Painting contractors Cape Town covers interior and exterior painting of houses, complexes and commercial buildings, including the preparation that decides how long it lasts.
Most paint failures are adhesion failures, and nearly all adhesion failures trace back to preparation rather than product. Related protective work sits under Waterproofing Cape Town.
Send the approximate wall area, the storeys involved and photos of the current condition.
Get Painting QuotesWhat Gets Quoted
| Work | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Interior walls and ceilings | Washing, filling, priming bare patches, then two coats. |
| Exterior walls | High-pressure clean, crack repair, priming, then two coats of an exterior grade. |
| Trim, doors and windows | Enamel or water-based enamel, usually priced per item or per metre. |
| Roofs | A separate product and access problem. See roof painting. |
| Complexes and body corporates | Phased by block, instructed by the trustees or managing agent. |
| Crack repair and sealing | Routing, filling and re-sealing around openings before any coating. |
Preparation Decides the Lifespan
- Wash down to remove dust, chalking, salt and lichen.
- Scrape and sand back all flaking and loose material.
- Tap render to find blown areas, and cut them out.
- Route out and fill cracks, reinforcing live ones.
- Reseal around window and door frames.
- Prime bare, porous and repaired areas.
- Two coats at the specified spread rate, with proper drying time between.
A quote that is significantly cheaper is usually cheaper on preparation, not on paint. Ask how many hours are allowed for preparation and what happens to blown plaster.
Damp Before Paint
Painting a damp wall wastes the work. The coating blisters, peels and often pushes the damp wider by trapping moisture behind it. Where there is staining, blown plaster or a tide mark near the skirting, the cause needs diagnosing first under damp proofing experts, and a treated wall then needs months to dry before it is decorated.
Painting Contractors Cape Town Prices
| Job | Indicative range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Interior walls and ceilings | R35 – R90 per m² | Preparation and two coats. |
| Exterior walls | R55 – R140 per m² | Cleaned, prepared and two coats. |
| Three-bedroom house, exterior | R25,000 – R60,000 | Condition, height and access. |
| Three-bedroom house, interior | R18,000 – R45,000 | Room count and finish. |
| High-pressure cleaning | R25 – R70 per m² | Chalking and lichen severity. |
| Crack repair | R150 – R450 per linear metre | Width, depth and reinforcement. |
| Cut out and replace blown plaster | R280 – R600 per m² | Area and finish. |
| Trim, doors and window frames | R180 – R450 per item | Size and condition. |
| Resealing around openings | R120 – R280 per linear metre | Sealant type. |
| Scaffolding or access equipment | R2,500 – R15,000 | Height and duration. |
These are indicative market ranges, not a quotation. They are compiled from published South African waterproofing and roofing pricing to give you a starting point for budgeting. They are not the rate card of any company on this platform.
Compare quotes on the system specified, the number of coats, what preparation is included and what the guarantee covers. A rate per square metre means nothing until you know what the rate covers.
Book exterior painting for the dry months. Coatings need dry surfaces and several dry hours to cure.
Compare Painting QuotesLocal Conditions
Summer UV chalks a thin coating within a few years, and the exposed elevations take it hardest. On the coast, salt deposits prevent adhesion and keep working on the substrate under the film, so washing down properly matters more there than anywhere inland.
South-facing and shaded elevations develop lichen and mould instead, which holds moisture against the wall and has to be treated and removed rather than painted over.
Related Services
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do painting contractors charge in Cape Town?
Interior walls generally run R35 to R90 per square metre and exterior walls R55 to R140, both including preparation and two coats. A three-bedroom house painted outside typically lands between R25,000 and R60,000 depending on condition and access.
Is the paint included in the quote?
Sometimes and sometimes not. It is one of the biggest differences between two quotes that look similar, so confirm whether the price is supply-and-apply or labour only, and which product and how many coats.
How much preparation should be included?
Washing down, scraping and sanding loose material, filling cracks, spot-priming bare areas and masking. On an exterior, crack repair and re-sealing around windows are usually separate line items and should be priced, not assumed.
How long does exterior paint last in Cape Town?
Typically 5 to 10 years. Coastal properties and elevations taking full afternoon sun sit at the lower end, because salt and UV work on the coating continuously.
Should damp be fixed before painting?
Yes. Paint over a damp wall blisters and peels, usually within a season, and the money spent on painting is lost. The cause has to be dealt with and the wall allowed to dry first.
Can painting be done in winter?
Interior work, yes. Exterior work needs dry surfaces and several dry hours, which the winter rainfall pattern does not reliably give. Most exterior painting here happens between October and April.
Do painters do the roof as well?
Some do. Roof coatings are a different product and a different access problem, so it is worth confirming rather than assuming. Roof-specific work is covered under roof painting.
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