Cost to paint interior of house?

[DenimChicken]

In the process of closing on a house. Prior to moving in, I'd like to have the complete inside painted. Walls and ceilings. Most of the paint looks to be original to the house and is about 25 years old, and a few rooms have been painted some hideous colors. House is about 2000 sq ft, two story, with vaulted ceilings in the entry way and living room. Dry wall is in decent shape but has some nail holes and nail pops that will need to get fixed.

I got one estimate done and was quoted around 9k to get it all done with 2 coats of Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore. The second guy I was trying to get an estimate from flaked on me so needless to say won't be getting my business. The painter who did show up was courteous, on time, has great reviews on Google and a number of other sites. He can also work with our schedule. I have no issues going with him, but wanted to know if this quote was in the reasonable realm or if I need to shop around more. I have one more estimate lined up later in the week, but I'm worried about losing my spot on the schedule of the quote we currently have if I wait too long.

Like most things, I realize it would be cheaper if I did it myself, but between work and a knee that needs surgery, it's just not gonna happen.

 

[cnelk]

Check out HomeWyse for estimates.
You can filter all sorts of data

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[def90]

Based on this your estimate is about right.

How Much Does It Cost To Paint The Interior Of A House In 2024?

Get expert advice on improvements to your home, including design tips, how much you'd expect to pay for a pro and what to ask when hiring experts.

www.forbes.com

 

[DenimChicken]

Thanks guys. I thought it sounded a little high, but so does everything else I buy. According to Homewyse it’s a fair bid.

 

[*zap*]

Go to the local Sherwin Williams store and get a few painters #'s. You need to get 4 estimates

 

[Silveroddo]

The painter who did show up was courteous, on time, has great reviews on Google and a number of other sites. He can also work with our schedule.

I mean, I dunno if you've ever hired painters before, but from my experience if you find that guy, you just pay the man. The old adage of "You can have it on time, good, and cheap, pick 2" fits these situations.

 

[DenimChicken]

I mean, I dunno if you've ever hired painters before, but from my experience if you find that guy, you just pay the man. The old adage of "You can have it on time, good, and cheap, pick 2" fits these situations.

I haven’t. I’ve always done it myself and have come to hate painting more than just about anything. But your advice rings true for many things.

 

[grfox92]

That is a very good price. I was going to say $15k based on what we pay painters I'm NW WY.

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[Nine Banger]

SC here.

Ceilings, walls and trim with premium material, top notch craftsmanship would be around $18,000.00

Add furniture to move around and cover: $20,000.00

Make sure you're getting good paint.

SW would be:
- Super Paint flat on ceilings and closet walls
- Duration interior matte on walls
- Proclassic semigloss on trim

Ben Moore would be:
- Regal for walls (matte), ceilings and closet walls (flat)
- Advance semigloss for trim

Don't have the store or painter match proprietary colors from different manufacturers. The paint store will tell you they can mix any manufacturer's color in their product to get the business but it won't be the same.

 

[Johbran]

Just had some painting done in November. Your estimate seems right on par.

 

[Rich M]

Back 2009-ish I was working with a guy and we got $1 per foot to paint houses - 2 coats of cheap paint. Your 2,000 SF house would have been $2,000. With inflation and such, $2-$3/ft would not seem unreasonable and be $4,000-$6,000. High ceilings add complexity. We use a ladder to cut it in and extend-a-pole technique for rolling - do the same on exterior.

I have no idea how much I save myself by doing stuff.

Anyway - back to you. Some options:
find a part-time painter, someone who wants to make a couple bucks over a weekend or two......
have a house painting party with good food, beer/wine (after) and pay folks $100/$200/$250 each.....
neighborhood high school/college kids, relatives high school/college kids, etc. some still have a work ethic (use them for the high spots).....
ask folks for help at your church if you go to one.

I also have a guy at work who will do anything for $50/hr and do it right.

 

[Gwchem]

9k is super cheap for my area. That's the flakey-drunk painter's price.

 

[Weldor]

Wow , I'm glad I do my own work. I am sure it is worth the cost , but at those prices I can go on a nice hunting trip.

 

[grfox92]

Wow , I'm glad I do my own work. I am sure it is worth the cost , but at those prices I can go on a nice hunting trip.

Sheep hunt lol.

