House Painting in Central Iowa, IA

Your House Painting Toolbox

Living room after painting, sage green walls
Living room before painting, neutral tones
Before
After

We Paint Everything

From bungalows to Central Iowa two-stories and Central Iowa commercial spaces, our Central Iowa team handles the full painting scope: interior, exterior, cabinets, decks, fences, and specialty finishes. Every project is built around Iowa weather realities, deep freeze-thaw cycles, humid summers, and storm season hail drives our prep schedule.

Freshly painted interior living room with bright walls and clean trim work

Interior Painting

Transform your living spaces with flawless color and finish.

Interior Painting
Exterior house painting project with crisp siding and updated curb appeal

Exterior Painting

Curb appeal that lasts. Expert coatings for every climate.

Exterior Painting
Commercial painting project in a polished business interior

Commercial Painting

Professional-grade finishes that elevate your business space.

Commercial Painting
Kitchen cabinet painting project with a smooth factory-style finish

Cabinet Painting

Refresh your kitchen with a smooth, factory-quality finish.

Cabinet Painting
Limewash finish adding texture and depth to painted masonry

Limewash

Authentic European lime-based finishes for timeless texture and depth.

Limewash
Painted brick exterior with a durable updated finish

Brick Painting

Breathe new life into brick with lasting, beautiful color.

Brick Painting

Trusted Paint Partners

Sherwin-Williams
Benjamin Moore
Behr
PPG
Romabio
SAMANTHA HILLIER, locally owned and operated That 1 Painter Central Iowa franchise owner

We're Locally Owned

That 1 Painter Central Iowa is owned and operated by Samantha Hillier, serving Central Iowa with our crews and a 3-year written warranty. Every estimate is reviewed by ownership, no call centers.

Your painting project means as much to us as it does to you. We're licensed and insured, and our promise is simple: we'll be your best house guests, treating your place with the utmost care and leaving it even more pristine than when we arrived.

Aerial view of Central Iowa neighborhoods served by That 1 Painter Central Iowa

Areas Served

That 1 Painter Central Iowa serves Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Ames, Waukee, Grimes, Johnston, Clive, Altoona, Bondurant, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Nevada, Boone, Newton, Marshalltown, Huxley, Dallas Center, Madrid, and the surrounding Polk, Dallas, Story, Boone, Jasper, and Marshall County Central Iowa region; repainting everything from Des Moines Historic District wood-frame homes and Beaverdale Tudors to Waukee and Ankeny master-planned subdivisions, downtown Ames campus-adjacent Craftsman stock, and rural Iowa farmsteads, inside and out.

(515) 207-7069
Urbandale, IA 50319
Hours
Mon–Fri
8 AM – 5 PM
Sat–Sun
Closed

Recent Central Iowa Painting Projects

A look at the craftsmanship we bring to homes and businesses across Central Iowa. From full-home interior repaints and kitchen cabinet refinishing to exterior siding, stucco, and trim work, every painting project in Central Iowa is prepped, primed, and finished by licensed, insured local painters. Browse recent residential and commercial painting projects to see the color matching, surface prep, and clean lines homeowners across Central Iowa trust us to deliver.

Professional interior painting project in Central Iowa by That 1 Painter
Interior Painting
Professional cabinet & interior painting project in Central Iowa by That 1 Painter
Cabinet & Interior Painting
Professional interior painting project in Central Iowa by That 1 Painter
Interior Painting
Professional exterior painting project in Central Iowa by That 1 Painter
Exterior Painting
Professional exterior painting project in Central Iowa by That 1 Painter
Exterior Painting
Professional exterior painting project in Central Iowa by That 1 Painter
Exterior Painting
Paint It Forward

Every year, our Central Iowa team teams up with franchise owners across the country to gift complete paint transformations to deserving families, small businesses, and non-profits. It's our way of giving back to the community that's given us so much, one home, one story, one fresh coat at a time.

Learn More About Paint It Forward
Thumbnail of That 1 Painter's featured Paint It Forward community makeover video

We Painted 100 Homes For Free In One Week

Stop Scrolling.
Start Painting.

