New Build & Production Painters in Western Washington
New construction painting isn't repainting with less prep. It's a different trade with a different sequence, a different pricing model, and a different definition of success. On a repaint, the measure is how the finish looks and how long it lasts. On a build, the measure is whether the painter held the schedule — because a painter who slips three days pushes flooring, which pushes trim-out, which pushes your certificate of occupancy and your closing date.
We work with individual builders, development companies, and general contractors across King, Snohomish, and Pierce County. We show up when we said we would, we work alongside other trades without turf fights, and we handle the punch list without being chased through three rounds.
All new construction work is custom-quoted. Here's how we sequence and price it.
Where Painting Fits in the Build Sequence
Paint touches a build in three distinct phases, and confusion about which phase is being quoted is the most common source of scope disputes we see on new construction bids.
- Phase one — texture and prime, after drywall. Drywall is hung, taped, and finished. We apply texture to spec — knockdown, orange peel, level 5 smooth — and spray a full prime coat. This coat is as much a diagnostic as a finish: primer reveals every drywall defect that was invisible on bare board, which is when they can still be fixed cheaply.
- Phase two — finish coats, before flooring and after trim. Walls and ceilings sprayed with finish coats, trim and doors sprayed, and the interior brought to final appearance. Doing this before flooring goes in is what allows full spray application with minimal masking, and it's the main reason new construction interiors cost less per square foot than repaints.
- Phase three — punch and touch-up, at the end. After every other trade has finished damaging the walls. This phase is not optional and it is not a favor; it is a scheduled, priced part of the job, and a builder whose painter treats it as an afterthought will feel it at final walkthrough.
Exterior runs on its own track — typically after siding and before final grade, weather permitting, with the Western Washington May-to-October constraint applying in full.
Why New Construction Pricing Is Different
New construction interiors price meaningfully below comparable repaints, and the reason is straightforward: empty houses can be sprayed.
In an occupied home we brush and roll, mask everything, and set up and tear down every day. In an empty shell we spray walls, ceilings, trim, and doors continuously with minimal masking, and a crew can cover several times the square footage per day. There's also no furniture to move, no wall repair, no color-change coverage problem, and no homeowner scheduling around the work.
What replaces that cost is coordination. Sequencing with other trades, hitting dates that other trades depend on, working to a builder's spec, providing warranty documentation, and absorbing schedule slips upstream that compress your window. On production and multi-unit work, that coordination is most of what you're actually buying.
Our New Construction Painting Process
Built around your schedule, not ours. Here's how a project runs from bid to closeout.
- 01
Plan Review and Bid
3–7 business daysWe bid from plans and specifications rather than guessing from square footage. Wall and ceiling areas taken off, texture specification confirmed, trim packages counted, and any specialty finishes identified. The bid is line-itemed by phase so you can see exactly what texture and prime costs versus finish coats versus punch, and compare it line for line against other bids.
- 02
Schedule Integration
At contractWe commit to dates against your build schedule and identify our dependencies explicitly — drywall complete and inspected before texture, trim installed before trim finish, HVAC operational for cure conditions in winter. Being upfront about dependencies is what prevents the conversation where the painter and the drywaller each blame the other for a lost week.
- 03
Texture Application
1–3 days per homeSprayed to your specification and matched consistently across a development so units don't visibly differ. Knockdown, orange peel, and level 5 smooth all available. Texture consistency matters more than most builders realize on multi-unit projects — buyers tour several units and notice when one looks different.
- 04
Prime Coat
1 day per homeFull spray prime on all walls and ceilings. We flag every drywall defect the primer reveals and get it back to your drywall contractor immediately, rather than burying it under two finish coats and having it surface at the buyer walkthrough. This single habit saves more callbacks than anything else we do.
- 05
Interior Finish Coats
2–4 days per homeTwo finish coats on walls and ceilings, sprayed. Trim, doors, and casing sprayed for a factory finish — this is the phase where sprayed new construction visibly beats a repaint, because trim can be finished before flooring and without masking. Builder-grade and upgraded finish packages both available, and we'll price both if you're deciding.
- 06
Exterior
3–7 days per homeAfter siding, before final grade. Full prep on all bare wood, priming of every cut edge — including the factory cuts your siding installer made on site, which is where new construction exteriors most often fail early — caulking of all joints and penetrations, and two finish coats of premium exterior product. Subject to the May-to-October weather window.
- 07
Punch List and Touch-Up
1–2 days per homeScheduled, priced, and treated as a real phase. After every other trade is out, we walk with your superintendent and correct scuffs, dings, and trade damage. One round, done properly, rather than three partial rounds spread over two weeks while your closing date moves.
- 08
Documentation and Warranty
At completionColor and product schedule by room and surface, so your buyer's homeowner packet is complete and your warranty department can match a touch-up two years out. Written workmanship warranty documentation for your files. Labeled touch-up paint left on site for the buyer.
