Best painters in Perth CBD and inner suburbs (2026)
Table of Contents
These are the best-rated painters working Perth CBD and the inner suburbs, from the city apartments and East Perth across through Mount Lawley, North Perth, Leederville and Subiaco, and over the river to South Perth, Como, Victoria Park and Rivervale. They’re ranked on real Google reviews, not on who paid us. Every one has a confirmed base in the inner ring, so it’s a genuine top ten, not a list padded out with metro drop-ins that pin to the middle of the map. Below you’ll find what a paint job actually costs close to the city in 2026, the red flags that tell you to keep your wallet shut, and a quick checklist to run before you let anyone near your walls.
Featured painters
These spots are for Perth CBD and inner-suburb painters who want to stand out on this page. None are taken yet, so the full review-ranked list is right below. That ranking is earned off Google reviews and never for sale. Are you a local painter? Featured spots start at $50 a year.
Get a Featured spot ▸How we ranked these
- Google reviews do the ranking. We start with every painter’s live Google star rating and the number of reviews behind it, pulled fresh from Google Maps.
- Rating, weighted by volume. A 5.0 from a couple of jobs isn’t proof yet, so we weight the score by review count. A proven 5.0 from dozens of customers isn’t beaten by a 5.0 from a handful, and it’s why an established 4.9 can sit above a thin 5.0.
- Local operators only. Every painter here has a confirmed base in the inner ring, from Perth CBD, East Perth and North Perth through Wembley, Nedlands and Welshpool to South Perth, Como, Manning and Rivervale. We checked each one’s Google address or map pin. Inner Perth is thick with painters who list a service area and pin to the middle of the metro with no real address, so where we couldn’t confirm a business is actually based around the city, we left them off rather than guess.
- Paid spots are labelled, and never jump the queue. When a business pays for a “Featured” spot it’s marked as such. The review-based order below does not change to favour a payer. Right now, no spots are sold.
Pegasus Painting & Decorating
A flawless 5.0 held across 76 reviews is the top result in the inner ring, and keeping a perfect score at that kind of volume takes consistently tidy work over a lot of jobs. Based on the inner-east edge at Welshpool, so they’re well placed across Victoria Park, Carlisle, East Perth and into the city. The safest first call for a home repaint close to town.
View listing & contact ▸Perth Professional Painters
A 4.9 across 105 reviews is the deepest track record on this page, run out of the CBD on St Georges Terrace. That is a serious body of happy customers built over years, which is about as strong a signal as you’ll find in home painting. A dependable pick for city apartments, East and West Perth and right through the inner suburbs.
View listing & contact ▸PAINT FORCE 1
A 5.0 across 65 reviews, based at Wembley on the inner-west side. A strong, established operator with a big body of consistent feedback, handy across Leederville, West Leederville, Subiaco and West Perth as well as the character homes around Floreat and Jolimont. A reliable choice whether you’re refreshing a whole home or painting to sell.
View listing & contact ▸What a paint job actually costs around inner Perth (2026)
Nobody likes ringing a painter blind on price. These are honest Perth metro ballpark ranges for the common jobs, GST included. They’re a guide to keep you from being overcharged, not a quote. Close to the city the numbers can run a touch higher, since parking, access on tight inner blocks and heritage or character work all add time. Painting price swings hugely on prep and coats, so the number that matters is not the day rate, it’s what’s written on the quote.
| Job | Typical metro range | What pushes it up |
|---|---|---|
| Painter day rate (per painter) | $350-$500/day | Specialist finishes, heritage work, height |
| Single interior room repaint (walls) | $350-$700 | High or ornate ceilings, dark-to-light change, heavy prep |
| Apartment / unit interior repaint (1-2 bed) | $1,800-$4,000 | Lift access, strata rules, feature colours, tight timeframes |
| Whole 3-4 bed interior (walls, ceilings, doors) | $4,000-$9,000 | Number of coats, feature colours, cornices and trims |
| Ceilings only (per room) | $150-$350 | Water stains, decorative or ornate ceilings, sealing |
| Doors, skirting & trims (per door + surrounds) | $80-$180 | Gloss enamel over old oil-based paint, sanding back |
| Exterior repaint, single-storey | $4,000-$8,000 | Weatherboard vs render, prep, access |
| Exterior repaint, double-storey | $8,000-$16,000+ | Scaffolding, height, eaves and soffits |
| Character / heritage home exterior | $8,000-$20,000+ | Lead-paint scraping, timber and render repairs, heritage prep |
| Render or texture coat | $30-$55/m² | Surface prep, membrane or elastomeric coatings |
Two topcoats over a primer or undercoat is the standard for a finish that lasts; a single “colour over” is cheaper but rarely goes the distance. The inner ring is heavy with character housing. Mount Lawley, Highgate, Menora, North Perth, Subiaco, Nedlands and South Perth are full of Federation and interwar homes, and anything built before about 1970 can carry lead-based paint, which needs careful scraping and containment rather than a dry sand. Several inner councils (Vincent, Subiaco, South Perth) also have heritage or character-area rules, so on a listed street even the exterior colour can need approval. Closer to the river and the city you also get a lot of apartments and strata, where painting balconies, common property or render brings lift access, scaffolding and body-corporate scope into it. Painting is not a licensed trade in WA, so a detailed written quote and current insurance matter more here, not less (see the checklist below).
