How Much Does It Cost to Paint Interior Walls
November 30, 2021
Reviewed by Robert Tschudi, Expert Home Building and Remodeling Contributor.
Written by HomeAdvisor.
Cost to Paint Interior of House
For an entire 2,300 square foot home, expect to pay between $4,000 and $11,000. For a single room, you'll spend anywhere from $200 to $1,000.
Painting a home interior or room costs $2 to $6 per square foot with most jobs averaging $3.50 per square foot. Total painting project costs range between $952 and $2,902 with a national average of $1,904.
Cost data is based on actual project costs as reported by 51,761 HomeAdvisor members in .
Interior Painting Cost Per Square Foot
| Home Square Foot | Average Total Price Range |
|---|---|
| 800 | $500 - $3,500 |
| 1,000 | $700 - $3,900 |
| 1,200 | $900 - $4,500 |
| 1,300 | $1,000 - $4,800 |
| 1,500 | $1,200 - $5,400 |
| 1,600 | $1,300 - $6,000 |
| 2,300 | $1,900 - $7,800 |
| 2,500 | $2,000 - $9,000 |
| 3,000 | $2,700 - $10,000 |
Apartment
Painting an apartment costs $1,000 to $2,900 for 950 square feet. If you own the apartment, all the costs fall to you. However, if you're a renter, the landlord or owner might pick up some, or all, of the tab. Always talk to them first before picking up a brush or hiring a pro.
Condo
Painting a condo runs $1,200 to $3,600 for the average 1,200 square foot unit. Always check with your HOA for any rules governing color choices.
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Cost to Paint a Room
The cost to paint an average ten-by-twelve-foot room ranges from $200 to $800. DIY, this can cost between $100 to $300.
When estimating the cost, painters start by finding the coverage area which tells them how many gallons they'll need. They find the area with a few simple steps:
- Find the area of the walls. Add together the length of all walls in the room.
- Multiply that by the height of the room.
- Subtract the area of all windows, doors and cabinets. Use the same length times width method. These are all unpaintable areas.
- Determine if ceilings, trim and baseboards are part of the project. If so, add these using the same method for area.
- This is your surface area number. Contractors often add a small percentage back into this final number to account for extras like detail work, patching and overage.
"Many homeowners will offer to buy the paint for the professional painter, thinking that they will save money," says Bob Tschudi, home building and remodeling contractor. "But painters usually get significant discounts from their suppliers, and often pass some of that savings on to you."
Labor Cost to Paint a Room
Labor costs $170 to $680 to paint a room professionally. However, there are multiple ways in which your professional finds that project figure: per square foot of coverage, per square foot of floor space, or hourly.
- Per square foot of coverage area: $2–$6 per square foot for labor and materials. Or labor alone at $1.50–$4 per square foot. This method dominates the industry for bidding projects. It's more consistent and accurate.
- Per square foot of floor space: $5–$10 per square foot. This represents floor space as detailed on a blueprint or floor plan. Though rare, they may use this method to quickly estimate your project price. If you have unique architecture or features, like floor-to-ceiling windows, ask for an hourly or coverage area quote.
- Per hour pricing: $20–$50 per hour. Some charge $75 or more. Labor accounts for about 75% to 85% of your total bill. Most painters charge by area, not hourly.
Average Cost to Paint a Room By Square Footage
| Room Dimensions | Total Average Painting Cost |
|---|---|
| 12x12 | $400 - $900 |
| 10x10 | $200 - $600 |
| 10x12 | $300 - $750 |
| 20x20 | $800 - $2,400 |
Average Cost to Paint a Home Interior by Room Type
| Room | Average Cost | Square Feet |
|---|---|---|
| Bedroom | $300 - $750 | 120 |
| Bathroom | $150 - $350 | 70 |
| Living Room | $900 - $2,000 | 330 |
| Kitchen | $300 - $750 | 160 |
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Cost to Paint Interior Walls
A single wall runs as little as $100. However, most professionals have a minimum project price, typically around $250 to $500.
Accent Walls
Accent walls often cost 20% to 30% more than other types. This is due mostly to the color change. Specialty work gets more expensive. Murals and trompe l'oeils cost $800 to $1,850.
