How Much Does it Cost to Paint a House Interior?

When it is time to paint the interior of your house you are faced with whether you should hire a pro and let them do the work or just take the bull by the horns and do the work for yourself. There are big differences in the cost of painting with a pro and painting for yourself.

Average House Interior Painting Cost

Things to Know Before You Hire a Professional

If you believe that you want to hire a professional to paint the interior of your home, there are a few things you should know about choosing the right person for the job.

Painters Credentials

You need to check the person’s credentials and references.  Many states issue contractor licenses so check to see if the person has a state-issued license. Check with the BBB and see if any complaints have ever been filed against the person or company. 

Bonded and Insured

The person you hire should be bonded or insured. This is insurance for you if they were to damage something in your home then their bond or insurance will cover the cost of those damages.

Written Contracts

Ask to see a sample of their contract and see what things are covered. You want the contract to detail everything the painter is going to do. If they simply agree to do something verbally but do not put their agreement in writing you may not have legal recourses if they do not do the job properly.

The typical labor rate for painters runs between $2.00 to $6.00 per square foot of space.

Things That Increase the Labor Cost

• If the painter is required to move furniture or belongings, they may charge more per square foot
• If the painter has to work around furniture in the room, they may charge more
• If the paint you choose is extra thick or difficult to work with the cost may be inflated
• If your timeline is not flexible the cost may be more
• If you have high ceilings or vaulted ceilings the charge may be more
• If you have a large expanse of glass windows that will need to be taped off
• If there is a large amount of intricate trim that must be taped and protected
• If there is a lot of cabinetry to work around

Ask the Right Questions to Professionals

• What paint will you use? Do you charge less if I provide my own paint? Do you get to choose the finish you prefer, like semi-gloss or satin?
• What application methods do you use?
• Do I have to move all furniture or is that included in the cost?
• Do they provide a guarantee of satisfaction?
• Will they give a written estimate? 
• How long is the estimate good for? Some estimates are only good for a period of 30 days or less.

Labor Cost for Interior Painting

Labor rates are very hard to estimate because they change drastically from one location to another. The amount that people in New York City pay to have painting work done inside their homes will be drastically different than what people in Alabama might pay for the same work.

Average Costs for Professional Room Painting

Painting Your Own Interior House Spaces

You may decide to paint your own interior space. People have done this for many years, and most people get satisfactory results from their efforts. Just remember that painting is not a quick job. You have to prepare the room correctly, patiently wait for layers of paint to dry before painting over a section, and you have to use quality tools and paint.

How Much Paint do I Need?

In order to know exactly how much paint, you will need to paint a room you have to determine the square footage of the room. Yep, you are finally going to need some of that high school math that you swore you would never use.

Square and Rectangular Shaped Rooms

To determine square feet, you measure the length of the room and the width of the room then multiply length x width. This is pretty simple to do. If the room is 11 feet long and 9 feet wide then you multiply 11 x 9 = 99, if the room is 10 feet wide and 12 feet long multiply 10 x 12 = 120.

Odd Shaped Rooms like L-Shapes

You mentally divide the room so you will measure the room like it is two separate areas. Then you add the number of square feet that you get and that is the total number of square feet you will have.

Average Paint & Primer Costs by Room Size

Tips from the Pros for Interior House Painting

• When you buy paint remember that you should buy a little more than you need to cover waste and such 
• If you use an electric spray gun you will need a greater amount, possibly 33% more paint than if you use a roller and brush
• Always add 10 square feet to every room for miscalculations
• Semi-gloss paint is more durable and better if you have to clean
• Semi-gloss paint will retract more light and hide imperfections on the surface
• Buy primer and paint in 5-gallon containers when you are painting large areas and save money
• When you buy more than one gallon of base color paint you need to mix the gallons together to create a uniform color and consistency before you start to paint
• Do not try to put the paint on too thickly or it will take longer to dry and you will have more roller and brush marks

Is the More Expensive Paint Worth the Added Cost?

Paint is the biggest cost for the homeowner who is doing their own work. Most paint suitable for indoor painting will cost between $15 and $75 per gallon. A single gallon of paint will cover somewhere in the ballpark of 200 square feet to about 400 square feet. 

A typical room measuring 12’ x 15’ will require at least 1 ½ gallons of paint to properly cover the surface for one coat. If you need more than one coat of paint you will need more paint.

Primer costs less than paint, but you must include it in the cost of painting your home because you have to apply primer before you can apply wall color.

