When choosing between a repipe vs pipe lining, know that pipe lining coats the inside of your existing pipes with epoxy, while a repipe replaces them with new pipes. Lining isn't an option unless the old pipes are still in good shape structurally. For a typical 1,800 sq ft, 2-bathroom house, this site's estimate for a PEX repipe is about $6,400 to $11,800 and 2 to 3 days of work. Lining companies quote by the foot, so their prices can't be compared directly with a whole-house price.
How do lining and repiping differ?
With lining, your pipes stay where they are and get a coat of epoxy inside. A repipe installs new pipes, often PEX, a flexible plastic pipe that's usually red for hot water and blue for cold.
One lining company expects its lining to last 35 to 50 years, a little less than the 40 to 70 years it gives new pipe (NuFlow Midwest). Fuse Service gives PEX a life of 40 to 50 years.
If your pipes have collapsed or are badly corroded, lining can't save them, and they'll need replacing, as Reliant Plumbing explains.
Pipe lining cost
One lining company lists lining at $80 to $250 per foot and pipe replacement at $4 to $15 per foot, before wall, yard, or slab repairs (NuFlow Midwest). Those repairs can add a lot to the cost of replacing pipe. Per-foot prices don't tell you the cost for a whole house, so a fixed price after a company sees your home is the best guide.
Ask for quotes that spell out those repair costs.
A whole-house repipe is usually quoted by how big the house is and how many bathrooms it has. This site's estimates below assume average US plumber pay and a one-story PEX home over a crawl space, the open area beneath the house's raised floor.
| House size | Bathrooms | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1,200 sq ft | 1 | About $4,100 to $7,700 total |
| 1,800 sq ft | 2 | About $6,400 to $11,800 total |
| 2,400 sq ft | 3 | About $7,500 to $14,400 total |
| 3,200 sq ft | 4 or more | About $10,600 to $21,200 total |
Drywall patching is often billed separately after a repipe, at $300 to $1,500, per a national guide.
How does epoxy pipe lining work?
The steps go one after another: a camera inspection, then cleaning, then the lining, then curing, then one last inspection. The camera goes in first to see if the pipe can even be lined. After that, the pipe gets cleaned before any epoxy goes in.
From inside the old pipe, the epoxy resin closes up pinholes and corrosion.
For drinking water, the epoxy needs NSF/ANSI 61 approval. One manufacturer says its coating meets this standard even in pipe as small as 1/2 inch (NuFlow).
Questions to ask before choosing lining or a repipe
One repipe company points out that lining is usually treated as a repair (Sage Water). That can mean the permit, and the lead and asbestos testing needed in homes built before 1978, may be skipped. So it's worth asking about both. Sage Water, a repipe company, says the EPA requires lead and asbestos testing before walls are disturbed in homes built before 1978.
So get proof of NSF certification for the liner. And if your house was built before 1978, ask whether testing will happen.
What your pipes are made of counts too. The pipe identifier on this site can tell you what you have from the pipe's color and how it feels.
What changes a repipe price?
Material, foundation, number of floors, and your state all shift the cost. These are this site's estimates for an 1,800 sq ft house with 2 bathrooms.
| Change | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Copper instead of PEX | About $9,400 to $18,800 |
| CPVC instead of PEX | About $7,400 to $12,800 |
| House on a slab | About $8,300 to $16,300 |
| Two floors | About $7,000 to $13,200 |
CPVC is stiff plastic pipe in a cream or tan color. A slab means a concrete floor poured right on the ground, with the pipes underneath or inside it.
Plumber pay matters too.
| State | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Florida | About $5,400 to $9,900 |
| Texas | About $5,700 to $10,500 |
| California | About $7,000 to $13,000 |
| Washington | About $7,400 to $13,700 |
Questions we hear often
Is a repipe priced by bedrooms?
No. Repipe pricing doesn't use bedrooms. A home with 3 bedrooms typically comes with 2 bathrooms, and at 1,800 sq ft in PEX that's about $6,400 to $11,800.
What do sewer and water lines cost?
An open-trench sewer job of 60 feet runs about $3,700 to $15,500. Lining the same pipe falls in the range of about $5,500 to $15,500, while pipe bursting lands nearer $3,700 to $12,500, with a camera inspection folded into each of those prices.
A 50-foot water line in a trench costs about $2,700 to $8,000. Going trenchless runs about $3,900 to $8,000.
Who can look at my pipes?
Call our line and we'll connect you, at no charge, with a repipe company that works in your area. It will look at your house and give you a fixed price. (Ask whether it also offers lining.)