There are some calculations you can do to help you determine how much it will cost to paint a room. Every room is different, and every contractor has a different way of finding out what they will quote you to paint a room. Because of that, prices can have quite a difference between various quotes. As a professional painter, I will help you calculate the cost of painting different rooms.
The first thing all contractors need to know is how long the job will take. A normal size room should take 1 day unless there is a lot of preparation and repairs. The rooms that we will discuss in this article will be bedrooms, hallways, large living rooms, and dining rooms.
So let’s dive in and get an idea of what you may be handing out cash to paint your room. The first of the rooms to be discussed will be Bedrooms. There are bedrooms of various sizes and there may be paintable windows and there may be multiple door closets, there may be decorative trim, there may be vaulted ceilings. Let’s start with a basic 12 foot by 12 foot room, the prices we will discuss here can go up to 15 feet by 15 feet, then we will add to the quote any extras that may increase the price.
The basic room takes 1 day to paint. Now, how much should a painting contractor be paid for 1 day of work and what variables can cause the price to go up or down just for the basic room? Where you live will determine what a contractor may need during a workday. Let’s say we are in New York City, then obviously the cost will be higher. At the low end we will say $ 200 for a day’s work and at the top end $ 500 for a day’s work. Most people fit between 300 and 400 a day for labor. However, this is only an indicator. Let’s make a quote.
And boys and girls, let’s go and empty the room, you will pay a little more if you have to move a lot; however, you will not know that you did it, because the quote will not specify a cost to move things. Please be respectful and gather all the little things and small furniture like nightstands and take them out of the room. Remove curtains and window frames.
Paint costs are around $ 30 to $ 50 a gallon.
12 x 15 ft bedroom
This room has a couple of nail pops and two small cracks that need to be repaired (this is average and doesn’t really affect the price)
Two-hand painted walls
Two-hand painted ceiling
Trim, baseboards, 1 entry door and two closet doors, two two-coat painted windows
The paint for this room will be
1 gallon of roof paint
3 gallons of wall paint
1 gallon of trim paint
Paint $ 40 a gallon
Labor cost ………. $ 350
Material cost ……. $ 160
Total …………… $ 550
Now let’s add variables that add to the cost
If you live in a prosperous area, add $ 100 to $ 200 to the cost.
If there is a lot more in repairs, add $ 100 to $ 300 more.
If there is wallpaper to remove add 300 dollars
If that wallpaper is hard to remove and makes the wall dirty, add another $ 100 (a word on the wallpaper. If you try to remove the wallpaper yourself if it doesn’t come off without damage, please do so
If you don’t stop NOW sooner, it will cost you dearly, especially if your walls will need a thin coat to fix!)
If there are crown molding, add $ 50 to $ 100 depending on the type of crown (such as dental molding).
If there is a chair rail, add $ 50.
If there are other accent moldings add $ 100 to $ 500 (this is very rare)
If you want to use two different colors on your walls, such as an accent wall or one color on top of a chair rail and another underneath, add $ 50 plus the cost of another gallon of paint.
If you are using bold colors, add $ 50; They can be difficult to work with and may require additional coats.
If you have windows that have crosses that need to be painted, add $ 25 per window.
Add $ 25 per door for additional doors.
Add $ 15 for additional windows and if they have the crosses add $ 25 more
If you have a closet, add $ 100 to $ 500 (depends on the closet; walk-in closets can be tricky)
Add 100 to 500 for a living room.
Add $ 25 per pillar if there are pillars.
Add $ 50 to $ 100 for chauffeured, vaulted or tray ceilings.
Now let’s add variables that can subtract from the cost
Reapply the same color coat to freshen up as long as the walls are not too bad so only 1 coat is needed, minus 50 bucks (the hard part is the installation, a second coat is easy to do when done all set. It is possible you can reduce a gallon of paint
so minus $ 40 more.)
A whole color, ceiling and walls – less 50 dollars
No trim and doors or windows – less $ 50
Homeless – Less than $ 50
I think by now you should be able to get a good idea of how much it will cost to paint a room with the above calculations. Make sure you get at least three quotes and don’t go for the lowest price.
Now I’m going to recite some prices for other rooms.
A dining room, just like a bedroom
A hallway, much like a bedroom, the variables here are the addition of stairs, hallways, coat cabinets, ceiling height, trim, repairs, windows, doors
A high focus: 800 to 1500
A great room: 600 to 1,500 and more for elaborate elements such as moldings, windows, pillars, etc.
A kitchen – $ 300 to $ 800
A bathroom – $ 200 to $ 800 if it’s like a master bathroom with high ceilings, etc.
A Master Bedroom – Larger size room 500 to 800 high ceilings 800 to 1500 and add for any other bedroom variables above.
A dresser – $ 100 to $ 300
This is the labor cost only, the material has not been added. But for every gallon, you get between 300 square feet and 400 square feet.
Example: 10 x 10 foot room … 100 square foot ceiling but two layers, so it is 200 square feet, you need 1 gallon. The walls are 100 square feet each by 400 square feet with two coats that are 800 square feet and may be two gallons, but maybe 3. The contractor will add the third gallon. 1 gallon to trim. 5 gallons total.
These should help you evaluate what it may cost to paint a room. Also, if the square footage of the house is 3,000 square feet, then you can expect to pay around $ 2 per square foot, so that would be $ 6,000. But again it depends on the variables and where you live. I hope this has been helpful!
