House Painting in Karachi | Labour Rs 15

Painting looks like the simplest renovation job, which is why it is the one most often done badly. The paint itself is rarely the problem. The problem is what did not happen before it: walls not scraped, seepage not treated, one coat stretched where two were promised, and putty so thin the old colour grins through by winter.

Published Karachi rates give you a yardstick. Painter labour in Karachi runs about Rs 15–25 per square foot for two coats on prepared walls. All-in — material plus labour — standard paint lands around Rs 40–80 per square foot, and premium finishes Rs 100–200. A full interior repaint of a 5 Marla house typically totals Rs 2.1–3.4 lakh; a 10 Marla house Rs 3.5–5.6 lakh. If a quote lands far below these bands, the saving is coming from somewhere — usually the coats, the prep, or the paint itself.

Prep: the 70% of painting nobody sees

A paint job is decided before the first tin opens. Scraping loose paint, filling cracks, treating damp and seepage at the source, applying wall putty where the surface needs it, and priming — this is the work that decides whether your walls look good in three years or three months. In Karachi's coastal air, salt (the white efflorescence that blooms on walls in Clifton, DHA and PECHS) has to be treated, not painted over, or it will push the new paint off from behind.

Our painting BOQs list prep as its own lines — scraping, putty, primer, coats — so you can see what you are paying for and check it stage by stage. The stage photos show your walls after prep, before colour goes on. That is the photograph painters who skip prep will never send you.

Painter applying paint to an interior wall with a bucket beside him — Two coats on a properly prepared wall — the published Karachi labour rate of Rs 15–25 per sq ft assumes exactly this. (Illustrative image)

Textures and feature walls

A single texture wall can do more for a drawing room than a whole house of flat colour. Published Karachi texture rates (material plus labour, indicative) run: Rockwall about Rs 60–120 per sq ft, velvet texture Rs 80–150, limewash Rs 120–250, stucco Rs 150–300 and microcement Rs 350–700. Textures are priced per wall, not per house — pick the wall the room faces, usually the TV or sofa wall, and keep the rest calm.

Two honest cautions. First, heavy textures in a rental flat are money you will not recover; save them for your own home. Second, dark colours in small Karachi flats with limited light shrink rooms visually — we will show you the shade on a sample patch, in your room's light, before the whole wall is committed.

Interior painting: standard all-in Rs 40–80 per sq ft (material + labour)
Exterior painting with weather-resistant coatings for coastal air
Texture finishes: Rockwall, velvet, limewash, stucco, microcement
Damp and salt treatment before painting — quoted as visible BOQ lines
Ceiling, doors, grills and wood polish as add-on lines, priced openly

Small dining room with freshly painted walls in a renovated flat — A fresh, light palette in a small flat — sample patches are approved in the room's own light before full coats. (Illustrative image)

Exterior painting in a coastal city

Karachi exteriors take a beating: salt air, brutal sun and monsoon rain driving sideways. Exterior jobs fail early when the coating is an interior paint in disguise or when cracks are bridged with paint instead of being filled and sealed. For buildings, the work often needs rope access or scaffolding — our painters work both — and society permissions for exterior work in DHA and Bahria need lining up before the team arrives.

For houses, the exterior is also your first line of waterproofing defence. Hairline cracks filled and sealed during painting stop the monsoon finding its way to your interior walls, which is why we always recommend pairing an exterior repaint with a crack and parapet inspection. It is far cheaper than repairing interior damp damage later.

Bituminous waterproofing membrane on a flat roof — Roof and parapet sealing is the exterior paint job's first line of defence. (Illustrative image)

How a painting job runs with us

Send us photos and rough room sizes on WhatsApp and we will give you a planning range from the published rates. Then a site visit to measure properly, check damp and agree colours with sample patches. The BOQ fixes the per-square-foot rate, the paint brand and the number of coats. Payment follows stages: prep complete, first coat, final coat and touch-ups after your walk-through.

A flat's interior usually takes 5–10 days; a house 2–3 weeks including exterior. Furniture is masked and shifted room by room so you can keep living in the house — painting is the one renovation most families stay through, and our schedule is built around that.