New Construction Painting Costs
Custom-quoted from plans. These orientation ranges assume standard texture, builder-grade to mid-tier products, and normal site conditions.
| Project Scope | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Interior only, 2,000–2,500 sq ft home | $4,500 – $8,000 | Texture, prime, two coats, trim and doors |
| Interior only, 3,000–4,000 sq ft home | $7,500 – $13,000 | Higher ceilings and larger trim packages |
| Exterior only, average new home | $3,500 – $7,000 | Prep, prime, and two coats on new siding |
| Complete interior and exterior | $8,000 – $20,000 | The most common full-scope package |
| Multi-unit, per unit | Volume pricing | Meaningfully below per-home rates at scale |
| Upgraded finish package | Add 15–30% | Level 5 smooth, enamel trim, specialty finishes |
What Moves the Number
- Ceiling height and volume. Two-story great rooms and vaulted ceilings drive staging time hard, and staging is the real cost on tall interiors.
- Trim package. A simple ranch casing package versus a craftsman package with wainscoting, coffered ceilings, and built-ins is an enormous spread on the same square footage.
- Texture specification. Level 5 smooth requires substantially more drywall finishing and shows every defect. It costs more and it is worth it on high-end work.
- Product tier. Builder-grade versus premium is a real difference in both material cost and in how the home holds up through the warranty period.
- Volume and repetition. Multi-unit and production work prices well below one-off custom homes. Repetition is efficiency.
- Schedule compression. If upstream trades have consumed your float and our window is now four days instead of eight, that costs more — and we would rather price it honestly than agree and then miss.
New Construction Coating Systems
Specified to your build tier. We will price builder-grade and upgraded packages side by side so you can see what the delta actually buys.
| Application | Product | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Walls and ceilings, prime | PVA drywall primer | Seals new drywall and joint compound uniformly so finish coats do not flash at the seams |
| Walls, builder-grade finish | Commercial acrylic, flat or eggshell | Cost-effective, covers well, appropriate for spec and production homes |
| Walls, upgraded finish | Premium acrylic, matte or eggshell | Better washability and burnish resistance through the warranty period |
| Trim, doors, and casing | Waterborne alkyd enamel | Hard cure, sprays to a factory finish, does not yellow like traditional oil |
| Ceilings | Dead-flat ceiling paint | Any sheen telegraphs drywall seams under the raking light of a new build |
| Exterior body and trim | Premium exterior acrylic | 8–10 year service life in this climate, which is what your warranty exposure depends on |
| All bare and cut edges outside | Exterior primer | Field-cut siding edges are the most common early failure point on new exteriors |
We work to submitted builder specifications when you have them, and we will write one for you when you don't — including a color and product schedule you can reuse across a development.
New Construction Painting Services We Offer
What Every New Construction Bid Includes
- Takeoff and bid from plans and specifications
- Line-item pricing broken out by build phase
- Texture application to specification
- Full spray prime with drywall defect reporting back to your GC
- Two finish coats on all specified surfaces
- Sprayed trim, doors, and casing
- Exterior prep, priming of all cut edges, caulking, and two coats
- Scheduled punch list and touch-up phase
- Color and product schedule for the homeowner packet
- Written workmanship warranty and labeled touch-up material
Quoted Separately
- — Drywall hanging, taping, and finishing
- — Drywall defect repair discovered at prime — returned to your drywall contractor
- — Cabinetry finishing — see cabinet painting and refinishing
- — Deck and fence staining — see deck staining and sealing
- — Specialty and decorative finishes beyond the specified package
- — Repeat punch rounds caused by post-completion trade damage
New Construction Painting Timelines
| Project Scope | Typical Duration |
|---|---|
| Texture and prime, single home | 2–4 days |
| Interior finish coats, single home | 2–4 days |
| Exterior, single home | 3–7 days |
| Complete single-family home | 8–14 days across phases |
| Punch and touch-up | 1–2 days |
| Multi-unit development | Scheduled to your turnover sequence |
Those are working days inside your sequence, not consecutive calendar days — paint phases are separated by other trades. We commit to dates, we identify our dependencies in writing at contract, and if we are going to miss you hear it from us early rather than discovering it on the day.
What's Included
New Construction Painting Across Snohomish and King County
We follow the development activity, and it's concentrated in specific corridors:
Heavy multi-family and mixed-use development around the City Center and the light rail corridor. Volume unit work on tight turnover schedules.
Single-family subdivision development at scale. Production painting with repeatable specs across whole phases — the most efficient work we do.
Ongoing single-family growth with a mix of production builders and custom homes on larger lots.
Custom homes on acreage with upgraded trim packages, level 5 smooth specifications, and extensive built-ins.
High-end custom construction on hillside lots. Volume ceilings, elaborate trim, and staging-intensive interiors.
Multi-unit and townhome development on compressed schedules driven by pre-sales and closing dates.
We serve 24 cities across Snohomish, King, and Pierce County. Find your city, or call to discuss a development.
Why Choose Paint Gunners for New Construction Painting?
We use professional airless and HVLP spray equipment for factory-smooth finishes that no brush or roller can match.
We spend the majority of our hours on prep — cleaning, repairing, priming, and protecting — because that is what determines how long the finish lasts.
Commercial-grade coatings selected per surface and per exposure — not whatever was cheapest at the counter.
We don't leave until you're happy. Full walkthrough inspection with touch-ups included on every project.