See the difference
The floor is just the beginning.
A room measuring 4 × 3 m has a 12 m² floor, but its four walls at 2.8 m high cover about 39 m² before deducting doors and windows.
A simple rectangular-room example. This is not a price, final measurement or paint quantity calculation.
Doors and windows are not deducted. Additional surfaces are not included.
Request an estimate for your space ↗How much does house painting cost?
A price per square metre is useful only when you know what it measures and includes. Ask whether it refers to floor area or painted surface, labour alone or materials too, and walls alone or ceilings as well. Repairing damaged surfaces is a different project from a straightforward refresh.
Market prices are not automatically a quote for your property. To establish the final cost, describe the space, damage, access and desired changes. The written quote should define the painting work and exclusions precisely.
Interior house painting: walls, ceilings and rooms
For interior painting, painters assess wall condition and whether the home is occupied. Sound walls may need limited preparation. Peeling paint, cracks and a substantial colour change require a different assessment.
List the rooms, whether ceilings need painting and any heavy furniture. Doors, windows and cabinets are assessed separately. This links your quote to defined work rather than floor area alone.
Painting an 80 m² apartment: why floor area is not enough
An 80 m² home may have an open-plan living area or many small rooms. Partitions, height and openings change the total painted area. Homes with identical floor areas can therefore require different amounts of labour and materials.
For an initial estimate, provide approximate floor area, room count and surface condition. A photo of each typical problem is more useful than a vague description. We do not turn floor area into a binding painting price automatically.
Preparation costs: filling, sanding and primer
Preparation may involve local hole filling, sanding repairs or skim coating entire surfaces. These are different tasks. The painter needs to assess whether the substrate is sound and which primer is compatible with the coating system.
Active damp and loose plaster are not solved by repainting. Additional repairs increase the cost and should be agreed before work proceeds. A professional finish starts with identifying the problem and preparing a suitable base.
Material costs and choosing paint
Compare named products, finishes and application instructions. Material costs depend on product coverage, required coats and surface area. The price of a tin alone does not tell you the total application cost.
If you want eco-labelled paint, ask for the specific product and certification supporting the claim. A general label does not guarantee suitability for every room or longer durability. Choose according to room use and manufacturer instructions.
Exterior house painting: access and preparation
Exterior painting requires a separate assessment. Height, safe access, scaffolding where needed, loose coatings and weather exposure affect planning. Exterior work should not be priced as a simple indoor room repaint.
Clarify whether the quote covers balconies, parapets, metal railings or the entire façade. Plaster repairs and waterproofing are different tasks. Explain building restrictions at the outset and discuss scheduling.
Before painting starts: covering and masking
Covering floors and furniture and masking suitable edges takes time and materials. Agree who moves belongings, how marble and frames are protected, and what clearing up includes. These belong in the cost discussion rather than being left until the last minute.
How to compare quotes from painters
Ask each contractor to quote the same scope: surfaces, preparation, materials, protection, timing and exclusions. Full skim coating cannot be compared directly with a repaint requiring no repairs. Check VAT, payment terms and how additional work is approved.
Light, colour and finish also shape the look of your home. Check a physical sample before deciding. Decorative finishes change the appearance but should be specified and quoted separately. No paint choice guarantees a particular increase in property value.
Request an estimate for your home
Send your area in Athens or Attica, property type, approximate size and preferred timing. You can add photos and mention damage or special requirements. These details help us discuss your project; the enquiry is not a booking, payment or final quote.
Explore interior painting work · Explore exterior painting · Quote comparison checklist
Painting services in Athens, Greece: coverage and access
For painting in Athens, give the neighbourhood and building access details when requesting an estimate. Attica includes central apartment buildings, suburban homes and properties with different access arrangements. A narrow staircase, limited loading space or restricted working hours can affect the labour plan. Our service-area page lists neighbourhoods; availability is confirmed for each enquiry. If you live outside Greece, nominate someone who can provide access and agree how decisions about the property will be approved.
Professional painting: what to review before you hire
Before you hire a company or independent contractor, review the scope, products and handover arrangements in writing. Professionalism is easier to assess through a clear explanation than a broad promise of a unique result. Ask professionals in Athens how they will protect the space, document additional work and agree any corrections. Quality paints should be specified by product and intended use. A professional house painting quote should also explain what is excluded, so the cheaper total does not hide essential work.
Renovation and painting techniques: what changes the work
During a renovation, complete plumbing, electrical and other construction work before the final decoration, with timing agreed between trades. A damaged patch may need filling and sanding to obtain a smooth finish. The contractor should assess moisture before deciding when to prime and apply the coating. Oil-based finishes on existing joinery, textured render or decorative stucco may require different preparation; tell the painter what is already there. Painting techniques must suit the existing surface and desired texture, rather than being chosen only for aesthetics.
Residential and commercial painting jobs
Residential work may need to proceed room by room around furniture and daily routines. A commercial space or hotel may instead have opening hours, guest access or fixed handover dates. These restrictions can change the schedule and should be described before a quote is prepared. Confirm whether any out-of-hours work is available and what it would include. The enquiry form lets you state the type of space without assuming that every schedule can be accommodated.
Paint coverage, equipment and touch-ups
Coverage figures on a product label are a guide under stated application conditions. Surface absorption, texture and the number of coats influence the actual amount needed. Ask whether access equipment, masking supplies and waste handling are included in the quote. For exterior work, the weather-resistant system must suit the substrate and exposure; curb appeal alone is not enough. At handover, agree how to review the finish and record the colour reference for future touch-ups. Keeping that reference can make later maintenance easier, but it does not guarantee an invisible local repair.