Freshly finished living room with new paint and lighting — The handover walk-through checks every wall in daylight before the final coat is signed off. (Illustrative image)

Choosing colours that survive Karachi light

Karachi light is harsh, bright and warm for most of the year, and it treats colours unkindly: shades that look soft grey in a showroom read blue in a south-facing Clifton room, and warm creams can turn yellow by afternoon. The defence is boring and effective — sample patches on your own walls, checked in morning and evening light, before any full wall is committed. Our BOQs include sample patches as part of the job for exactly this reason.

Practical rules that save repaint regrets: keep ceilings a clean white to hold the light; in small flats, run one light colour through connected rooms so the home reads bigger; save saturated colours for a single wall or a single room you can close a door on; and in rental properties, choose washable mid-tone finishes that survive tenants and touch up invisibly. Karachi's dust load is real — finishes that can be wiped without marking are worth their small premium in family homes.

Interior and exterior are different products

Interior and exterior paints are different chemical products sold in similar-looking tins, and using one in place of the other is a classic quiet saving. Exterior systems are built for UV, driving rain and salt; interior systems for washability and finish. Premium all-in painting (Rs 100–200 per sq ft) buys the top product lines of each, applied as full systems with their matched primers — not a single expensive coat over a cheap base.

Bathrooms and kitchens need their own specification again: steam and grease destroy standard interior paint within a couple of years, which is why those rooms get moisture-resistant systems in our BOQs, named as separate lines. When a quote prices 'whole house, one paint', it is telling you the bathrooms will peel — in writing, if you read it closely enough.

Bathroom finished with moisture-resistant surfaces and fittings — Bathrooms and kitchens get moisture-resistant systems — standard interior paint peels in steam within a couple of years. (Illustrative image)

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost to paint a house in Karachi?

Painter labour in Karachi runs about Rs 15–25 per sq ft for two coats on prepared walls. All-in with material, standard paint is roughly Rs 40–80 per sq ft and premium finishes Rs 100–200. As totals: repainting a 5 Marla house interior typically runs Rs 2.1–3.4 lakh, and a 10 Marla interior Rs 3.5–5.6 lakh. Your BOQ fixes the exact rate after measurement.

Why do quotes for the same house vary so much?

Because 'painting' hides different amounts of work. One quote includes scraping, putty, primer and two coats of a named brand; another is one stretched coat of a cheaper paint with no prep. Compare the BOQ lines, not the totals — if prep and primer are not written down, they are not in the price, and your walls will show it within a year.

Can you paint over damp walls?

We can, but we will not recommend it — paint over active damp fails, every time. The sequence has to be: find the source (a leaking pipe, a parapet crack, rising damp), repair it, let the wall dry, treat the salts, then prime and paint. It adds days, not months, and it is the difference between a repaint and a recurring expense.

Which paint brands do you use?

The brand named in your BOQ, chosen with you from the ranges Karachi dealers stock widely — the major local manufacturers all publish shade cards we can sample from. What matters more than the badge is using the right product line (interior vs exterior vs bathroom) and the full system: primer plus two coats, not one coat of the expensive tin.

How long does painting a flat take?

A typical 3-bed flat interior takes 5–10 working days including prep, two coats and touch-ups. Exterior work on a house adds days depending on access and crack repair. The stage plan in your BOQ gives the schedule, and families usually stay in the home while we work room by room.

What is a texture wall, and what does it cost?

A texture finish gives one wall a stone, velvet, washed or concrete effect instead of flat colour. Published Karachi rates (material plus labour) run roughly: Rockwall Rs 60–120 per sq ft, velvet Rs 80–150, limewash Rs 120–250, stucco Rs 150–300 and microcement Rs 350–700. Most owners texture a single feature wall — the TV or sofa wall — and keep the other walls plain.

Do you move and protect furniture?

Yes. Furniture is shifted and masked room by room, floors are sheeted, and switch plates and fittings are taped before work starts. At handover we walk the rooms with you for touch-ups. It sounds basic, but paint on a sofa or switch plate is the most common complaint about budget painters — the BOQ includes protection as part of the job, not a favour.

Painting Services in Karachi