Hiring a professional painter is the best surefire way to make your visions come to life, but choosing the right painter for your project comes down to a lot of factors. Is the painter a certified professional? Are they local and available? How long will the project take? All of these factors add up to one important question: how much will it cost?
How Much Professional Painters Cost
Rarely will a professional painter charge a flat rate for a job. Instead, the cost is calculated through a number of varying factors.
Painter Costs by Hour
The base cost to consider is a painter’s hourly rate, which usually tends to average between $20 to $60 an hour. The price depends on the project’s difficulty, season, region, the painter’s experience level, and whether it’s interior or exterior.
Painter Costs by Day
Another metric is a painter’s daily rate for painting services, which is on average between $200 and $500 per day. Day rates are the least common method for professional painters. It’s important to note that many things can drag out even the smallest of projects, so be aware that things may take longer than initially expected.
Painter Costs by Square Foot
The most common way to be charged for a paint job is by cost per square foot painted, which tends to break down to $1 to $6 per square foot for interior jobs including two coats of paint. If you choose to have window and door trims, moldings, and doors painted that number will likely increase.
Painter Costs by Room
The cost per room depends on the height and width of the room, but usually falls between $180 to $650 per room. When estimating the overall cost, professional painters find the coverage area to determine how many gallons of paint are needed.
Painter Cost Breakdown
Paint Costs
Typically, the two main costs for any paint job are paint and primer.
When calculating paint costs, first it’s important to understand the total square footage of your paint project. A gallon of paint is good for anywhere between 300 to 350 square feet, and can cost anywhere from $40 to $70. High-quality paints and brands can vary in price per gallon.
Materials Costs
Roughly 15% of the final cost of your paint project will consist of paint and materials costs. Materials are usually the same for every job, and include items like brushes, rolls, painters tape, and drop cloth for the floor.
Labor Costs
Labor costs vary from company to company, but an hourly rate on average is anywhere from $50 to $80. This cost includes all of the extra prep work and cleanup that goes into a professional painting service, such as covering furniture, prepping walls, taping edges, protecting floors and trims, and much more.
Measuring Your Paintable Area
When measuring your paintable area, it’s important to measure each factor separately. Walls should be measured separately from any baseboards, trim, doors, ceilings, and floors. Textured ceilings will require more paint than a flat ceiling.
Summary of Professional Painters Cost
As you can see, painting projects at any scale are a costly process, in both time, materials, and money. Hiring a professional painter is the best way to ensure you’re getting the best value for your dollar, with maximum quality, the best materials, in the fastest and most efficient way possible.
