Cost estimate
Interior painting (walls, two coats)
What painting the walls of a home can cost, two coats, built from published wages, shelf prices and contractor cost data.
Data last checked . Every input is dated below.
Typical cost
Planning range $650 to $2,100
About $1.36 per sq ft of wall, typical.
typical
Where the money goes
- Labor$52038%
- Materials$27020%
- Contractor overhead and profit$58042%
For information only. A planning range, not a quote. We take care, but our sources can lag and so can we, so a figure may be out of date. It combines the low end of every input and the high end of every input, so it is deliberately wide. Real quotes can still fall outside it.
What moves the price
The same job can quote very differently. These are the usual reasons.
- Condition of the walls
- Cracks, holes, stains and old peeling paint need patching and primer before any color goes on.
- Color change
- Covering a dark color with a light one often needs primer or an extra coat.
- Ceiling height and layout
- High ceilings, stairwells and lots of cutting in around windows slow the work.
- Furniture and occupancy
- Moving and covering furniture, or painting around people living there, adds time.
- Older homes
- Homes built before 1978 may contain lead paint, and lead-safe work practices add time and cost.
- Paint grade
- Premium paint costs more per gallon; the low end of our range assumes a mid-priced line.
The same job at other sizes, and in each state
Both tables use the same estimate as the calculator above. They are here to read across; the calculator takes your own size and state.
| Size | Typical | Range | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 sq ft | $460 | $300 to $620 | $1.53 |
| 1,000 sq ft | $1,350 | $650 to $2,100 | $1.36 |
| 1,650 sq ft | $2,250 | $1,100 to $3,450 | $1.36 |
| 2,350 sq ft | $3,200 | $1,550 to $4,850 | $1.36 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $4,100 | $2,000 to $6,200 | $1.36 |
Small jobs cost more per sq ft because a contractor has a minimum charge, and the per-unit figure falls as the job grows until the minimum no longer applies.
Cost by state, at 1,000 sq ft
| State | Typical | Range | Against the US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $1,150 | $550 to $1,800 | −14% |
| Alaska | $1,550 | $700 to $2,350 | +13% |
| Arizona | $1,300 | $600 to $2,000 | −5% |
| Arkansas | $1,100 | $550 to $1,700 | −18% |
| California | $1,500 | $700 to $2,300 | +10% |
| Colorado | $1,350 | $650 to $2,100 | +1% |
| Connecticut | $1,500 | $700 to $2,250 | +9% |
| Delaware | $1,350 | $650 to $2,100 | about the same |
| District of Columbia | $1,500 | $700 to $2,300 | +10% |
| Florida | $1,250 | $600 to $1,900 | −9% |
| Georgia | $1,300 | $600 to $1,950 | −6% |
| Hawaii | $1,700 | $800 to $2,550 | +23% |
| Idaho | $1,200 | $550 to $1,800 | −13% |
| Illinois | $1,600 | $750 to $2,450 | +18% |
| Indiana | $1,300 | $600 to $2,000 | −4% |
| Iowa | $1,300 | $600 to $1,950 | −6% |
| Kansas | $1,150 | $550 to $1,800 | −14% |
| Kentucky | $1,300 | $600 to $1,950 | −6% |
| Louisiana | $1,200 | $550 to $1,800 | −13% |
| Maine | $1,450 | $650 to $2,200 | +5% |
| Maryland | $1,400 | $650 to $2,100 | +1% |
| Massachusetts | $1,500 | $700 to $2,300 | +10% |
| Michigan | $1,350 | $650 to $2,050 | −1% |
| Minnesota | $1,400 | $650 to $2,150 | +3% |
| Mississippi | $1,200 | $550 to $1,850 | −12% |
| Missouri | $1,400 | $650 to $2,150 | +4% |
| Montana | $1,350 | $650 to $2,050 | −2% |
| Nebraska | $1,200 | $550 to $1,850 | −13% |
| Nevada | $1,400 | $650 to $2,150 | +4% |
| New Hampshire | $1,300 | $600 to $2,000 | −4% |
| New Jersey | $1,500 | $700 to $2,250 | +9% |
| New Mexico | $1,250 | $600 to $1,900 | −8% |
| New York | $1,600 | $750 to $2,450 | +18% |
| North Carolina | $1,200 | $550 to $1,800 | −14% |
| North Dakota | $1,350 | $650 to $2,050 | −1% |
| Ohio | $1,300 | $600 to $2,000 | −3% |
| Oklahoma | $1,150 | $550 to $1,800 | −14% |
| Oregon | $1,350 | $650 to $2,100 | about the same |
| Pennsylvania | $1,350 | $650 to $2,050 | −2% |
| Rhode Island | $1,250 | $600 to $1,900 | −10% |
| South Carolina | $1,150 | $550 to $1,750 | −17% |
| South Dakota | $1,200 | $550 to $1,850 | −11% |
| Tennessee | $1,150 | $550 to $1,800 | −14% |
| Texas | $1,200 | $550 to $1,850 | −12% |
| Utah | $1,200 | $600 to $1,850 | −10% |
| Vermont | $1,350 | $650 to $2,050 | −2% |
| Virginia | $1,250 | $600 to $1,900 | −8% |
| Washington | $1,450 | $700 to $2,250 | +8% |
| West Virginia | $1,200 | $550 to $1,850 | −12% |
| Wisconsin | $1,300 | $600 to $2,000 | −3% |
| Wyoming | $1,200 | $550 to $1,850 | −11% |
Each state's wages for this trade, material price level and permit level are applied to the same job. They are statewide averages; towns within a state differ, and an expensive city and a rural county can sit far apart.
