How Much Does it Cost to Paint a House Interior? Why Hire an Interior Paint Professional?
Homeowners usually attempt to tackle a paint project alone, without knowing how much it cost to paint a house interior. Their aim is to cut costs by crafting a do-it-yourself (DIY) project. More often than not, these DIYers are soon overwhelmed by the immensity of the task and the mess they now find themselves living in. Over half of them change their minds and decide to hire a professional. Unfortunately, attempting to cut costs often means that a professional may have to correct these mistakes later.
Overall, how much does it cost to paint a house interior can be quite costly, especially if you’re a beginner. It’s important to decide whether or not hiring a professional will help reduce expenses in the long run. In this article, we’ll discuss how much it costs to paint a house interior, plus some tips on keeping your wallet happy.
Here Are Some Reasons Why Hiring a Professional Painter is the Best Path to Take:
- They can tell you exactly how much paint is needed. DIYers often buy too much while professionals rarely overbudget.
- Pro painters also come with the supplies that you would otherwise need to rent: ladders, scaffolds, paint brushes, trays, rollers, drop cloths, tape, mixers, paint clothes, pails, and paint guns. This is costly equipment.
What Can You Expect?
How much does it cost to paint a house interior? Interior painting by professionals will likely cost somewhere between $1.50 and $3.50 per square foot. Add for ceiling and trim and the figure increase to $3 to $4 per square foot.
Here are some paint factors to consider before hiring a professional:
- Are there flaws, holes, or blemishes on the walls? Expect to pay extra for these repairs.
- Will you be changing the color of the walls? Will each room be a different color? This may require a primer and undercoat. Drastic color changes will result in multiple coats of new paint.
- If you want special effects like the texture or wall designs, these will take more time and you will need to pay extra for the custom paint job.
If, on the other hand, your goal is to freshen the look, it may not require a primer at all. Simply adding another layer of the same—or nearly the same—color is often much less expensive.
Moreover, this is another reason for hiring a professional. Professional painters can explain the nature of the work and what it entails to achieve your vision. Remember, you will still be paying for the paint itself. Similarly, if you purchase your paint through your professional painter, he/she will often get a discount which will also save you money.
Factors You Can Control
Besides the cost of the paint and the painter’s fees, there are costs you can control. If you’re able to do research ahead of time you may be able to limit your total spending. These items include:
- Leaving out ceilings and trim, if not needed.
- Evaluating textures, feature walls, or color changes
- Comparing paint prices and quality beforehand
- Shopping around for a painting company to handle the job
- Prepping an area yourself before a painter arrives
More Details on these Points:
Special textures, feature walls, and color changes all mount up. It’s usually advisable to omit these projects if they’re not imperative. You’d be amazed at how much you can save.
If you strip paper and fix wall imperfections yourself, you can also save on the cost of painting.
Do a serious comparison of paints. A discussion with your painter regarding brands, when to buy and from where can make a big difference in price. Additionally, shopping around for painters can save. There may be a big difference in service providers. Also, check out average prices for painting the interior of a house with your square footage. The best advertising comes from referrals of friends, relatives, and neighbors. Ask to see the paint job. If they are thrilled, they will be pleased to show you.
Are you painting a rented space? Be sure to check with your landlord or rental manager. Ask about cost-sharing. Often owners know that painting keeps their renters happy and makes their property more appealing for the next renter. Landlords will often agree to pay for materials if you pay the professional’s labor costs.
The Actual Costs of Painting a Home’s Interior
Here’s a help cost calculator for a rough estimate. Painting your house may cost you around $1,800 per average-sized room. If your home’s interior is 2,300 square feet, don’t be surprised to pay somewhere between $4,000 and $10,000 for the job. An average cost in America for a 2,000 square foot home is $2,581. The range is between $1,714 and $3,682 for a home that size.
A lot of the differences in cost have to do with the amount of paint and labor required and how much preparation for painting is needed. Check with the painting professional to see if you can do some or all of the prep jobs before the painter arrives. This will save time. Many painters don’t like to do that prep work and are only too pleased to have someone else take on those jobs.
If you are considering selling your home, one of the best investments is a fresh coat of paint. A paint job of under $1,000 can increase your home equity by over $2,000. If improving the selling price and the speed at which your house sells is your goal, talk to a realtor about the best paint colors before you hire a paint professional.
Conclusion
Colorado Commercial and Residential Painting has over 30 years of experience helping residents, businesses, and communities paint interior spaces. We handle small to large projects and we can offer our recommendations for your specific needs. Contact us today to learn more about our pricing.
