time to Schedule Painting
Interior painting can happen year-round. Exterior painting needs temperatures above 50°F and low humidity. That means late April through October in Rockland.
The best time to book is late winter or early spring. Painters are trying to fill their schedules before the summer rush. You'll get better pricing and faster turnaround than if you wait until June.
Avoid booking exterior painting in July and August if possible. Extreme heat makes paint dry too fast, which affects the finish. Late spring and early fall are ideal for exterior work.
How to Save Money on Painting
Book in late winter or early spring for 10-15% off peak pricing. Do your own prep work (moving furniture, removing outlet covers, taping trim) to save on labor. Buy your own paint if the painter allows it. You can get contractor-grade paint at Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore for less than what painters charge retail. Get three written estimates that specify paint brand, number of coats, and what prep work is included. And skip the cheapest quote. It usually means they're cutting corners on prep or using low-quality paint.
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Alex Colombo is the founder of Westchester AI, a technology consulting firm serving businesses across Westchester County and the tri-state area. When he's not helping local companies modernize their operations, he's researching what home improvement actually costs in the area so homeowners don't walk into quotes blind.