How Much Do You Charge Per Square Foot to Paint
Interior painting costs $600-$1,000, on average.The cost to paint a house's interior will depend on several factors, including the type of paint you use, how many rooms you have and more. Because of all these factors, expect to pay anywhere from $200-$300 on the low end and$2,938-$3,920 on the high end.
Interior painting cost:
| National average cost | $800 |
| Average cost range | $600-$1,000 |
| Low-end cost | $200-$300 |
| High-end cost | $2,938-$3,920 |
Painting your home's interior is an easy way to give it a fresh, new look without undergoing a major remodel or construction project. Whether you're thinking about painting your kitchen, bedroom or ceiling, read this cost guide first — you'll learn everything you need to know about the cost to paint a room and other interior spaces.
What's in this cost guide?
- Interior painting cost per square foot
- Interior painting cost calculator
- How much do painters charge?
- Cost to paint a room
- Cost to paint a ceiling
- How much does paint cost?
- Interior painting cost factors
- Prep work and repairs
- Interior paint finishes
- Painting details
- Travel fees
- Wall texture
- How to hire a painter
- How to save money on interior painting
- Find interior painters near you
Interior painting costs per square foot
Interior painting costs roughly $0.92-$3.43 per square foot. This cost estimate includes cleaning and preparing the surface, applying two coats of paint and adding a sealer.
Before a pro starts a painting project, they will first measure the area to be painted, minus the size of the doors and windows. They will will base the quote on the square feet measured. A 100-square-foot room takes roughy a third of the material needed for a 300-square-foot room, and so on.
Here's an example of some approximate baseline per-room interior painting costs for various sizes and ceiling heights, provided by professional painters at Macon Painting in Richardson, Texas:
| Room size and height | Ceiling height | Cost to paint room |
| 12x12 average room | 8 feet | $100 |
| 12x12 average room | 9 feet | $125 |
| 14x16 master bedroom | 8 feet | $125 |
| 14x16 master bedroom | 9 feet | $150 |
| 16x16 living room | 9 feet | $175 |
| 16x16 living room | 20 feet | $225+ |
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Interior painting cost calculator
To calculate how much your interior painting project will cost, first measure the square footage of the wall space and ceiling space that needs to be painted. This number indicates how many gallons of paint are needed and the approximate amount of time a project will take.
If your interior painter charges $0.92-$3.43 for jobs, here's how much you can expect to pay.
Cost to paint interior of a house:
| Total square footage | Estimated cost |
| 200 | $184-$686 |
| 350 | $322-$1,201 |
| 500 | $460-$1,578 |
| 750 | $690-$2,367 |
| 1,000 | $920-$3,156 |
| 1,500 | $1,380-$4,733 |
| 2,000 | $1,840-$6,311 |
| 2,500 | $2,300-$7,889 |
| 3,000 | $2,760-$9,467 |
| 3,500 | $3,220-$11,045 |
How much does it cost to hire a painter to paint a room?
The average cost to paint one room is $917 . Typically, the more rooms and square footage to be painted, the higher the overall cost.
| 1 room | $917 |
| 2 rooms | $1,223 |
| 3 rooms | $1,835 |
| 4 rooms | $2,447 |
| 5 rooms | $3,058 |
| 6 rooms | $3,669 |
| 7 rooms | $4,281 |
| 8+ rooms | $4,893 |
Also read: How to paint a room.
However, some painters will lower the overall cost per room as the number of rooms to be painted increases. For this reason, a house with many rooms might score a cheaper painting job than a house with fewer, larger rooms. So completely repainting the interiors of a whole house may be more affordable than repainting rooms one at a time over a longer period of time, depending on quality of materials used.
Again, an estimate from a pro will help you gauge the correct price range for your project.
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How much do painters charge?
On average, interior and exterior painters charge roughly$50-$60 an hour, on average, for their services. However, hourly rates can range from $25-$150 per hour. Here's a breakdown of how much it costs to hire a painter for different projects:
| Interior painting | Exterior painting | |
| Hourly rates | $50-$60 | $49-$60 |
| Fixed costs | $200-$3,920 | $375-$6,928 |
Cost to paint a ceiling
On average, painting a ceiling costs$0.75-$1.23 per square foot.But prices can fluctuate based on the size, amount of paint you need and the type of paint you choose.
How much does paint cost?
The average price for a gallon of paint falls between $20 and $50, with a standard-size room requiring two gallons of paint and a smaller (bathroom-size) room often sufficient with one gallon.
Gallons of higher quality paint, luxury brand paint, paint with more pigmentation and eco-friendly paint may all cost more to the painter and will affect the total cost of an interior job. The brand can also make a difference, so try looking outside of well-known companies like Behr, Benjamin Moore, and Sherwin Williams if you want to reduce the total cost of the project.
Interior painting cost factors
Now that you already know how square footage, the number of rooms, the amount of paint and overall scope of the project can impact costs, let's look at the other cost factors.
Prep and repair costs
Before you begin a painting project, your interior painter will assess your walls, trim and ceiling for necessary repairs. The more pre-work that's done, the better the end result will be. Prep work includes wall patching, sanding to repair previous poorly-layered paint jobs, door trim and baseboard caulking, spackling and more.
| Prep work | Estimated cost per square foot |
| Cleaning | $0.17-$0.36 |
| Sheetrock, drywall repair | $0.42-$0.71 |
| Light sanding | $0.16-$0.28 |
| Paint, varnish removal | $1.00-$1.82 |
| Burning off paint | $1.56-$2.05 |
If you can tell extensive prep work is needed prior to painting, ask the painter to charge a flat rate to include the pre-work needed for a fair price. Pros that charge using an hourly rate structure will be more expensive, as the prep work will add time to the overall project.
