House painters in St Louis, MO
Compare up to three local St Louis painting contractors from Henry's vetted bench — interior, exterior, cabinets and trim.
St Louis has one of the oldest housing stocks in the Midwest, with brick two-flats, Victorian rowhouses, and craftsman bungalows built well before 1978 in neighborhoods like Shaw, Tower Grove South, and Benton Park. That history means most repaint jobs in the city trigger federal and Missouri lead-safe work practice rules. This guide covers what interior and exterior painting costs in St Louis in 2026, what lead-safe certification your painter needs on an older home, and when the City of St Louis requires a permit for exterior work such as masonry tuckpointing done alongside a paint job.
The Henry Standard
Every painter in our network agrees to three things.
Show up
Call back. Keep appointments. And if something changes, communicate it.
Quote honestly
Clear scope, materials, and pricing in writing—so you know what you're agreeing to.
Finish the work
See the job through and take care of the agreed-upon work before calling it finished.
Nothing revolutionary. Just the way we believe doing business should still be done.
How Henry matches you with St Louis painters
- Step 1
Tell Henry about the job
Your ZIP, the rooms or surfaces, and when you want it painted. Two minutes, four questions.
- Step 2
Pros are already vetted
Only three Henry Standard painters in your St Louis-area ZIP get your request — pros we've checked for responsiveness, references and written estimates.
- Step 3
Compare up to three quotes
You hear from three painters at most — never a list of twenty — and every estimate comes in writing. You pick, or pick nobody.
What painting costs in St Louis
| Interior room repaint (average size) | $400 - $900 |
| Whole interior repaint (3-bed home) | $3,500 - $7,500 |
| Exterior repaint, wood siding (avg 2,000 sq ft) | $6,000 - $12,000 |
| Exterior repaint, brick two-flat (paint or limewash) | $5,000 - $11,000 |
| Cabinet refinishing | $2,500 - $6,000 |
| Lead-safe surface prep surcharge (pre-1978 homes) | $500 - $2,000 |
| Deck or porch staining | $700 - $2,200 |
Ranges are general estimates gathered from homeowner-reported quotes in the St Louis area, not an offer or a quote for your project.
When to schedule painting in St Louis
St Louis painters book up fastest in May, June, and September, when daytime humidity and rain chances are lower than peak summer. Exterior jobs generally need daytime temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit and low humidity for proper paint cure, which usually rules out December through February for outdoor work. Interior painting runs year-round but is popular in winter when exterior crews slow down.
Permits and HOA rules
Routine painting inside the City of St Louis does not require a building permit. However, if the job involves exterior work that touches structural elements, such as replacing rotted siding, soffits, or masonry tuckpointing done before painting, a permit from the Building Division may be required, and homes in local historic districts (Lafayette Square, Soulard, Central West End, Compton Heights) may need Cultural Resources Office review for exterior color or material changes on street-facing facades.
Licensing and insurance in Missouri
Missouri does not have a statewide painting contractor license, but any contractor disturbing paint on a pre-1978 home in a scraping, sanding, or demolition capacity must be a Lead-Safe Certified firm under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, and individual workers must complete EPA- or state-accredited lead-safe work practices training. Missouri's own lead abatement licensing, separate from routine RRP repaint work, is administered by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Lead Licensing Program (health.mo.gov/safety/leadlicensing), which also lists accredited training providers and firms.
Why lead paint rules matter here
The EPA estimates roughly three-quarters of homes built before 1978 nationwide contain some lead-based paint, and St Louis has an unusually high share of pre-1978 housing, especially in South City and the Central Corridor. Any sanding, scraping, or heat-gun work on painted surfaces in these homes triggers EPA RRP rule requirements.
Ask your painter for their EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm number and confirm at least one crew member on site has completed the RRP initial or refresher training.
Interior repaint cost drivers in St Louis
Ceiling height is a bigger factor here than in newer suburban construction. Many city rowhouses and two-flats have 9 to 11 foot ceilings on the main floor, which adds labor and material versus an 8 foot ceiling.
Plaster walls, common in homes built before the 1950s, often need more prep, patching hairline cracks, skim-coating, and priming, than drywall, which shows up as a line item on most local bids.
Exterior repaint on brick and wood
Many South City homes are brick with painted wood trim rather than painted siding, so exterior bids often separate trim painting from masonry work like tuckpointing or limewash refresh on brick facades.
Wood-sided homes in neighborhoods like Southampton and Holly Hills need full scraping and priming of failing paint before repainting, which is where the lead-safe surcharge applies most often.
Historic district color rules
Homes in the citys local historic districts may have approved color palettes or material requirements for street-facing elevations. Check with the Cultural Resources Office before committing to an exterior color scheme if your home is in Lafayette Square, Soulard, Compton Heights, or a similar district.
Areas Henry covers
Central West End · Shaw · Tower Grove South · Tower Grove East · Lafayette Square · Soulard · Benton Park · The Hill · Dutchtown · Compton Heights · Skinker-DeBaliviere · Southampton · Holly Hills · Carondelet · Forest Park Southeast · Bevo Mill
Common questions
Does my painter need a lead certification for my St Louis home?
If your home was built before 1978 and the job involves sanding, scraping, or removing paint, yes, the firm must be EPA Lead-Safe Certified under the RRP Rule.
Do I need a permit to paint my house in St Louis?
No permit is needed for routine painting. A permit may be required only if the job includes structural repairs or masonry work alongside the paint job.
What does a full interior repaint cost in St Louis in 2026?
A typical 3-bedroom home interior repaint runs about $3,500 to $7,500 depending on ceiling height, wall condition, and paint grade.
Best time of year to paint a house exterior in St Louis?
Late spring (May-June) and early fall (September) offer the most reliable temperature and humidity conditions for exterior paint to cure properly.
Who enforces lead-safe painting rules in Missouri?
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Lead Licensing Program and the EPA Region 7 office both have oversight of lead-safe work practices in Missouri.
St Louis guides from The Henry Files
Nearby Missouri markets
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