How much does a painter cost in Amsterdam? A price guide

Time to freshen up the walls after a renovation, repaint the facade, or finally deal with window frames that have needed paint for ages — and the first question is always what it's going to cost. Nobody can give you an exact figure in advance: too much depends on the condition of the walls, the surface area, how accessible the house is, and whether it's just painting or also levelling with plaster first. But the order of magnitude and the pricing logic of a painter (in Dutch, a schilder) in Amsterdam is something you can get a handle on. Here's what the bill is made up of, how work in Amsterdam differs from other cities, and what to ask before the work starts.

The ballpark: what to expect in Amsterdam

One caveat first: everything below is a guide, not a price list. Rates vary between professionals, and the price changes from project to project.

• Self-employed painter (ZZP, a sole trader): roughly €35–55 per hour.
• Company: usually more expensive, €45–70 per hour — the rate covers scheduling, insurance and sometimes a guarantee on the work.
• Painting walls and ceilings by the m² — the usual way to price interior work: around €20–35 per m², depending on the condition of the surface and the number of coats.
• Exterior work by the m² of facade: usually pricier than interior work, around €30–45 per m².
• A fixed price per room or project — also common practice: the professional assesses the whole job and quotes one figure.

For comparison: a plumber in Amsterdam follows similar pricing logic — see the separate price guide. With a painter the range is wider, because the amount of prep work varies more.

What makes up the price specifically in Amsterdam

Amsterdam's character shows up at almost every stage of the job.

Canal houses from the 17th–19th centuries. Narrow facades, steep, tall staircases with no lift, doorways a stepladder barely fits through — all of this adds time for preparation and covering up the space, and so adds to the bill.

Access and parking. In the centre there are paid zones, restricted access, and sometimes simply nowhere to leave a van with materials and scaffolding near the house. The professional factors that time into the quote.

Scaffolding or a cherry picker for the facade. From around the second floor up, exterior work needs scaffolding or a cherry picker (a mobile lift platform) — a separate cost that can add 15–40% to the quote.

Listed buildings. Many houses in the centre have monument status (a protected heritage building) — these come with restrictions on facade colour and permitted materials, and sometimes require sign-off from the municipality. If your house is one of these, mention it up front: it affects both the choice of paint and the timeline.

To see what kind of jobs typically fall under painting and plastering, take a look at the category painting and plastering — it shows the usual mix of jobs posted there.

Preparation — where most of the budget goes

The most common misconception is that the price is mostly paint and brush work. In practice, most of the time and money usually goes into preparation:

• stripping old wallpaper or peeling paint;
• filling and patching cracks;
• sanding the surface;
• priming before painting;
• covering furniture, the floor and skirting boards with sheeting.

If the walls haven't been touched in a long time, prep can take longer than the painting itself. That's exactly why "paint a room" can cost very different amounts with two different professionals — they're each judging the condition of the walls differently, and that's only really visible on a site visit.

Interior or exterior: different logic

Interior painting (binnenschilderwerk) depends less on weather and season — it can be scheduled almost any time of year, though humidity affects drying time.

Exterior painting (buitenschilderwerk) is a different story altogether: it's weather-dependent (you can't paint a facade in the rain or in freezing temperatures), needs scaffolding, and generally takes longer. Demand for painters rises in summer — the season books up, which makes it harder to get a slot, and rates noticeably drift toward the top of the range.

Typical jobs and roughly what's involved

• Painting one room — walls and, if needed, the ceiling. A compact, predictable job.
• Painting a ceiling on its own — often quicker than the walls, but needs careful covering of the floor and furniture.
• Doors and window frames (kozijnen) — windows, door and window frames are often painted separately from the walls: what matters here is the condition of the old coating and the number of frames.
• Stairwells — awkward geometry, work at height, often a shared space if the building has several flats.
• Facades — the biggest job and the most dependent on scaffolding, with the price varying widely by surface area and the state of the render.
• Plastering and levelling walls (stucwerk) — a separate job that usually comes before painting, if the surface is uneven or cracked.

Materials: included in the price or not

Materials are a separate matter worth clarifying up front. Who buys the paint and primer — the professional or the client? Are they included in the quoted price or charged on top? Paint varies in price and coverage: a cheap one might need three coats where a good-quality one covers in two. That has a direct effect on labour time, and so on the final price, even if a tin of paint costs the same everywhere.

How it's priced: by the hour, by the m², or a fixed sum

• An hourly rate suits small or not-fully-defined jobs — touching up marks, say, or finishing after someone else's renovation. The risk for the client is that the total isn't clear in advance.
• Price per m² is the most common way to price walls and ceilings: clear and easy to compare between quotes, but check whether it includes prep and the number of coats.
• A fixed price for the project — the professional assesses the whole room or facade and quotes one figure. Easier on the budget, but it needs a proper site visit beforehand — otherwise extra charges can come up mid-job for wall conditions that weren't foreseen.

A checklist before you agree

• Ask about the pricing model — hourly, per m², or fixed — and exactly what's included.
• Check whether prep (filling, sanding, priming) is in the price or charged separately.
• Sort out materials: who buys them, what paint, and how many coats.
• For exterior work, ask whether scaffolding or a cherry picker is needed and who pays for it.
• If the building has monument status, say so up front — it can limit the colour choice.
• Describe the job in detail: photos of the walls, surface area, floor, lift, parking near the house.
• Compare several quotes rather than taking the first one.

The more precise the description and the more thorough the site visit, the sharper the estimate: a vague "paint the flat" always gets quoted with a margin for the unknown.

Where to look

You can approach a self-employed painter directly — usually cheaper, but the vetting is on you. You can call a company — more expensive, but they handle the organising and, usually, the guarantee. A third option is a marketplace: you describe the job once, professionals respond with their own prices, and you compare everything in one place. There's a short walkthrough at how it works, and for jobs in this city specifically there's a page for renovation and building work in Amsterdam.

In short

A sensible ballpark for a self-employed painter in Amsterdam is roughly €35–55 per hour or €20–35 per m² for interior painting, higher at companies and for exterior work, plus possible scaffolding and a surcharge for listed buildings. The main variable in the final price isn't the painting itself, it's the amount of prep work. Clarifying that in advance and comparing a few responses is the most reliable way to avoid overpaying.

If you're pricing up related jobs in this city too, see the breakdown of what a plumber costs in Amsterdam or what a handyman costs in Amsterdam.

And if you're a painter or plasterer yourself and want jobs in Amsterdam, you can register as a professional and respond to jobs nearby.