Painting Cost in Central Iowa 2026 Guide

Honest pricing for Central Iowa homeowners, built from current 2026 job data across Central Iowa. Every line below reflects real Iowa conditions: deep freeze-thaw cycles, humid summers, and storm season hail, scaffolding access, and product specs that actually last.

Project Type
Low
High
Average
Interior (per sq ft)
$2.50
$4.75
$3.50
Exterior (per sq ft)
$1.85
$3.60
$2.75
Cabinet Refinishing
$3,200
$7,800
$5,200
Single Room
$450
$1,100
$750
Whole-Home Interior
$4,500
$14,000
$8,500
Whole-Home Exterior
$3,800
$9,500
$6,200

* All prices include materials, labor, and prep. Based on 2026 Central Iowa averages.

2026 Central Iowa Guide

What painting costs in Central Iowa, and how to hire right.

An honest, in-depth breakdown from That 1 Painter Central Iowa. No fluff, no upsells, just the numbers and the questions that protect your home.

What painting really costs in Central Iowa

Honest pricing for Central Iowa homeowners, built from current 2026 job data across Central Iowa. Every line below reflects real Iowa conditions: deep freeze-thaw cycles, humid summers, and storm season hail, scaffolding access, and product specs that actually last.

Average cost by project type

2026 Central Iowa

Bars are scaled to the highest average in the table, quick visual of where each project lands.

Interior (per sq ft)$3.50 avg
Low $2.50High $4.75
Exterior (per sq ft)$2.75 avg
Low $1.85High $3.60
Cabinet Refinishing$5,200 avg
Low $3,200High $7,800
Single Room$750 avg
Low $450High $1,100
Whole-Home Interior$8,500 avg
Low $4,500High $14,000
Whole-Home Exterior$6,200 avg
Low $3,800High $9,500
Average Low-High range

Where your money actually goes

A quality paint job is mostly labor and prep, not paint. Here's the typical split on a properly bid project.

Surface prep · 40%
Wash, scrape, sand, patch, caulk, prime
Labor & supervision · 30%
Skilled hands, lead on site daily
Paint & materials · 20%
Premium products, correct sheen, 2 coats
Protection & cleanup · 10%
Floors, furniture, landscaping, final walk

Central Iowa Painting Cost Per Square Foot, 2026 Pricing Guide

Expect $2.50–$4.75 per square foot for interior painting in Central Iowa, IA this year. Smaller bungalows often fall near the lower end, while two-story Central Iowa homes with vaulted ceilings push toward the high range. Exterior pricing in Central Iowa runs $2.25–$4.50 per square foot depending on siding type and prep depth.

Why Tall Homes Cost More to Paint in Central Iowa, IA

Two-story and three-story homes in Central Iowa carry an access surcharge, typically 12–20% of exterior labor, covering scaffolding, ladder jacks, and OSHA fall protection. Central Iowa have a heavy share of taller homes, so estimates from any reputable Central Iowa painter will line-item this access cost transparently.

Wood Rot, Siding Repair, and Carpentry Add-Ons in Central Iowa

Most Central Iowa exterior estimates include a carpentry allowance because deep freeze-thaw cycles, humid summers, and storm season hail drive wood rot at fascia, sill nosings, and bottom siding courses. We carry a small-carpentry crew so Central Iowa projects don't stall waiting for a separate contractor. Typical rot allowance: $400–$1,500 per home.

Cold-Weather Cracking and Caulk Failure in Central Iowa, IA

Expect 8–15% of total exterior labor in Central Iowa to go toward winter-damage repair: re-caulking, spot priming, replacing rotted sill nosings, and resetting nails that have backed out. Skipping this step is the fastest way to repaint again in three years instead of eight.

Color Consultation, Sampling, and Trends in Central Iowa

Light in Central Iowa reads cooler in winter and warmer in summer, which can shift how a paint chip looks on the wall. We provide complimentary in-home consultations and large drawdown samples so Central Iowa clients can see colors at full scale before committing. Iowa-popular palettes lean toward warm whites, deep greens, and limewash earth tones in 2026.

