Cost guides
Full House Painting Cost by Property Type in Kuala Lumpur & Selangor
Why painters quote by wall area rather than by house, what changes between a condo and a landed home, and how preparation work moves the final figure.
Written by Renovix Home Services · Published
The short answer
How much does it cost to paint a whole house in KL or Selangor?
Interior and exterior painting are priced per square foot of wall area, and a whole-house package has its own starting rate — all shown in the table below. The number of rooms matters far less than the total wall and ceiling area, the ceiling height, and how much preparation the walls need. A repaint over sound walls is the cheapest scenario; peeling, mouldy or previously patched walls add scraping, sealing and skim-coating before a drop of finish paint is applied.
Key points
- Painting is quoted by wall area, so a high-ceiling three-bedroom unit can cost more than a low-ceiling four-bedroom one.
- Preparation — scraping, sealing, filling, sanding — is where quotations genuinely differ. A cheap quote usually means less preparation, not cheaper paint.
- Exterior walls carry a higher rate than interior because of access, weather exposure and the coating systems used.
- Peeling or mouldy walls have a cause. Painting over damp without fixing the source wastes the whole job.
- Condominium works run on building rules: permits, working hours, lift bookings and corridor protection.
How painting is priced
There is no single "price to paint a house", because two houses with the same number of bedrooms can differ by thousands of square feet of wall. Our catalogue prices the three ways owners actually buy painting: a whole-house package, per square foot for interior walls, and per square foot for exterior walls.
| Full House Painting PackageFull house interior and exterior repainting for typical 20x70 terrace house, labour and paint included. | RM1500per job |
|---|---|
| Interior Wall PaintingInterior wall painting with surface prep, primer and 2 coats of emulsion paint (mid-range brand). | RM1.20per sqft |
| Exterior Wall PaintingExterior wall painting with weatherbond or equivalent, including surface prep and weather protection coating. | RM1.50per sqft |
Rates below come from our published price list and are starting prices — the final quotation depends on the actual site condition and scope.
Prices start from the stated amount. Final quotation depends on actual site condition, scope, materials, accessibility and installation requirements.
Where only part of the house needs attention — a patched ceiling, a wall that has been damaged, one room after a leak — repair and touch-up painting is priced as its own job rather than pushed into a whole-house scope.
| Wall Repair & Touch-up PaintingRepair of cracked, peeling, mouldy or water-damaged walls with skim, anti-mould treatment and repaint. | RM200per job |
|---|
Rates below come from our published price list and are starting prices — the final quotation depends on the actual site condition and scope.
Prices start from the stated amount. Final quotation depends on actual site condition, scope, materials, accessibility and installation requirements.
What each property type usually involves
Property type is a good shorthand for scope, because it predicts ceiling height, exterior exposure and site access more reliably than floor area does.
| Property type | What typically drives the scope | Usual scope |
|---|---|---|
| Condominium / serviced apartment | Interior only; standard ceiling heights; building renovation rules; lift and corridor protection | Interior walls and ceilings, often between tenancies |
| Terrace / link house | Interior plus a front façade and boundary wall; stairwell height at the landing | Full interior, front exterior, gate wall |
| Semi-detached | Two or three exposed elevations; more scaffolding or ladder work | Full interior plus exterior on the exposed sides |
| Bungalow | Full exterior envelope, often double-height living areas and long boundary walls | Full interior and exterior, staged over more days |
| Shop lot / small office | Ceiling grid and service runs; work usually scheduled after hours | Interior walls and ceilings, phased around operating hours |
Preparation: where quotations really differ
Two painters can quote the same wall area very differently, and the gap is almost always preparation. This is the sequence that decides whether the finish lasts.
Inspect and identify the cause
Peeling, bubbling, chalking and mould each point at a different cause. Painting over an active moisture source will fail again within months, so the source is dealt with first.
Scrape and sand back
Loose and flaking coating is removed back to a sound surface. This is the dustiest and most time-consuming step, and the one most often skipped in a low quotation.
Fill, patch and skim
Hairline cracks, nail holes and previous patches are filled; badly uneven walls get a skim coat so the finish does not telegraph every repair.
Seal or prime
A sealer binds the surface and evens out absorbency, so the topcoat covers consistently instead of patchily.
Apply the finish coats
Coats are applied in the manufacturer's recommended sequence with proper drying time between them. Colour changes — especially dark to light — need more coats.
Common wall problems that change the job
- Peeling paint often means moisture behind the wall or a previous coat applied over an unsealed or dirty surface. The cause has to be found before repainting.
- Mould and dark patches in bathrooms, behind wardrobes or on external-facing walls point at damp, not at bad paint. Cleaning and treating comes first; anti-fungal coating alone is not a cure for a leak.
- Cracked walls can be cosmetic hairline shrinkage or a sign of movement. Cosmetic cracks are filled; structural ones need looking at before being covered up.
- Faded and chalky exterior walls are normal UV wear in the Malaysian climate and are usually a straightforward repaint after washing down.
- Patchy, uneven finishes are usually an application or absorbency problem, fixable with sealing and an extra coat.
Planning your repaint
- Empty or centralise the rooms if you can — furniture protection takes time and time is cost.
- Repainting between tenants or before moving in is far quicker and cheaper than painting around a furnished home.
- Exterior work depends on the weather; a wet week can push the schedule, and no honest painter will apply a coat onto a wall that has not dried.
- If your building requires a renovation permit even for painting, arrange it before booking the dates.
Send us the property type, approximate size and a few photographs of the worst walls — especially anything peeling or stained. That is usually enough for a realistic figure before anyone visits.
FAQs
Questions people ask about this
Do you quote per room or for the whole house?+
Both are possible, but the underlying measure is wall area. A whole-house package suits an empty or newly handed-over property; individual rooms are quoted separately when you are painting selectively.
How many coats of paint are included?+
The standard scope is a sealer or primer where the surface needs it, followed by the finish coats needed to achieve even coverage. Dramatic colour changes and deep colours often need an extra coat, and that is stated in the quotation rather than discovered later.
Can you paint over mouldy walls?+
Not directly. The mould has to be cleaned and treated, and the moisture feeding it has to be identified — often a seepage or waterproofing issue rather than a painting one. Painting over live mould simply hides it until it comes back through.
Should I buy the paint myself?+
You can. Many owners choose the brand and finish themselves and we apply it. If we supply, the quotation lists the paint separately so you can see exactly what is being used and change it if you prefer another product.
How long does painting a whole house take?+
It depends on wall area and how much preparation is needed, and preparation is usually longer than painting. We give a working-day estimate with the quotation once we know the property size, condition and whether it will be occupied.