When I got back into building I couldn't believe the cost of painting. I've actually thought of starting a painting company.

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[Elite7]

I agree with others. The price sounds really fair for the going rate these days.

 

[TaperPin]

When a painter is bidding they look at square footage of the walls and ceilings, the type and gloss of the trim, ladder moves, shades, furniture and other things that have to be moved or prepped around, floor protection, special issues.

$1 a square foot including paint is a very very good deal, like what you pay a family member who is doing you a favor, so for a small bedroom 12’x12’ you have 150’ on the ceiling, 100’ on four walls plus 100’ on a small closet. That comes to about $650. Based on that, it’s quick to break down the house into equivalent rooms.
4 bedrooms
big bathroom
small bath +half bath
kitchen
living room (bedroom x2)
all hallways & closets outside of bedrooms
garage (bedroom x 2)

If I didn’t know anything specific about your house $1 x 650 x 12 (equivelent rooms) = $7,800

Keep in mind better quality acrylic paint is expensive and 25 gallons might cost the painter an additional $1k over cheap stuff.

A more common low price is $1.50 sqft which is $11,700.
Most common average price is probably $1.75 which is $13,650.
If someone charges $2 sqft that’s $15,600.
I’ve met a few custom painters that get $4 sqft and these guys can get that because they fix any and all defects, have zero overspray, and the room looks brand new, not to mention the clients like their personalities.
Good faux painters in a custom home often get $7 sqft for a three or four color hand applied finish.

One person can prep and paint about two equivalent rooms a day, so one person could paint the house in 6 days minimum. Two person crew 3 days minimum. If doors are removed and all painted at once, plan on an entire day just to take them down and replace.

Cheap painters will try to keep all the doors in place, which is harder to keep hinges clean, but much less risky when it comes to rehanging the doors. Most painters do a horrible job of rehanging doors and you will fight with them for a week because doors don’t work like they should. If you know a good finish carpenter, it’s worth while to have the painters take the doors down and paint, but have the carpenter rehang them. In one house I’ve had 276 hinge screw holes stripped out when painters tried to rehang doors and had a heavy trigger finger on the screw gun.

When I was a general contractor we had enough drop cloths to cover all the floors at once, we’d mask your whole house, pull all the doors off and set them up in the garage, and spray all the primer at once, do all the caulking and drywall touch up at once, then start at the bottom and work up. First all the trim is sprayed two coats, including doors in garage, then that is masked off and walls are shot and back rolled with two coats. Then the walls are masked off and ceiling is shot and back rolled two coats.

Painters are not carpenters, so don’t expect defects in existing trim to magically disappear, and most painters won’t fix wall texture unless it’s an extra. High gloss trim will cost more because there is more sanding and prep. Anything other than flat on the ceiling is a bad idea. There is a sheen between semigloss and matte that works with most walls. Kitchens should be semi gloss or gloss for ease of cleaning, walls and ceiling. Bathrooms should be semi or gloss. It costs extra, but if you are sensitive to odors, it’s always a good idea to have the entire house shot with odor blocking kilz primer - it has to go on fairly thick to be effective, so I would expect 10 gallons per coat and two coats for all the walls and ceilings (does not include garage).

The type of painter that I like is slow and detail oriented. It won’t get done fast, but it’s done right and the price is fair because he/she are so slow. The super fast blow and go guys leave a mess and there are usually holes in the paint because it’s so thin. When inspecting work, use a strong flashlight and shine it up to see pinholes from thin paint or no backrolling.

 

[Scoot]

Interesting... I just had my house painted. It was about 75% of the area you had done and I don't have vaulted ceilings. I bought the paint (got 40% off through a family employee) and paid $850 for that. Painter cost $2200. She did a very nice job too. This is a one person business in a small town in NW MN.

 

[TaperPin]

Interesting... I just had my house painted. It was about 75% of the area you had done and I don't have vaulted ceilings. I bought the paint (got 40% off through a family employee) and paid $850 for that. Painter cost $2200. She did a very nice job too. This is a one person business in a small town in NW MN.

That’s the way to do it.

 

[TxxAgg]

Some things are worth paying for. Man, I hate painting.

 

[McCrapper]

Everyone in my area is so busy that getting them to show up is 3/4ths the battle. Price is fair and if it checks all the other boxes go for it.