How much does it cost to paint a truck? Well, the paint job cost for your truck depends on certain other factors except the painting itself. The factors that affect the painting of a truck determine the cost of the paint job.
We’ve done our own research to give you a brief idea on painting costs. We need to take a few factors into consideration while doing painting on your truck. The major factors that affect the paint job price are:
- Size of the truck
- Layers of paint used on your truck
- DIY vs. hiring a professional
- Labour charges
- Insurance vs. paying yourself
- Paint color cost
Table of Contents
Average Cost To Paint A Truck If You Do It Yourself?
If you are using spray paint, then it may make your job quick and easy. Some trucks may need a quick coat of paint; so, spray paint does the job here. Moreover, it can still look decent if you do it in a controlled environment.
We recommend you to paint your truck with a different colour all by yourself; this would save a few bucks that you had to spend on labour charges. Any normal person can do an average quality paint job using a spray paint in a controlled environment like a garage.
Before doing spray painting you need to arrange the following things:
- Paint masker
- Masking film/tape
- Bondo with filler spreaders
- Sandpaper/sanding sponge
- Paint sprayer
So, you can expect to spend $250 approximately to do a spray painting on your own. We have given a rough idea about the cost that you may expect to spend on the materials listed above.
Expert Tips
Never One use spray paint on your truck if another truck is kept next to it; it could be the biggest mistakes that you do while spray painting.
Do not overspray at all costs as it could look ugly paint specs to the other car kept inside the garage.
Average Cost to Paint a Truck If You Hire a Professional
An auto painting professional will charge $500 for the cheapest paint job. You can hire a cheaper painter for fleet vehicles and junker trucks if you just want to give a good look to your truck.
A standard paint job service for a new coat of paint will be around $1000. You can plan on spending some bucks for some decent service and a paint job that is worth the effort.
A quality service will cost you somewhere around $2000 or above. Getting a high-end paint job for your truck is really a great idea if you want to enhance the look and maximize the value.
Estimate The Cost To Paint A Truck
Cost of Paint
On average, you need 2 gallons of primer, 2 gallons of basecoat, and 2 gallons of clear coat for a basic paint job on a truck. However, the quantity may be a little high in some cases.
The coats of paint that you need for your truck really depend on the quality or type of paint, colour of the basecoat, and size of the truck.
For example, if you are changing the colour of your truck from red paint to a lighter shade like tan or white, you have to remove all the previous paint with a buffer pad.
If you want to make an exact estimation, you have to know the area of your truck you are painting and also you have to take the exact square feet measurement that your specific paint choice covers in 1 gallon or can.
Automotive paint cost will be somewhere from $20-$50 per gallon. If you buy 6 gallons of paint, then you have to pay $120-$300 for paint including the preparatory materials like sandpaper, masking tape, Bondo, etc. You can save another $50 for preparatory materials.
DIY Labor Cost
The DIY labour cost depends on how much time you plan on spending while painting your truck, because price range is not the only factor in DIY paint job. If you spend too much time, it may cost higher, so, it is better to hire out the work to someone who deserves it. You can spend 10-40 hours for a quality paint finish.
Professional Paint Job Cost
A well known automotive paint service may charge you by the hours that are needed to paint your truck. So, you may expect to spend $60-$80 per hour. If the painters offer a 20-hour paint job at $80/hour, then you can expect the total cost at about $1600.
Expert Tips:
Try to get multiple bids for painting your truck to keep the painters honest. Always make sure you are getting multiple estimates when talking to the professionals, which will help you get the lowest price at best quality.
Cost To Paint Per Square Foot
A truck measures anywhere from 200-400 square feet or above.
If we are planning to paint a smaller truck like a 200 square foot Ford Ranger, you have to make an estimate on how much you intend to spend on primer, colour coat, and clear coat.
If each gallon of synthetic enamel paint is sufficient for 200+ square feet area, then you will need at least 6 gallons of synthetic enamel paint between all coats.
The automotive paint can cost you around $20-$50 per gallon. So, expect to spend anywhere from $100-$300 or above on some good paint to enhance the look of your pickup or fleet vehicle.
Estimated Cost of Paint For Painting Your Truck
As we have discussed above, a truck measures from 200-400 square feet in area as far as painting is concerned. But, we recommend you to measure it yourself to find the exact area of the painting surface of your truck. Every truck is different and different measurements. Some trucks are enormous and may take much more paint than others.
On average, it will cost you anywhere from $120-$4000+ for painting your truck. If you are purchasing 20 cans or above for painting your truck, it will cost you $120 on the cheapest side, while $4000+ would be the most expensive cost where you need to do collision repair and other prep work before doing paintwork satisfactorily.
Insurance
You can consult your insurance company to get away with an immaculate pro paint job at the cost of your deductable.
Estimated Labour Charges
If you are hiring a reasonably priced paint shop, you may expect the cost to be cheaper than the others. However, this will cost you $300-$1000, again depending on the quality of paint you use.
If you are going for really a good paint job of high quality, then the cost may go really high. If you are hiring an artistic painter, then you can expect to spend anywhere from $1000-$4000 on the paint job.
How Can You Save Money While Painting?
Paint yourself to save a few bucks
All trucks do not need a professional paint job. If you have an old junky work truck, then do the paintjob yourself. If the truck is losing its value but still in good condition and you do not want to sell it, then it is a great opportunity for you to invest in an inexpensive paint gun instead of choosing a high-end one. Moreover, a good repainting job will add value to your truck, and a bad one will diminish the value.
Get Multiple Estimates
You can research more and try your best to get multiple estimates from the pros, which will be the best way to get a reasonable price when hiring out the work.
Conclusion
Doing a proper research on the paint cost and labour charges may save a few bucks. If you are planning to get the paint job done on your own, then plan to prepare for paint is, which the hardest part. However, we recommend you to hire a professional if you are looking to maintain the value of your truck. If you have an old truck, you can do it yourself.