How Central Iowa's Humidity Shapes Your Painting Estimate

Painting in Iowa requires aggressive moisture management. Central Iowa homes routinely show mildew on north-facing siding, swollen trim around bath fans, and chalking on south-facing brick. We allocate dedicated prep days for Central Iowa projects so paint bonds rather than blisters.

Restoring Historic Trim and Siding in Central Iowa, IA

If your home sits in a registered historic district, paint colors and even sheen levels may require commission approval. Our Central Iowa crews are familiar with historic palettes and the gentler prep methods (low-pressure wash, hand-scraping, lead-safe practices) required on pre-1978 substrates.

How to hire a painter in Central Iowa

Seven checks that separate a real pro from a risk.

  1. 1

    Get line-item estimates

    Real bids spell out surfaces, prep, exact products & sheens, number of coats, and timeline, not a round number on a business card.

  2. 2

    Verify license & insurance

    Ask for current certificates of liability and workers' comp. If they can't produce them, walk away.

  3. 3

    Know who's on site

    crews vs. day-labor subs. Same lead every day? Continuity protects quality.

  4. 4

    Pin down the prep process

    Wash, scrape, sand, caulk, patch, prime. 70% of a quality job lives in prep, if it's not itemized, the bid is incomplete.

  5. 5

    Read the warranty

    Look for a written, transferable warranty. That 1 Painter backs every project 3 years, transferable to the next owner.

  6. 6

    Check reviews that matter

    Google reviews on the local market page, BBB profile, and references from real homeowners, not a glossy brochure.

  7. 7

    Watch the red flags

    Cash-only deals, large up-front deposits, and "sign today" pressure are the most common signs of a job that won't finish well.

Smart questions to ask before you sign

Copy/paste these into your next estimate call.

  • What specific paint brand, line, and sheen are you using on each surface?
  • How many coats are included and what does the prep scope look like?
  • Who handles color consultation, drawdowns, and HOA paperwork?
  • What is the daily start time, end time, and total project duration?
  • How do you protect floors, furniture, and landscaping?
  • What is the payment schedule and what triggers each milestone?
  • How do you handle change orders or scope additions mid-project?

Ready for a real, line-item estimate?

Call That 1 Painter Central Iowa at (515) 207-7069, written quotes, no pressure.

Painter applying a clean finish near a window to represent That 1 Painter's 3-year workmanship warranty

Our 3-Year Warranty

Your peace of mind, at the top of mind with our three-year transferable warranty. Covers the painting job, even if you sell the house.

Download Warranty

The Complete Central Iowa Painting Guide

Everything Central Iowa homeowners should know before hiring a painter, services, seasonal timing, colors, HOA rules, and how to get the most value from your project. Written by the That 1 Painter Central Iowa team.

Our Central Iowa Painting Services

That 1 Painter

Book an Appointment

Pick a service, date & time, we'll handle the rest.

Select Your Service(s)

Pick everything you'd like an estimate for.

Paint Reviews, Advice & Expert Tips

Honest product reviews, pro painting techniques, and helpful articles from professional painters who do this every day.

What Is the Best Paint Sheen for Interior Walls?

Choosing between flat, eggshell, satin, and semi-gloss depends on the room's traffic, lighting, and function. Professional painters break down when to use each sheen for the best results.

SuperPaint vs Cashmere: Which Sherwin-Williams Paint Is Better?

Both are popular mid-tier Sherwin-Williams paints, but they perform differently on walls, trim, and cabinets. See how professional painters compare coverage, feel, and durability.

Is Behr Premium Plus a Good Paint for Homeowners?

Behr Premium Plus is one of the most affordable paints at Home Depot. Professional painters test its coverage, durability, and finish quality to see if it's worth the price.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Behr Urethane Paint?

Behr Urethane Alkyd is a hybrid paint that combines oil-based durability with water-based cleanup. See how it performs on trim, cabinets, and doors in a real-world test.

Is Behr Dynasty the Most Durable Paint You Can Buy?

Behr Dynasty claims to be their most durable, stain-repellent paint. Professional painters put it to the test on walls and high-traffic areas to see if the claims hold up.

