Most interior rooms take one to two days and a full exterior usually takes three to five days, depending on the weather. Drying, curing and lifespan are separate questions, answered below.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, paint prices and the condition of your own surfaces move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How long does it take to paint a house inside?
Most rooms take one to two days each, including prep, and a whole house interior usually takes several days to two weeks. How many days depends on the number of rooms, the repairs and whether ceilings and trim are included.
| Room | Painting time published by HomeGuide |
|---|---|
| Bathroom | 2 to 3 hours |
| Bedroom | 4 to 5 hours |
| Primary bedroom | 5 to 6 hours |
| Kitchen | 4 to 5 hours |
| Living room | 5 to 7 hours |
| Trim and baseboards | add 1 to 2 hours |
Those hours are for painting only. Plaster repair, wallpaper removal and drying time between coats are on top, which is why a room that takes five hours to paint still takes a day or two to finish.
How long does it take to paint the exterior?
A full exterior usually takes three to five days, depending on the weather. HomeGuide's national figure is four to five days for an average job.
Heavy scraping, window glazing, wood repairs and tall walls add days. So does rain. In a Michigan spring or fall, a five day job can stretch across two weeks on the calendar while we wait for dry surfaces.
How long should I wait between coats?
Follow the label on the can. Most latex wall paints can be recoated after about two to four hours, and oil-based paints and many enamels need overnight or longer.
Cold and humidity slow this down. A damp basement or a humid July day in Detroit can double the wait. Recoating too soon traps moisture and can cause wrinkling, poor adhesion and an uneven sheen.
How long before furniture can go back?
You can usually put the furniture back the day after painting, kept a few inches off the walls. The paint is dry to the touch within hours but still soft.
Wait about two weeks before pushing furniture hard against a wall, hanging heavy pictures or leaning things on new paint. On freshly painted shelves, window sills and cabinets, wait longer before setting objects down, or they can stick.
How soon can I shower after the bathroom is painted?
Wait at least 24 hours before you shower in a freshly painted bathroom, and longer if you can. Two to three days is better.
Steam on paint that has not hardened can cause streaks, drips of sticky residue and blistering. When you do use the shower, run the fan and leave the door open for the first couple of weeks.
How long before I can wash or scrub new paint?
Wait until the paint has cured, which takes about two to four weeks for most latex paints. Dry and cured are not the same. Paint dries in hours but takes weeks to reach full hardness.
Until then, wipe marks gently with a soft damp cloth and no cleaner. After the cure time, washable paints can be cleaned with mild soap and water.
Can I stay in the house while it is painted?
Yes. Most people stay in their home during interior painting. The work goes room by room, so you always have somewhere to be, and the paints used indoors today are low in odor.
Plan for the kitchen or the only bathroom to be out of use for part of a day. People who are sensitive to smells, babies and pets are more comfortable away from the rooms being painted. If old paint is being disturbed in a pre-1978 house, the work area is closed off until it has been cleaned.
How long does interior paint last?
No national figure is published for how long interior paint lasts, so we will not give you a number as if it were fact. It depends on the room. Ceilings and adult bedrooms can look good for many years. Hallways, kitchens, baths and children's rooms wear much faster.
HomeGuide's general figure for repainting is every 5 to 10 years. Good paint, the right sheen and proper prep stretch that. Smoke, steam, sunlight and scrubbing shorten it.
How long does exterior paint last?
Exterior paint should last 5 to 10 years on average, by the national published figures, with a full range of 3 to 20 years depending on the surface and the conditions.
| Surface | Published lifespan of paint |
|---|---|
| Wood siding | 3 to 7 years |
| Aluminum siding | 5 to 10 years |
| Vinyl siding | 5 to 10 years |
| Stucco | 5 to 7 years |
| Brick | 3 to 20 years |
| Cement fiberboard | 10 to 15 years |
Detroit's climate is at the harder end. Freeze and thaw cycles, snow sitting on sills and humid summers all shorten the life of paint on wood. South and west walls fade first, and horizontal surfaces fail before vertical ones.
How often should I repaint the outside of the house?
Plan to repaint exterior wood about every 5 to 10 years, and look at it every spring. How often you repaint matters less than catching problems early.
Walk around the house after the winter. Look for cracked caulk, peeling on sills and the bottoms of trim boards, and bare wood. Touching up those spots each year can add years before a full repaint is needed, and it stops rot from starting.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (313) 251-3869.