Have you been wanting to give your favorite home a new look, or are you about to paint your house before selling it? Today, we are going to see what the average cost of painting the interior of a house would be so that you can properly set your budget for the job.
It is estimated that the average cost to paint a house interior is around $2,000, and the overall range is between 350 to 5800 dollars. This will vary depending on the location, type of paint, and the size of the house in square feet. The largest influence on your cost is home size, where you will pay between $2-6 a square foot. This article will dive deeper into several factors that can affect the end cost of your interior painting project.
Factors That Affect the Costs of Interior Painting
There are some major factors to consider when you want to have the most accurate estimation of painting the interior part of your home.
Square Footage of Home
The average price to paint the interior of a house is $2.75 per square foot all over the country. With walls, trim, and ceilings included, it is going to cost you 4.70 USD per square foot. Your square feet should be on hand when you are talking to a pro to come up with the most precise quote.
You can take a look at the average house painting cost per square foot in the following table:
| Size of Home (square feet) | Average Cost (per Sq. Ft.) |
| 500 | $200–$1,000 |
| 800 | $1,600–$4,800 |
| 1,000 | $2,000–$6,000 |
| 1,200 | $2,400–$7,200 |
| 2,300 | $4,600–$13,800 |
| 2,500 | $5,000–$15,000 |
| 3,000 | $6,000–$18,000 |
Paint Surfaces
Different surfaces will cost differently in terms of painting. You may be intending on putting a new coat on your walls, a new life on your ceilings, or a new life to your trim, but knowing the average cost of each type of surface can help you stay within your budget. You can paint baseboards and trim as well as an accent wall besides the walls and ceilings. The following table displays average house painting prices based on the surface types:
| Surface | Average Cost to Paint |
| Baseboard and trim | $1–3 per linear foot |
| Hard-to-reach areas | $6 per sq. ft. |
| Smooth ceiling | $1–3 per sq. ft. |
| Walls | $1–2 per sq. ft. |
| Accent Walls | $2–$6 per sq. ft. |
Paint Type
As you shop the paint aisle or talk to your pro, you are likely to see that there is a range of prices across the paint, with cost being about $15 to $40 per gallon to purchase a paint, based on the brand of paint and the finish. Should you be fixed on a particular brand name or kind of paint, it will add much to the price before long. Durable paint and high gloss paint will tend to be more expensive, and will make your project more costly.
| Paint Type | Average Cost (Per Gallon) |
| Primers | $10 |
| Flat paint | $13 |
| Semi-gloss interior paint | $17 |
| High-gloss enamel paint | $35 |
| VOC-free paint | $35 |
Ceiling Height
Ceiling height is another significant factor to be considered. The least expensive walls will be those that have 8-foot high ceilings. Tall walls, particularly ones that have cathedral ceilings, will need scaffolding and additional safety equipment to be painted in most cases. These may push it to increased labor expenses far beyond what the additional coverage will contribute.
Labor Cost
Professional painters incorporate the cost of labor in the overall estimate, which can be up to 95 percent of the overall cost. Although it is impossible to replace professional paint work, you can save the labor expenses by patching and preparing the walls in order to be painted by the professionals.
Surface Preparation
Should there be the necessity to sand and repair a wall, the charge of wall prep is between $0.50 and 0.75 per square foot. This preparation is crucial to an effortless and perfect application of paint on your wall.
Some paint contractors include the prep work in the hourly or per-square-foot fee. Depending on the severity of the damage, a room with drywall repairs will significantly increase your whole house interior painting cost as a result of the repairs.
The cost of primer is approximately 10 dollars per quart, and it covers approximately 100 feet of space in one coat. Primer may require several coats on your walls, depending on the type of walls you have.
Wall Repairs
In case your walls are in poor condition, then you might need to do some repair work so that you have a clean piece of wall to paint. Issues like scrapes, scratches, dents, and water stains can be solved using spackle and a putty knife. Once again, doing this yourself will save you money as compared to having your painter perform this task.
Texturing
To cover minor imperfections in the paint and give your walls a more age-old appearance, add textured walls to add more depth to your room, though it will raise your painting costs by up to 50 percent to achieve the premium appearance. A wall with a texture may take twice the quantity of paint in comparison to a smooth wall. A professional painter should be able to provide this specialized service.
Wallpaper Removal
Wallpaper removal is approximately three dollars per square foot. Tearing down wallpaper will cost approximately $535 in a 12-by-12-foot room.
Popcorn Ceiling Removal
It will cost between 1 and 2 dollars per square foot to de-pop a popcorn ceiling. When your professional puts your popcorn ceiling out of business, additional expenses on texture, painting, or any other refinishing choice will be added to the bottom line. Find a popcorn ceiling removal professional who will help you.
Removing Furniture
The last thing you desire is to receive some paint on your furniture, and thus you will be interested in either shifting and covering your beautiful velvet couch to the middle of the room or getting it out of the room altogether. To save on labor expenses during the actual project, you can sort the furniture yourself before they begin to work.
Location
The price of the interior paint for your house is dependent on the locality. Costs of painting will be largely on labor, and hence pricing will be determined according to the local standard of living to make sure that the painters are paid well.
Conclusion
You can make intelligent decisions when you are aware of the average cost to paint a house, and also perceive the logic behind it. It can be a high quality paint or a general finish, a lot of work required on your house, or just the slightest touch-ups. What really makes the difference is the right knowledge that you can have for an investment that is worthwhile for your long term satisfaction.
Get in touch with Knapp Painting LLC to give your home a professionally delivered paint job that will last for several years to come.
FAQs
The most significant ones are the size of your house in square feet, the height of your walls, and the complexity of the layout, as well as the quality of the paint you would use and the state of your existing walls.
Better quality paints and specialty paints are also pricier per gallon, but tend to cover better and last longer.
In case your walls are cracked, stained, or peeling off, you will spend more on repairing them before any color is applied.