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Interior paint finishes
Once you have an idea of the square footage, you can factor in material type and cost into the overall painting estimate. Let's look at the different types of paint a pro can offer:
- Matte: Matte paint doesn't have a sheen finish, and includes a bit of texture up close. This material type is the most common and the most affordable, and is ideal for rooms that receive a good amount of direct sunlight. Unfortunately, matte paint shows damage and marks quite easily, so it's not the best for high-traffic areas of the home or playrooms.
- Matte Enamel:Matte enamel is less prone to markings and wear and tear, and gives off the same visual effect as regular matte.
- Eggshell:Eggshell gives off a subtle shine, but nothing incredibly noticeable. It's great for rooms with a softer light, where a bit of reflection is welcome.
- Semi Gloss: This material finishes hard, and can easily be cleaned – a perfect candidate for trim and molding.
- High Gloss: High gloss is stunning when done well. It reflects light, but at the same time reveals imperfections. Multiple coats are needed, and therefore the drying and project time will be longer. High-gloss paint often falls on the higher end of the price scale.
Interior and exterior paints contain different types of pigment. Those containing pigments that fade quicker are most often used for interior painting projects. Additionally, exterior paints need to be able to withstand harsh conditions, like rain, wind, and extreme temperatures. Because the exterior is an area with less traffic, exterior paint isn't as durable when it comes to scratches and scuffs, so it's best to stick to an interior material for indoor walls and ceilings.
Painting detail costs
Baseboards, casings, crown moldings, wainscotting, windows and rails all require extra time to be painted, which in turn will increase interior painting spend. Painters will charge for additional tape, contrast or matching paint, and materials needed to paint extra trim.
Macon Painting in Richardson, TX estimates the price of painting detail work:
- Baseboard and trim: $0.50/linear foot
- Doors: $20–$25
- Door jambs:$15
Last-minute jobs and travel
Some painters may charge more for particularly last-minute jobs, so try to plan ahead if possible. If the pro has to travel to you, cost of gas and other factors will all affect the cost of interior painting.
Wall textures
Textured walls require more paint for adequate coverage. Texturing may be pre-existing raised texture formed with joint compound, or clients can request new texture be applied by the painter through specialized painting techniques. Send a photo of the current wall to your painter for a more accurate estimate of what the pro will charge for work on wall texturing.
How to hire a painter
Follow these step to find and hire an interior painter
- Find local painters. Search for interior painters near you on Thumbtack.
- Ratings and reviews. Identify the painters with the highest ratings and read their customer reviews.
- Check out their online profiles to understand their specialities and experience.
- View photos of past painting projects they've completed so you can assess their quality and workmanship.
- Ask about licenses and credentials. Whether you hire an independent contractor or painting company, find out if the painters you're interested in are legally qualified in your state to take on your project.
- Get price quotes. Ask at least three painters for a cost estimates for your project.
For more advice on how to hire a painter, read our tips on how to hire a contractor guide, visit our Smart Hiring page.
Interior painters vs. painting contractors
Though these terms are often used interchangeably, they're quite different. Painting contractors carry general liability and workers compensation so in the case of an accident on the job, you are completely removed from risk. Contractors also tend to source and purchase all materials themselves, and work with a team to execute the project in a timely manner while maintaining a high level of quality.
Painters can also execute with speed and agility, but they typically don't carry the guards against risk that contractors do, and on average charge less for projects than contractors.
How to save money on interior painting
You can take care of some details beforehand so everything is ready when the painters arrive for the paint job. If painters have to do the prep work of removing electrical outlet covers and light fixtures throughout the interior, they'll likely charge that extra time to you. Move large furniture to the center of the room, and cover everything you don't want paint-splattered with a drop cloth.
Additionally, some painters may reduce the cost of the job if you provide materials they would otherwise have to, such as paint covers, brushes, floor/furniture coverings, and paint trays and rollers.
You also might be able to save on your painting contractor's labor cost by taking on some do-it-yourself work, such as doing a touch up on corners. Talk to your painter to see if there's any way you can pay less by making their job easier or faster.
And always start with an estimate. Getting estimates from multiple pros will equip you with the knowledge to confidently hire a pro and tackle an interior painting project.
Find interior painters near you
Video transcript: How much does it cost to paint a house?
"Jobs will range in cost for interior painting mainly in regards to what the interior design of the house is. What I've found dealing with clients is that they'll go get four estimates and the range from those four could be $2,000 - $3,000. They'll end up maybe going with the lower bid because that's in their budget.
They're not realizing that in that estimate, that contractor has bid it with the lowest quality paint, the lowest quality material .
I think it's important for contractors to specify how much material is, how much paint is, and how much labor is.
When you get an estimate from me, we're definitely not the lowest, but with that you're going to get the highest quality paint, highest quality material. Then if it's above budget, we can work from there. Just personally that's kind of what I want, and that's what I do.
So you can see the total cost breakdown and you can do the math to figure out our hourly rate."
Additional source: National Repair & Remodeling Estimator.
How Much Do You Charge Per Square Foot to Paint
Source: https://www.thumbtack.com/p/interior-painting-cost