Don’t get ripped off: red flags
- No written quote naming the paint and the number of coats. “We’ll give it two coats” said out loud is not a spec. Get the product, sheen and coats in writing, or you have no way to prove what you paid for.
- No prep line on the quote. Washing, sanding, filling, gap-sealing and masking are most of a good paint job. On an older Mount Lawley or Subiaco home that also means dealing with flaking and lead-safe scraping. If the quote is all “paint” and no “prep”, the finish will flake and peel inside a year or two.
- Dry-sanding old paint on a pre-1970 character home. Homes around Highgate, North Perth, Nedlands and South Perth can carry lead paint, and dry-sanding it spreads toxic dust through your yard and home. A proper painter wet-scrapes, contains and cleans up. If they wave that off, walk.
- No mention of heritage or strata rules where they apply. On a character-listed street the exterior colour scheme can need council sign-off, and in a strata block the scope and colours run through the body corporate. A painter who has worked the inner suburbs will raise this. One who shrugs it off can land you with a repaint.
- Big cash deposit up front, no ABN, no receipt. A modest deposit for materials is normal. Handing over half the job in cash with no paperwork means no warranty and no comeback.
- A verbal price that looks too cheap, then creeps. Lowball quotes get “recovered” with extra-coat and prep add-ons once the job’s started and your old colour is half stripped.
- No public liability insurance. Overspray and splatter on your roof, paving, windows, the neighbouring apartment or a shared driveway is your problem if they’re not insured. Ask to see the certificate.
Before you hire: quick checklist
- Written quote. Itemised and in writing, naming the paint brand and product, the sheen, and the number of coats, with prep included. Do this before work starts.
- Insurance. Ask for current public liability cover and sight the certificate. It protects your home, and the neighbours, from overspray, splatter and accidents.
- Prep, spelled out. Confirm exactly what’s included: sugar-soaping or washing, sanding, filling, gap-sealing, undercoat and masking. On an older home, ask specifically how they handle flaking and any lead paint. Prep is where a paint job is won or lost.
- Heritage or strata, checked early. If your street has a character or heritage listing, or you’re in a strata block, confirm who handles colour approvals and body-corporate scope before a brush is lifted.
- Coats. Two topcoats over an undercoat is the standard for a durable finish. One “colour over” is not, no matter how good the paint.
- Recent reviews. Look for recent, specific reviews, ideally with before-and-after photos of local jobs. A steady stream beats one old burst.
Frequently asked
How did you rank these painters?
By their live Google star rating and the number of reviews behind it, pulled from Google Maps. We weight the rating by review volume so a proven 5.0 from dozens of customers isn’t leapfrogged by a 5.0 from a handful. We also checked each business is genuinely based in Perth CBD or the inner ring, so metro-wide operators that pin to the middle of the map with no confirmable local base aren’t padding the list.
Which suburbs does this cover?
Perth CBD and the inner ring on both sides of the river: Perth, East Perth, West Perth, Northbridge, Highgate, Mount Lawley, North Perth, Leederville, Mount Hawthorn, Wembley, Subiaco, Nedlands and Crawley, and over the river through South Perth, Como, Manning, Kensington, Victoria Park, Burswood, Rivervale and Welshpool. Every painter on the list has a confirmed base in that catchment.
Are these paid placements?
No. This list is ordered on Google review data. Businesses can pay for a “Featured” spot at the top, which is clearly labelled, but paying never changes the review-based order below. As of this update, no spots are sold.
Do painters need a licence in WA?
No. House painting is not a licensed trade in Western Australia, unlike electrical or plumbing work, so there’s no “painter’s licence” to check. That’s exactly why Google reviews, public liability insurance and a detailed written quote matter so much here. For larger building jobs (generally over $20,000 in value) a registered builder can come into play, but a standard domestic repaint doesn’t require a licence.
My place is a character home, does that change things?
Yes, and it’s very common across the inner suburbs. Homes built before about 1970, and there are plenty around Mount Lawley, Highgate, North Perth, Subiaco, Nedlands and South Perth, can carry lead-based paint, which must be scraped and contained safely rather than dry-sanded. Older timber and render also need more prep and repair than modern brick. On heritage or character-listed streets the exterior colours can need council approval too. Ask any painter directly how they handle lead paint and heritage rules, and make sure it’s written into the quote.
What about an apartment or a strata block?
Interior repaints inside your own apartment are straightforward, though lift access and building rules can add time. Anything touching common property, balconies, render or the outside of the building runs through the body corporate, which sets the scope and often the colours. Use a painter who has done strata work and will deal with the body corporate, and get the scope in writing before they start.
How much does it cost to paint a house in Perth?
As a rough 2026 metro guide: a whole-house interior repaint on a 3-4 bed runs about $4,000 to $9,000, a city apartment interior about $1,800 to $4,000, and a single-storey exterior about $4,000 to $8,000. Older character homes with timber, render and lead-paint prep sit higher. It swings on prep, the number of coats, feature colours and access. Always get it priced in writing before work starts.
How often is this page updated?
Monthly. Ratings and review counts move, new painters earn their spot, and we re-pull the data so the list stays honest and current.
Are you a painter in Perth or the inner suburbs?
Get in front of homeowners who are ready to hire. Claim your free listing, or ask about a Featured spot on this page.
Get featured ▸ Claim your free listingRankings based on Google review data collected 24 July 2026. Ratings change, we re-check monthly. Blue Collar Business · Western Australia’s Trades & Home Services Directory.