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What Does it Cost to Paint a House?
You may be planning a to re-decorate soon and are wondering how much it will cost to paint a house. The answer of course is, “it depends.”
Why would you want to estimate the cost? Most of us have some need to budget. Understanding the cost to paint a house and especially the cost breakdown during the process helps us do this.
Whether you are doing some of all the work yourself or getting the professionals in, you want to know what you are paying for. This means you can check that you are paying a fair price. Also, you will know where you can make changes if you need to make some adjustments.
The Cost to Paint a House? – It Depends
Ask a professional house painter the cost to paint a house and the answer will be “depends.” What does it depend on?
The cost of painting an average size room can vary between $380 to $790. That’s not much help if you don’t have standard sized rooms and you want more accurate figures.
Here are the factors you need to work out the cost to paint a house.
Do It Yourself or Hire a Professional?
If you are willing and able to do the painting yourself you can save a lot of money. The labor cost of decorating is a significant element of the cost. Do it yourself and you can save this.
Consider if you’ll be happy with the quality of the work. Do you have time to do it? Can you reduce a professional cost by doing some of the preparation yourself?
A professional can also give you ideas about decor and materials.
As a rough estimate, the cost of painting a 12-foot by 12-foot room can be between $200 and $400. This depends on how much preparation is needed, any special work and how many coats of paint are needed.
Cost of Paint
Working out how much paint you need is simple math. For one room, you will need to know the length of each wall and the height of the ceilings. You will also need to know the length and height of any windows and doors.
Add up the length of each wall and multiply this by the height of the room. This will give you the number of square feet.
Multiply the length of each window and door by their height. Subtract this from the number of square feet of wall space and you have the total square feet to be painted.
A gallon of paint will cover about 400 square feet. If you buy a quality paint with good coverage you may need fewer coats of paint. You may need more paint if it is cheap.
- Do this for every room
- Add ceilings if necessary
- Add extra paint if you are going from dark to light color
There is more to think about, too…
Other Factors
Here are a few other factors to consider:
- Do you have moldings, paneling or other details that need painting?
- Do you want decorative or customized paint finishes?
- Do you have a tight time deadline?
Getting Closer to a Cost
Get several quotations from contractors. Ask for an itemized quote so you can compare labor costs, paint cost and preparation.
Pay particular attention to materials costs and make sure everything is clear before moving forward.
Your contractor may want to use better quality paint. Poor quality may actually take more coats and time.
Looking to get a professional bid? We are able and willing to provide a free quote – just click here!
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