Painting quotes swing wildly, from $200 for a bedroom to $1,400 for the same square footage down the street. That spread makes homeowners nervous, and it should. Understanding how much to paint a room comes down to four variables: square footage of wall space, number of coats, paint quality, and whether you hire out or roll it yourself. Nail those four numbers and you can predict the cost within 10 percent before you call a single contractor.
Part of our Paint & Walls guide — explore the full guide →
Here is a real-world breakdown for bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, and kitchens, with both DIY and professional pricing.
Average Cost to Paint a Room in 2026
Professional interior painters charge $2 to $6 per square foot of wall area, or $300 to $1,000 per average room. A 12-by-12 bedroom with 8-foot ceilings has roughly 384 square feet of wall space minus windows and doors, putting a standard pro job at $500 to $900 with walls only.
DIY material cost for the same room runs $80 to $220, depending on paint tier. That is a savings of roughly $400 to $700 for 10 to 14 hours of your time.
What Drives the Price
Wall square footage, not floor square footage
Painters quote by wall area. Calculate by multiplying room perimeter by ceiling height, then subtracting openings. A 12-by-14 room with 8-foot ceilings has a 52-foot perimeter, or 416 square feet of wall before you deduct a standard door (21 square feet) and two windows (about 15 square feet each).
Number of coats
Most pros quote two coats over a same-color repaint. Color changes (white to navy, for example) or priming over stains can push that to three coats and add 30 to 50 percent to labor. Always ask whether the quote includes primer and how many finish coats.
Paint tier
- Builder-grade paint (Glidden Premium, Behr Premium Plus): $25 to $35 per gallon
- Mid-tier (Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint, Behr Ultra): $45 to $60 per gallon
- Premium (Benjamin Moore Regal Select, Sherwin-Williams Duration): $70 to $95 per gallon
- Ultra-premium (Benjamin Moore Aura, Farrow and Ball): $100 to $130 per gallon
One gallon covers roughly 350 to 400 square feet per coat. A typical bedroom needs one to two gallons for two coats.
Cost by Room Type
Bedroom (10 by 12 to 12 by 14 feet)
Pro: $350 to $800. DIY materials: $75 to $180. A standard bedroom with one closet, one door, and two windows is the easiest room to paint and the most predictable to quote.
Living room (14 by 18 to 16 by 20 feet)
Pro: $600 to $1,400. DIY materials: $150 to $320. Vaulted or 10-foot ceilings can add $200 to $500 to a pro quote because of scaffolding or extension pole setups.
Bathroom (5 by 8 to 8 by 10 feet)
Pro: $250 to $550. DIY materials: $50 to $120. Bathrooms are small on square footage but involve detailed cutting around tile, vanities, and fixtures. Use a mildew-resistant formula like Zinsser Perma-White at around $35 per gallon.
Kitchen (walls only, 10 by 12 to 12 by 16 feet)
Pro: $400 to $900. DIY materials: $90 to $220. Extensive cabinet coverage and tile backsplashes mean most of the cutting-in happens in small, awkward stretches. Budget extra tape and time.
Ceilings, Trim, and Doors: The Hidden Add-Ons
Most painter quotes cover walls only. Adding a ceiling typically runs $1 to $2.50 per square foot of ceiling area, or $150 to $400 for an average room. Trim work — baseboards, crown molding, window and door casings — is usually $1 to $3 per linear foot. A bedroom with 52 feet of baseboard and basic casing adds $100 to $250.
Doors are typically $50 to $150 each if painted on both sides, and windows run $40 to $100 each depending on mullion count.
DIY Supply List and Realistic Total
- Paint: 1 to 3 gallons at $35 to $95 per gallon
- Primer: 1 gallon at $25 to $45 (if needed)
- Quality roller frame and covers: $25 (Purdy or Wooster, 3/8 inch nap)
- Angled sash brush: $15 to $25 (Purdy Clearcut 2.5 inch)
- Painter’s tape (FrogTape Multi-Surface): $9 per roll, plan on 2 to 3 rolls
- Drop cloths: $20 to $40
- Spackle, sanding sponges, caulk: $25
- Paint tray and liners: $15
Total DIY supply cost for a single bedroom lands between $150 and $280 if you are starting with nothing. Subsequent rooms share the tools and drop the total to near material-only cost.
How to Cut a Professional Quote Without Cutting Quality
Move your own furniture and remove outlet covers, switch plates, and curtain rods before the crew arrives. Most painters charge $50 to $150 per room for furniture moving. Supply your own paint — some contractors mark up material by 15 to 25 percent. And bundle rooms: painting three rooms at once is typically 15 to 20 percent cheaper per room than doing them as separate jobs because mobilization is a fixed cost.
When to Hire Out vs DIY
Hire a pro for ceilings higher than 10 feet, heavy prep work like skim coating over textured walls, or color changes involving dark-to-light transitions that need proper primer. DIY is a strong choice for simple same-color refreshes, accent walls, and bedrooms where mistakes are low-stakes.
Get three written quotes before committing. The median of three bids is usually within 5 percent of the fair market price, and the lowest bid is frequently either a misquote or a pattern of cutting corners on prep.