Primer cost about $15 per gallon and you can usually count on it to cover between 300 and 400 square foot of space. You normally need less primer than you do paint because you typically only put one coat of primer on whereas paint is usually two or more coats.

Let’s talk about paint quality. You are going to be tempted to buy the cheapest paint that you find. Sometimes these cheaper paints are half of the price of the other paints. Buyer beware! If you use cheap paint there is a good chance that you will have to use two or three coats to achieve the same effect that one coat of the more expensive paint. You may even wind up spending more money because you have to buy more paint, and you will definitely end up taking longer to do the work.

The real difference between the cheap versus higher-priced paints is going to rear its ugly head after the paint is dry. When you go to clean your walls, you are going to find out that walls covered in the cheaper substances are harder to clean and sometimes you wash the paint off when you try to get the dirt off.

Always use the higher quality paint. The more expensive paints are made with titanium in them. The titanium makes it possible for the paint to cover a larger area and still provide a uniform appearance. Higher quality paints last longer and you will not have to repaint as often.

3 Methods for Painting a House Interior

If you decide to do the painting work for yourself there are several different methods you can use to get the paint from the container and onto the surface area. Each of these application methods has benefits and drawbacks.

Using Brush and Roller

This is by far the cheapest method of painting your interior. The supplies cost very little, and the application method wastes the least amount of paint. 

Supplies You Will Need

• A paintbrush that is angled, a 2” is the best choice 
• A paint edger if you choose to use an edger to do the cutting in
• Painters’ tape to cover everything you do not want to paint
• A flat screwdriver to remove the covers from outlets and light switches
• Drop clots to cover the furniture and floor that you want to keep the paint off of
• A roller frame may be small in the 2” to 5” category for trim work and longer in the 9” to 12” category for large places like walls. A 9” is the most common size and is the easiest to handle when painting walls or ceilings.
• Roller covers
• Clean cloths
• Paint tray (liners for paint trays make clean-up easier)
• Bucket for mixing paint
• Stir sticks
• Primer
• Paint

Drawbacks of Brush and Roller Painting

• This method is slower
• You may get brush or roller marks on the paint

Paint Your House Interior with Electric Roller

The electric paint roller may be a single device that is electric or battery powered. They normally hold the paint on the handle of the unit. They are fabulous for helping you paint high ceilings or extra tall walls because you do not have to dip the roller in the paint and then lift it over your head to apply the paint. The paint is delivered to the roller through the center.

These are not extremely expensive and you can find some for less than $75 dollar.  If you have normal 8’ high ceilings then the benefits from an electric roller are greatly reduced and you might want to stick with the traditional roller and pole extension.

Drawbacks of Painting with an Electric Roller

• It can take some practice for you to learn to operate the roller effectively
• It requires more paint than a typical roller 
• Harder to clean than a typical roller

Paint Sprayer for Home Interior Walls

Spraying the paint on the walls and ceiling is the fastest way to apply the paint. You can cover a 10’ x 12’ wall in less than 10 minutes. The entire room can be painted in less than 45 minutes.

The drawback is the preparation, the taping and covering off everything you do not want the paint to get on is a lot slower. When paint comes out of the tip of the spray gun most of it goes to the surface you intend it to be on, but a portion of it floats through the air and lands on other surfaces. To stop this paint transfer you have to employ covers, drop cloths, tarps, tape and heavy cardboard.

If you do not own spray painting equipment you will want to look carefully at the devices. Some of them require you to operate an air compressor in conjunction with the paint gun. You also want to consider the time it takes to clean the equipment and to set up for the work.

In the long run, you will see that painting does take time, whether the time is invested in taping and covering items for protection or in actually applying the paint.

Drawbacks of Painting with a Spray Gun

• Uses up to 33% more paint
• It takes practice to get efficient at using these devices
• Takes longer to tape and cover the items in the room
• The spray gun equipment can be costly

Room by Room Interior Paint Cost Estimates

Interior House Painting Special Considerations

The cost of painting the inside of a home is affected by the special conditions inside each room. You will either have to work around some special features or use special brushes and applicators to paint the special features. These special features affect the cost of the materials, the cost of labor if you hire the work done, and the length of time it takes to complete the work.

Some things that are considered to be special challenges in a room are:

• Cabinets
• Trim
• Doors
• Window Casings
• Toilets
• Tubs
• Showers
• Shelves
• closets

Final Thoughts

You save a lot of money by painting your interior surfaces for yourself. You save a lot of time and effort by hiring a professional. The cost of painting is subjective and dependent on so many factors that you really have to do all of the calculations and then base the price on the availability of products, and the prices of products in your area.