Is Sherwin-Williams Gallery Series Worth the Premium Price?

The Gallery Series is Sherwin-Williams' newest premium line. Professional painters review its unique properties and explain why it may not be the best choice for beginners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Clear answers about pricing, timelines, services, warranty coverage, and working with That 1 Painter.

We move and protect furniture for our Central Iowa clients, you only need to clear personal items off shelves and let us know about any fragile or pet-related considerations. Central Iowa crews always do a pre-walk to confirm scope before lifting a brush.

Every That 1 Painter Central Iowa project carries a 3-year transferable warranty against peeling, blistering, and adhesion failure on properly prepped surfaces. The warranty stays with the home if you sell, a real differentiator in Central Iowa resale.

Central Iowa's freeze-thaw Midwestern climate requires aggressive prep, mildew wash, surfactant rinse, and mildewcide-fortified topcoats. We use freeze-thaw-rated acrylics with elastomeric flexibility on trim on all exterior Central Iowa work so mildew doesn't telegraph through the finish during the next humid season.

We can paint exteriors in Central Iowa as long as surface temperature stays above 35°F for 24 hours and rising. Most reliable Central Iowa exterior windows are May through September, avoiding the freeze line. Interior work runs year-round across Central Iowa.

Our Central Iowa crew handles interior repaints, exterior repaints, cabinet refinishing, deck and fence staining, drywall repair, popcorn-ceiling removal, limewash, wallpaper removal, and commercial work across Central Iowa.

The most stable exterior painting window in Central Iowa is May through September, avoiding the freeze line. We monitor dew point and 72-hour rain probability for every Central Iowa project, a forecast alone isn't enough in Iowa.

Painting in Central Iowa, IA typically runs $3.25/sqft interior and $3.10/sqft exterior in 2026. Final pricing depends on surface condition, color changes, and access, taller homes cost more because of scaffolding and fall protection.

We serve all of greater Central Iowa, including Central Iowa and surrounding communities across Iowa. Schedule a free estimate to confirm your address falls inside our standard service radius.

Your Trusted, Local Painters for Residential and Commercial in Central Iowa, IA

Interior Painting Built for Central Iowa Homes

Interior painting is the fastest way to change how a home in Central Iowa feels without touching the floor plan, and it is the busiest scope our crews run across the Polk, Dallas, and Story County corridor. Our interior painting scope covers walls, ceilings, trim, doors, and closets, and every interior painting job in Central Iowa starts with a real prep pass so the interior painting film has a clean, sound surface to bond to. Homeowners searching for painters in Central Iowa for an interior painting refresh usually want two upgrades at once: an updated color palette and a durable, scrubbable interior painting finish that survives long Iowa winters spent indoors with the furnace running dry heat through the home.

As a painting company in Central Iowa that runs interior painting on Des Moines Historic District wood-frame homes, Beaverdale brick Tudors, mid-century Urbandale ranches, and 1990s-2020s master-planned tract housing through Ankeny and Waukee, we treat interior painting material selection as a real decision, not a checkbox. Which interior painting sheen hides drywall imperfection under low winter light in a West Des Moines great room, which interior painting product holds up in a mudroom off an unheated Grimes garage, and which interior painting primer we need to lock down previously oil-based trim in a 1920s Drake-neighborhood bungalow are all questions we answer before the crew shows up. That level of interior painting discipline is why homeowners hire house painters in Central Iowa like us instead of a general handyman.

If you're comparing interior painting bids from painters in Central Iowa, ask each of them about interior painting warranty terms, interior painting prep sequence, and how the interior painting crew protects floors and furniture day to day. Every serious interior painting outfit in Central Iowa should have plain answers to all three. See our interior painting page for the full interior painting scope and current pricing across the Des Moines metro market.

