Should you paint your flat yourself?

Side-by-side comparison

Painting a flat yourself and hiring a painter differ most in cash, time and who does the preparation. The rules stay the same whoever holds the brush.

On cash alone, DIY needs only paint and tools, while a painter prices the job. What the DIY column does not show is your time: clearing the room, masking, painting, waiting between coats and cleaning up. A painter's price may or may not include some of that work, which is why you compare what each quote covers rather than the figure alone.

Before you buy anything, use the paint calculator to work out how much paint you need. Knowing the quantity helps you price the DIY route properly and check whether a painter's quote mentions paint at all.

DIY painting in an HDB flat: the rules

HDB's building works guidelines put painting walls among works that need no permit. Its table lists wallpaper, plastering or spray painting walls under that heading, with HDB's conditions applying.

HDB's important information on renovations adds that works without a permit must still follow HDB's guidelines. Flat owners are responsible for renovations in their flat, so if you hire a painter, you must make sure the contractor follows HDB guidelines too.

On the same renovation information page, HDB asks residents to keep DIY works to 7am to 10.30pm, keep noise to a minimum and not do DIY drilling or hammering from 10.30pm to 7am. A painter you hire follows the general renovation hours of 9am to 6pm on weekdays and Saturdays, with none on Sundays and public holidays. Our guide to HDB renovation hours covers restricted noisy works too.

What a painter charges

Companies in the directory publish these home painting lines, quoted as printed and linked to their sources.

FROM THE HOMEZYPRO DIRECTORY

Published home painting rates

For the most common unit (per job), the lowest published home painting rates from 6 companies run from S$50 to S$250 per job (middle rate S$150), for anything from one wall to a whole flat, so check what each price covers. The middle figure is a real published rate, not an average. Each figure is one company's own advertised rate with its conditions, not a quote.

See 8 published home painting rates and sources

Lowest matching advertised rate per company, in SGD as published. "From" marks a starting price and ranges are shown in full. Check the source for minimums, GST and inclusions.

Company	Service as listed	Rate	Source
Herofix.sg	Major Paint Peeling + Putty	S$50 to S$300 per job	herofix.sg
Handy Expert SG	HDB & condo painting - First Hour	S$60 to S$80 per hour	handyexpertsg.com
My Handyman SG	Professional Painting & Wall Touch-Ups	From S$120 per job	myhandymansg.com
Arshinogor Pte Ltd	Nippon Paint - Standard Emulsion	S$150 per job	arshinogor.com
Repairhome.sg	Painting (room, HDB, condo, move-in or handover)	From S$150 per job	repairhome.sg
Home Fix SG	Painting Services	S$200 per job	homefixsg.com
Handyman AZ	One-room painting	From S$250 per job	handymanaz.sg
Tuba Engineering & Renovation Pte Ltd	Painting package, 2-room	S$500 to S$900 per package	tuba-eng.net

8 companies publish a home painting line. 6 price it per job, and their lowest published rates run from S$50 to S$250 per job, with S$150 in the middle. That middle figure is a real published rate: the two middle companies both print S$150 per job.

The other 2 lines use different units. One prints S$60 to S$80 per hour for the first hour, and another prints a 2-room package at S$500 to S$900 per package. Among the per-job lines, one for peeling paint and putty runs from S$50 to S$300 per job, and several are "From" prices.

The scope varies a lot. The lines run from touch-ups and a first hour of work to a single room, a move-in or handover job and a 2-room package. A touch-up line and a one-room line are not prices for the same job, so compare what each covers before you compare figures. For a fair painter vs DIY comparison, set a painter's quote beside your own list of paint and tools. See handyman painting for painting services in the directory.

Preparing walls: cracks and mould

Before you DIY paint your flat, check every wall for cracks, peeling and stains. Preparation shapes the finish more than any other step.

HDB's walls guide explains that cracks along joints between block walls and concrete form because different materials expand and contract with temperature changes. For hairline cracks, HDB says to re-paint the wall with a flexible sealant or elastomeric paint. For wider cracks, it says to engage a contractor. HDB's preventive measures are cross-ventilation in the flat and re-painting the walls regularly.

So a hairline crack can be part of a DIY repaint, while a wider crack is a reason to call a contractor. If you are not sure which kind you have, ask a painter or contractor to look at the wall before you start.

Mould is a separate problem. If a wall has dark patches or damp stains, read our guide to painting over mould before you open a tin of paint.

Which one should you choose?

The size of the job and the state of your walls decide most of it.

• Choose DIY for a room or two with sound walls, when you have time to spare.
• Choose a painter for a whole flat, high ceilings or walls with wide cracks.
• Choose a painting contractor for bigger jobs.
• Either way, paint only inside your flat and plan the work around the hours above.
• If you rent, check your tenancy agreement before you change any wall colour.

Not sure which trade fits your job? Our post on handyman or painting contractor sets out the difference. You can also check handyman rates for other published handyman prices, and browse handyman companies to see the areas each says it covers.

Questions