Paintwork is the cheapest renovation in your house — and the easiest one to get badly wrong. The product is half the job; preparation is the other half. A good painter spends three days masking and one day painting.
What painting covers
- Interior walls and ceilings
- Exterior walls (Plascon Wall & All, Dulux Weatherguard, etc.)
- Trim, skirtings, doors, and door frames
- Roof painting (different chemistry — never use wall paint)
- Cabinet and furniture refinishing
- Damp wall remediation before painting (essential — masking damp doesn't fix it)
What painting costs in South Africa (2026)
Quotes are usually per square metre or per room. Interior paintwork lands at R55-R110 per square metre including paint and labour for a standard 2-coat job; exterior is R75-R150 per square metre because of access, scaffolding, and weather-grade product. A typical 3-bed interior repaint is R12,000-R28,000; exterior repaints sit at R25,000-R65,000. Premium products (Dulux Weatherguard 7-year, Plascon Velvaglo) cost more but skip the next paint cycle. Ask for the spec sheet — the difference between R45/L and R85/L paint shows up in 3 years.
What to look for in a good painter
- Photo portfolio of finished work, especially exteriors.
- Detailed prep plan — sanding, filling, priming, undercoats — not just "we paint over".
- Spec sheet of products in the quote, including litres.
- Drop sheets and masking materials as line items.
When to DIY
A single feature wall, a small bathroom, or a kid's bedroom — fine if you've got the patience for the prep. Anything two-storey, anything exterior, or anything where the trim has to look sharp — pay a pro. Bad cutting-in is the most visible feature of an amateur paint job.
Handi-za painters upload before-and-after shots to their profiles. Filter by suburb, check the photos, then post your job and let them quote.