Exterior Painting for Iowa Freeze-Thaw and Prairie Wind

Exterior painting in Central Iowa has to hold up to sharp freeze-thaw swings that work moisture into every seam, humid Iowa summers that pull mildew onto shaded north elevations, open prairie-wind loading across Dallas and Story County acreage, and full southern-exposure sun on new Waukee and Ankeny subdivisions, so exterior painting product choice is the whole conversation, not a footnote. A painting company in Central Iowa that takes exterior painting seriously specifies a 100% acrylic exterior painting product with strong flex through the freeze-thaw cycle and a mildew inhibitor built into the exterior painting film, so shaded north elevations under mature Beaverdale oaks and full-sun elevations on Kettlestone builds stay clean between exterior painting cycles.

Our exterior painting scope typically includes a full pressure wash, a mildew-and-chalking assessment, spot scraping of any failing exterior painting layers, wood-siding sound-substrate checks, feathered sanding, spot primer on bare substrate, full caulk of siding seams and window returns, and two coats of exterior painting-grade paint. That exterior painting sequence is the same whether we are painting fiber-cement lap siding on a Prairie Trail build in Ankeny, a Historic District wood-frame home in downtown Des Moines, or a farmhouse across the IA-330 corridor in Marshall County. Painters in Central Iowa who skip any of those exterior painting steps are quoting a two-year paint job in a ten-year paint job wrapper.

If you're evaluating house painters in Central Iowa for exterior painting, look closely at how the exterior painting bid describes prep, not just the exterior painting product line. A clean exterior painting film applied over poor prep will peel inside a single Iowa freeze-thaw season. Our exterior painting service documents the exterior painting prep sequence in detail, and every exterior painting job we run carries a 3-year transferable warranty.

Cabinet Painting in Central Iowa Kitchens

Cabinet painting is the single biggest visual change a homeowner in Central Iowa can buy without a full kitchen remodel, and cabinet painting demand across Waukee, West Des Moines, Ankeny, and Urbandale reflects that. Our cabinet painting scope typically covers cabinet boxes on-site plus cabinet doors and drawer fronts sprayed off-site in a controlled environment, so the cabinet painting finish flows out flat and cures without airborne dust or humid Iowa summer moisture. Cabinet painting projects like this are why homeowners call a painting company in Central Iowa instead of a general remodeler.

Cabinet painting product selection matters as much as cabinet painting prep. A real cabinet painting job uses a bonding primer, a cabinet-grade urethane-modified acrylic paint, and controlled drying conditions so the cabinet painting film cures hard enough to resist door-edge chipping under daily use in a busy Johnston or Clive kitchen. As a painting company in Central Iowa that runs cabinet painting jobs almost every week, we schedule cabinet painting projects so the kitchen is out of service only for the days doors and drawers are physically off.

House painters in Central Iowa quoting cabinet painting should walk you through cabinet painting cure times, cabinet painting warranty coverage, and cabinet painting color options with real drawdowns on your actual cabinet material. Cabinet painting is not a wall paint job with cabinets in the way, and any painting company in Central Iowa that treats it that way is one to avoid for cabinet painting scopes. See our cabinet painting page for cabinet painting scope details and lead times.

Choosing Painters in Central Iowa

There are a lot of painters in Central Iowa to choose from, so the practical question is how to sort serious painters in Central Iowa from casual ones. Any painting outfit you bid should carry general liability insurance, provide a written scope, and back the work with a real written warranty. They should also point at recent portfolio work in your specific corner of the Central Iowa market; Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Ames, or Marshalltown; not stock photos pulled from a supplier catalog.

As house painters in Central Iowa ourselves, we tell homeowners to ask three questions of anyone bidding: what is the exact prep sequence, what specific paint product is going on the walls, and who from the company is on site day to day. Painters in Central Iowa who dodge those questions are hoping you will not notice the answer later. A painting company in Central Iowa that answers plainly is one worth a second meeting.

That 1 Painter Central Iowa, owned by Samantha Hillier, is one of many painters in Central Iowa, and we compete on scope clarity, prep quality, and a 3-year transferable warranty that follows the paint, not the owner. If you are collecting bids from painters in Central Iowa and the surrounding Polk, Dallas, Story, Boone, Jasper, and Marshall County region, we would be glad to be one of the bids you compare against.

