Most interior rooms take 1 to 2 days. A full exterior usually takes 3 to 5 days, depending on weather. Those are our working figures. The answers below explain what stretches or shortens them.
The dollar figures on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Sonoma County labor rates, the paint chosen and the condition of your own surfaces move a real price up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How long does it take to paint a house inside?
Painting the inside of a house takes from a few days to about two weeks, depending on its size and what is included. Most single rooms take us 1 to 2 days, with prep and two coats.
HomeGuide publishes painting time per room, not counting prep or drying: 4 to 5 hours for a bedroom, 5 to 7 for a living room and 2 to 3 for a bathroom. Ceilings, trim, doors, repairs and color changes all add time. An empty house goes much faster than a furnished one.
How long does it take to paint the exterior?
A full exterior usually takes us 3 to 5 days, depending on weather. The national figure is 4 to 5 days for an average house.
Washing comes first, and the house then needs to dry. Scraping, repairs, priming and caulking can take as long as the painting. A large two-story house, heavy peeling or a run of foggy mornings will add days.
How long should I wait between coats?
Wait about 2 to 4 hours between coats of most water-based wall paints, and longer for enamels and oil-based products, which can need a day. The can gives the exact recoat time.
Cool, damp air slows drying. On a foggy winter day in Santa Rosa a coat can take twice as long to be ready as it does on a dry summer afternoon. Recoating too soon can leave the finish soft and marked.
How long before furniture can go back?
You can put furniture back in the room the next day in most cases, kept an inch or two off the walls. Paint is dry to the touch in a few hours, but it is still soft.
Wait a few weeks before pushing furniture hard against a wall, hanging heavy pictures or putting objects on freshly painted shelves and sills. Soft paint sticks to things pressed against it.
How soon can I shower after the bathroom is painted?
Wait at least 24 hours before you shower, and longer if you can. Steam on fresh paint can leave streaks and surfactant marks, and can soften the film.
For the first couple of weeks, run the fan and leave the door open after a shower so the room dries out fast.
How long before I can wash or scrub new paint?
Wait about a month before washing or scrubbing. Water-based paint dries in hours, but it takes two to four weeks to cure, which means to reach its full hardness.
Until then, wipe marks gently with a damp soft cloth only. After the paint has cured, a quality finish can take normal cleaning.
Can I stay in the house while it is painted?
Yes, you can stay in your home during almost all interior painting. The work goes room by room so you always have somewhere to live, and today's water-based paints have little smell.
Open windows help, and for most of the year our weather allows it. People who are sensitive to odors, and babies, are more comfortable sleeping in a room that was not painted that day. If lead-safe work is under way in a pre-1978 house, the work area is closed off until it has been cleaned.
How long does interior paint last?
Interior paint lasts as long as the room's use allows, and no national figure is published for it. A guest bedroom or a ceiling can look good for ten years or more. A hallway, a kitchen or a child's room may want repainting in a few years.
A general published guide for all paint is a repaint every 5 to 10 years. Good prep, two coats and a washable finish stretch the time.
How long does exterior paint last?
An exterior paint job should last 5 to 10 years on average, by the national figure. By surface, the same source lists 3 to 7 years on wood siding, 5 to 7 on stucco and 10 to 15 on fiber cement.
In Santa Rosa the sun decides. South and west walls fade and chalk years before the north side. Fascia boards, window sills and other flat wood that holds water go first of all. Good prep and two coats of acrylic push the life toward the long end.
How often should I repaint the outside of the house?
Plan to repaint the outside when the paint starts to fail, not by the calendar. For most houses here that is somewhere in the published range of every 5 to 10 years.
Walk around the house each spring. Chalky color that rubs off on your hand, hairline cracks, open caulk at windows and bare wood on the sunny side all say it is time. Repainting before the paint peels costs less, because the prep is lighter. Touching up trim and the sunny side between full repaints is a good way to stretch the cycle.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (707) 205-3959.