Which wall should you paint? Choose a wall with maximum focal point potential. Follow your eyes:
- Living room: Where the fireplace or the TV is situated
- Bedroom: The wall that your bed sits against
- Wall art: Complement or showcase a collection or piece of art or furniture you'd like to highlight
- Open or close a room: Like adding an accent wall on one end of a narrow hallway to provide a lengthening effect.
Home Interior Painting Cost Factors
Painting your entire home costs anywhere from $1,000 to $11,000. Ranges are due mainly to the size of your home, but other cost factors come into play. A few of those include:
- Surface repair or prep. Most painters will repair dents or holes in drywall, or apply a prime coat or stain blocker. If you ask them to do it as part of the paint job, the quote usually will include this extra work.
- Quality of paint. While a gallon runs $20-$30, you can get a designer brand for $100+. The average home needs about 6 gallons per coat. At two coats, that's a cost difference of almost $1,000.
- Regional pricing. Expect to pay far more in areas with a high cost of living, like New York, Denver or San Francisco. Pros charge more to cover higher overhead and wages.
- Different Colors. Changing colors between rooms tends to cost more in materials since you'll have higher waste. Choose the same color throughout to save money.
- Gloss vs. Matte. You'll spend about $2 per gallon more per level of gloss. The glossier the paint, the higher the cost. However, this won't affect the final price by much.
Painting Materials & Supplies
Paint supplies cost anywhere from $10 to $100 or more depending on what you need. Painters will typically provide most of the supplies for a project, but sometimes they will allow you to pay solely for labor if you provide all the materials yourself. You might decide to do a DIY paint job down the road, in which case having these supplies on-hand will save you time and money.
- Brushes: $3–$20 each. Trim and sash brushes for intricate work, beaver-tail handles on larger brushes for larger surfaces.
- Tape: $3–$10 per roll. Standard painter's tape to protect trim and ceilings from droplets. Most experienced pros rarely use it but a DIYer will probably need it.
- Drop cloth: $5–$30 each. To protect floors and furniture from drips.
- Tray: $2–$5 each. To keep out only a portion of paint rather than drying out an entire gallon.
- Rollers: $10–$100. A quick way to cover a large portion of a wall.
- Ladder: Necessary for reaching high areas (don't use a chair!).
- Painting kits: $10–$20 each. These include trays, brushes and roller heads.
Textured Walls
Textured walls increase the price of painting by up to 50%. The price increase comes from the added surface area. A couple notes to remember:
- The texture adds more surface area, even though it doesn't increase square footage. Where a can of paint covers 400 square feet of smooth wall, you might only get 250 square feet on a textured wall.
- Factor additional surface area into your square footage calculations when seeking professional estimates.
Primer
Some projects require a primer, which will cost anywhere from $10 to $20 per can.
Some things to remember:
- It helps with both adhesion for a long lifespan and to prep dark walls for lighter colors.
- Most brands offer a "paint plus primer" in a single can. These generally cover less square footage. They're good for touch ups and small areas.
- Get a stain blocker variety for water damage or mold stains.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
A handy homeowner can buy paint and equipment for about $200 to $300. Don't forget to factor in the time it will take you to do this yourself. Depending on the size of the room and how much help you have, this could take a few hours or a few days.
"When buying paint, compare the prices of the 1-gallon cans with the 5-gallon buckets," says Bob Tschudi, general contractor. "In some cases, the savings for the larger container is significant."
FAQs
How much paint do I need for my home interior?
To determine how much paint you need, measure your coverage area by taking wall length times its height and subtracting any windows, doors or other unpaintable areas.
Use our painting calculator to determine square footage per gallon measurements.
How much do interior painters charge per hour?
Painters charge $20 to $50 an hour on average. However, they typically don't work for an hourly rate, opting instead to charge by the project or square foot.
How long does it take to paint a room?
It'll take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours to paint a single room. It depends heavily on the experience of the person doing the job. Pros can get it done in a few hours while a DIYer will likely take 2 to 3 times as long.
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How Much Does It Cost to Paint Interior Walls
Source: https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/painting/paint-a-home-interior/