The short answer
For walls only, our home project estimator uses a planning range of $1.50 to $3.50 for each square foot of floor in the rooms being painted. Add ceilings and the range becomes $2.00 to $4.50. Add trim and doors and it is $3.00 to $6.00.
| A 12 × 14 ft bedroom (168 sq ft of floor) | Planning range |
|---|---|
| Walls only | $250 – $590 |
| Walls and ceiling | $340 – $760 |
| Walls, ceiling and trim | $500 – $1,010 |
These are typical US figures for hiring the work out, with labor and standard paint included. A whole 1,200 sq ft home, walls only, comes out at $1,800 to $4,200 on the same rates.
A single small room can cost more per square foot than these ranges suggest, because many painters have a minimum charge for a visit.
Why painters quote by the job, not the gallon
Paint itself is the small part of the bill. Most of what you pay for is time: moving and covering furniture, filling and sanding, masking, cutting in along edges, two coats, and cleaning up. Floor area is a quick stand-in for all of that, which is why it works for a first estimate. A painter pricing your job will measure the walls and look at their condition.
What pushes a quote up
- Preparation. Cracks, peeling paint, water stains and glossy surfaces all need work before any color goes on.
- Height and access. Tall ceilings, stairwells and rooms full of furniture slow the job down.
- A big color change. Going from dark to light, or the reverse, can need primer or a third coat.
- Trim, doors and windows. Detailed work takes longer than open wall.
- Paint grade. Premium lines and specialist finishes cost more per gallon.
- Where you live. Add a ZIP code and our estimator moves the range up by about 20% in higher-cost states and down by about 10% in lower-cost ones.
If you paint it yourself
Your cost is paint and supplies. A gallon covers roughly 350 square feet of wall per coat. The bedroom above, with 8 ft walls, one door and two windows, has about 366 square feet of wall to paint. Two coats take just over two gallons, so you would buy three. The paint calculator does this sum for any room.
How to compare quotes
Ask each painter to write down the same things: which surfaces are included, how many coats, what preparation is covered, the paint brand and line, and who moves the furniture. Two or three written quotes on the same scope tell you far more than one number over the phone.