What a Painting Company in Central Iowa Actually Does

A real painting company in Central Iowa is more than a paint crew: it runs estimates, project management, materials logistics, color consultations, and warranty follow-up so the crew painting your house can focus on painting. That coordination is the difference between a painting company in Central Iowa and a solo painter working out of a truck bed. It is also the difference between a paint job that lands on the promised week and a paint job that drifts a month past schedule when a January blizzard or an April thunderstorm rolls across the Des Moines metro.

As a painting company in Central Iowa, our day starts with materials staging for that day's painting scope, drives out to active painting jobs from Waukee and Grimes across to Ankeny, Altoona, and Ames, and ends with paint punch-list walks with homeowners. A painting company in Central Iowa running this way keeps painting projects on schedule and keeps paint quality consistent from the first painting day to the last painting day of a job. Homeowners feel that consistency in a lot of small ways; cleaner cut lines, tighter caulk joints, fewer callback punch items.

When you hire a painting company in Central Iowa, you are hiring the coordination layer as much as the painting itself. A painting company in Central Iowa that quotes a painting scope should tell you what week your painting starts, what week it ends, and who owns the project through completion. If a painting company in Central Iowa cannot articulate what is included in the price on the bid, that is a signal to keep shopping.

How House Painters Handle Older Central Iowa Homes

Older homes across the Central Iowa market; 1900s-1930s wood-frame Craftsman stock through Des Moines's Historic District and downtown Boone and Nevada, mid-century brick ranches through Urbandale and Windsor Heights, and 19th-century farmhouses across Marshall, Jasper, and Boone County acreage; need house painters in Central Iowa who understand plaster, wood siding, and the way early paint layers move under fresh coats in a freeze-thaw climate. House painters in Central Iowa who came up on new-construction repaints alone often underestimate how much prep an older Polk or Story County home actually needs before the first drop of paint goes on the wall.

House painters in Central Iowa running an older home job spend the first day on paint testing, wood-siding scrape-and-sand prep, glazing repair on original casement windows, and containment for scrape-and-paint work outside. Skipping those steps produces a paint job that fails inside a single Iowa winter. As house painters in Central Iowa with real time on those blocks, we treat prep as the paint job; the coats you see are the last five percent of the actual work.

If you own an older home and are talking to house painters in Central Iowa, ask each bidder to walk your house and describe what they would do differently versus a 2015 Waukee subdivision home or a Kettlestone new-build. The house painters in Central Iowa with a real answer are the ones to shortlist. Beyond older homes, our crews also cover new-build repaints, HOA-driven exterior refreshes across Jordan Creek and Prairie Trail, farmhouse repaints across acreage, and post-renovation touch-ups across the Central Iowa market, so the crew on your project has seen your situation before.

Color, Finish, and Booking Your Painting Project

Color is where a lot of painting projects across the Central Iowa market stall, so the painters you hire should have a real color process. Ours starts with existing light in the room, existing floor and trim tones, and the direction the room faces, then we put real paint drawdowns on your actual walls before the crew mobilizes. A painting company in Central Iowa that hands you a fan deck and walks away will paint whatever you point at, which is not the same as helping you land the right color for the space; an especially real risk in Central Iowa where short winter daylight changes how a color reads through half the year.

Finish selection is the other half of the conversation. Flat or matte on ceilings, eggshell or matte on walls, satin or semi-gloss on trim, and a cabinet-grade product on cabinets; that mix reads intentional in a finished home across Polk, Dallas, and Story County. Painters in Central Iowa who put one paint sheen everywhere are cutting corners on materials logistics, not doing you a favor. House painters in Central Iowa that pair color and finish thoughtfully deliver a paint job that reads like a designer walked the space with them.

Booking a painting company in Central Iowa should be simple: a walk-through, a written scope, a written price, a start date, and a warranty. Exterior painting demand peaks in the warmer, drier late-spring through early-fall windows across Iowa, so any painting company in Central Iowa worth hiring is often booked several weeks out during peak exterior painting season. Interior painting flexes year-round, and cabinet painting we can usually schedule with less lead time. Request an estimate above and we will be out with a written scope you can compare against every other bid on your desk.