How Much Does a Paint Job Cost on a Truck?

Painting your truck is a way to protect your investment and increase the resale value of the vehicle. As our vehicles age, their paint does not look as pristine because the elements of Mother Nature ravage them and cause paint to fade, clear coats to get dull, and chips to occur. It is natural to want your vehicle to look as good as it can, and let’s face it, it is cheaper to paint a car than to buy a new one!

We talked to several paint and body technicians to try and discern the average cost of painting a truck, and to see if there were discount ways to paint a truck so more people could afford to have this work done.

Hiring a Pro to Paint Your Truck

The first thought for most people is to hire a professional to do the paint jobs on their trucks. The problem is when they get the estimates for those paint jobs they get a bad case of sticker shock.

Truck Painting Cost Estimate

The difference between the paint jobs and the prices is mostly in the application and not as much in the paint. Although the better-quality paint jobs do generally use a higher quality of paint and a larger amount of clear coat over the paint.

The basic or cheapest paint jobs are done with the cheapest possible paints and coatings. You will get only one coat of clear coat, and only the most visible portions of the vehicle will be painted.

The standard paint job gets you a little more quality preparation because the painter wants the vehicle to look better. They also use a higher grade of paints and numerous coats of clear coats.

Showroom quality paint jobs are done only after the body of the vehicle has been meticulously prepared to remove all rust, corrosion, scratches, or possible dents. The paint used will be the best on the market and the clear coats will be applied until the car is perfect, brilliantly shiny, and protected from bumper to bumper.

Recommended Article: Cost to Paint A Bumper (A Comprehensive Guide)

Materials for Truck Painting Estimate

The average size truck will need you to purchase one gallon + one quart of primer and paint. You are going to need a more clear coat than you need primer and paint because both the primer and the paint are likely to be one-coat applications, but the clear coat is going to require several applications to create the flawless finish you desire.

If you decide to use aerosol cans instead of using paint that comes in a quart you will have to be prepared to purchase about 10+ cans of primer and paint. The clear coat in the aerosol cans cost a little more than the primer and paint and you will need to buy about 15 cans of that to get complete uniform coverage.

Using aerosol cans generally costs as much, if not more, than using the paint substances that are applied by a sprayer. The aerosol cans may make the work more convenient, and some folks apply their primer from these containers and then apply their color and clear coat using a paint sprayer.

Truck Painting Labor Cost Evaluations

Painting a vehicle like a truck does not happen quickly. Depending on the amount of bodywork and preparation the painter has to do the man-hours it takes to complete this kind of project can exceed 40+ hours. It can take weeks, not just days, but weeks, for the paint and body shop to finish the work on your vehicle and get it back to you.

Remember that if you are hiring a professional you can volunteer to remove things like the bumpers and trim before you bring them to the car. The professionals charge between $25 and $100 an hour for their labor, so by doing as much work as possible for yourself you reduce the number of labor hours they have to charge for. You should also be aware that the paint and body shop will have a minimum number of labor hours that they charge no matter what. Be sure to familiarize yourself with all of these details before you take your car.

Always ask the professional how many customers they have ahead of you. There are times when your car may sit in the parking lot, just waiting to be worked on, for weeks before the technician gets to them.

Tips on Hiring a Truck Paint Professional

If you are going to consider hiring a professional to paint your truck the following tips from the pros will help you to choose the right paint specialist for the job.

• Never take the first estimate. You always want to go to three or more shops and get price estimates
• Check the shop out with the Better Business Bureau to see if they have complaints filed against them in the past and if they did how they handled those complaints
• Ask people you trust to recommend people or shops
• Do not just call the shop you want to visit the shop and see how clean and organized they are and see how the vehicles are protected when the shop is closed. Do they have a fenced area with locks to stop potential thieves or vandals from accessing your vehicle?
• Ask what paint and material they will use
• Ask if they intend to do any bodywork or repairs on the car
• Ask how many coats of clear coat they will apply
• Ask how they apply their paints and substances
• Ask if there is a guarantee on the material or the work
• Get a written quote that details everything that will be done (check how long the written quote is good for)
• Compare quotes and compare the details of what different shops offer to do
• Never pay for the work before you see the vehicle

Read More: How Much Does a Maaco Paint Job Cost

Getting Prepared to Paint at Home

Do not rush into the idea of painting your vehicle at home. This is something a lot of people would like to do, and many people have the equipment, the space, and the time to do this work, but you need to evaluate what you will need and consider whether you have all of those things.

Most of the time the big thing that holds people off from doing their own paint jobs is the time it takes to do the work. Consider how much time a day you actually have to work on the project, and how much time the project actually requires. You also need to consider whether you can afford to have your vehicle out of commission for the length of time it will take to do the work.

If you do not have another vehicle you may have to consider renting a vehicle or taking public transportation to and from work until your ride is repainted. Prepare for these possibilities, and the cost of how you will travel until your truck is road-ready again.

Creating an Area to Paint in

One of the at-home costs of painting a truck occurs when you have to prepare a place to do the work. You have to have a sealed-off area that will not allow a lot of dust and contaminants to float through the air while your paint is wet on the vehicle.

You can paint in your garage but it is best if you take a roll of plastic and hang it in a section large enough for the vehicle to sit in. Inside that section, you want to clean the floor so that there is no sand, dust, or dirt particles present.

Things You Have to Have

• Grinder
• Sandpaper in multiple grits from 600 to about 2000
• Painters’ tape
• Newspaper, cardboard, drop cloth, or similar items
• Cleaning cloths
• Screwdriver
• Body filler
• Putty knife
• Paint gun
• Most likely you will need an air compressor

Materials You Will Need

• Primer
• Base color paint
• Clearcoat
• Paint thinner or mineral spirits
• Stirring sticks

Ways to Reduce the Cost of Painting Your Truck

We understand that most people have to work on a budget. It is normal and practical to consider how you can paint your truck and stay within your budget. We asked professional paint and body experts to tell us a few ways that you might save some money on this project.

• Use touch-up paint to correct minor scratches instead of repainting the entire vehicle
• Rent equipment like paint sprayers instead of buying them outright
• Do all of the body repair work yourself instead of asking the body shop to do it
• Choose a color of paint that is less expensive. Red paints cost more than any of the other colors.
• Remove your own bumpers and accessories instead of letting the body shop do it. This will reduce work hours and labor costs.
• Do not have the undercarriage painted

Time and Patience

Painting your truck is not going to be something you can do in just a weekend. You have to have time to prepare the truck and remove all of the non-essentials. You also have to sand the old paint, treat any cracks or blemishes, and then you have to apply the primer, paint, and clear coat.

Between each coating, you spray on the vehicle you will have to allow the vehicle to completely dry before you can apply the next layer. Drying takes time, and in some instances, it may take a full day or longer for a layer of coating to dry perfectly so that it is ready for the next coat. You have to have patience and be ready to allow it to take as long as it needs to. You want the job right not fast.

When everything is painted and dried you have to put bumpers, door handles, and accessories back in place so you will be looking at another day or at least a few more hours before your car is ready to drive through town with its new look. If you have a motorcycle and want this painted as well read our article on custom motorcycle paint job costs.

Final Thoughts

Painting your truck is something you should give careful consideration. You cannot choose a body shop or decide whether to do the work yourself until you have carefully weighed all of your options, and look at the pros and cons.

Once you decide who will paint your truck, then comes the real decision-making process. You have to choose the perfect color!