How we got these numbers
Labor, parts, overhead and permits, added up. Each assumption below says how solid it is.
Checked sourcePublished, secondhandOur estimate
- Our estimateLabor hours of 0.01 to 0.02 per square foot of wall (50 to 100 sq ft per labor hour for two coats with masking, patching and cleanup) are our estimate from a reported rate of about 153 sq ft an hour for one coat.
- Checked sourcePaint costs $23.98 to $27.98 a gallon in Lowe's price check on 4 Nov 2026. Coverage of about 350 to 400 sq ft a gallon, a premium paint price of up to about $45 a gallon, and an allowance for tape, plastic, rollers, caulk and patching ($0.03 to $0.08 per sq ft) are estimates. Materials come to $0.15 to $0.34 per sq ft.
- Our estimate10% waste covers leftover paint and touch-ups.
- Our estimateNo permit or disposal costs are included.
- Not includedThese prices are per square foot of WALL, not floor area. Many cost guides quote painting per square foot of floor area; at 2.5 to 3.5 times as much wall as floor, our $0.67 to $2.06 a wall sq ft is about $1.70 to $7.20 a floor sq ft. Our arithmetic, not a market claim: we have not compared it with real quotes. [derived]
- Checked sourcePayroll costs of 24% to 30% of wages follow the Census 2022 figure for painting and wall covering contractors (fringe benefits 26.1% of payroll).
- Checked sourceOverhead and profit of 55% to 80% is added on top of wages with payroll costs and materials. Census 2022: painting contractors' receipts were 77% above direct cost, because painting is mostly labor; NAHB's remodeler study gives 43%.
- Checked sourceCross-check: Census 2022 shows painting contractors did $97 of work per field labor-hour; a typical total here implies a figure of the same size.
- Not includedCeilings, trim, doors, cabinets, wallpaper removal, drywall repair beyond small patches and lead paint abatement are not included.
Sources
Where each input comes from, and when we last looked.
- Checked sourceU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data year 2025, checked 2026-11-04.
- Checked sourceU.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, table EC2223BASIC (Construction: Summary Statistics), NAICS 238320 Painting and Wall Covering Contractors, United States; fringe benefits are 26.1% of payroll and revenue is 77% above direct cost. Data year 2022, checked 2026-11-04.
- Checked sourceLowe's shelf prices read on lowes.com, Central Columbus OH (43211) store, 4 Nov 2026: interior paint $23.98 to $27.98 a gallon, bonding primer $30.98, roller kits $10.98 to $48.54. Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-04.
- Published, secondhandEstimateRocket, "How to Create Profitable Estimates, Part 2" (15 Dec 2018): one painter timed on one room averaged 153 sq ft of wall per hour (140, 152, 168); coats and crew size not stated. Cost-guide sites give 150 to 250 sq ft an hour for walls. Cross-checked against the Census figure of $97 of work per field labor-hour for painting contractors. Data year 2018, checked 2026-11-04.
- Published, secondhandNAHB Remodelers' Cost of Doing Business Study, 2026 edition (fiscal 2024), as reported by NAHB's Eye on Housing blog, 8 Apr 2026: revenue about 43% above direct cost (33% in 2021). Data year 2024, checked 2026-11-04.
- Our estimateOur working assumptions, marked as estimates on this page; not checked against contractor quotes. Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-04.
- Published, secondhandU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state (US = 100), as republished by FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Goods parity is used for materials and all-items parity as a rough stand-in for permit fees. Data year 2024, checked 2026-11-04.