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House Painting Cost Calculator

Enter a room's dimensions to see how much paint you'll need and what it's likely to cost — hiring a painter or doing it yourself.

Room dimensions

Length

Width

Wall height

Doors

Windows

Coats

Paint

Price per gallon

Budget latex ~$15-25, mid-grade ~$35-45, premium ~$60+.

Coverage per gallon

sq ft

350 is a reasonable default for most latex paints.

Who's painting

Hiring a painterDIY (materials only)

Labor rate

$/ sq ft

Professional interior painting typically runs $2-6 per sq ft of wall area, materials included in most quotes — this estimates labor separately.

Estimated cost

$1,439

for 381 sq ft of wall, 2 coats

Paint (3 gallons): $105.00
Labor: $1,333.50
Total: $1,438.50

Gross wall area (4 walls): 432 sq ft
Doors & windows deducted: −51 sq ft

A planning estimate for walls only — it doesn't include ceilings, trim, primer for major color changes, or prep work like patching and sanding. Get a couple of local quotes before you budget around this number.

How this estimate works

Most painting cost guides give you a single number for an entire room type — "a bedroom costs $X" — which is a coin flip depending on whether your bedroom is 10x10 or 14x16. This tool works from your actual dimensions instead: it calculates real wall area, subtracts standard door and window sizes, applies your number of coats, and rounds up to whole gallons the way paint is actually sold. Materials and labor are broken out separately so you can see exactly where the cost comes from.

FAQ

Why does this ask for doors and windows?: They're not painted the same way walls are, so their area comes off the total before figuring out how much paint you need. This tool uses standard averages — 21 sq ft per door, 15 sq ft per window — which is close enough for a budgeting estimate even if your actual doors and windows are a bit bigger or smaller.
Why two coats by default?: Almost every interior paint job needs two coats for even coverage, especially over an existing color — one coat almost always shows roller marks, patches, or the wall underneath. Drop it to one only if you're touching up in the exact same color and the existing paint is in good shape.
How is the labor estimate calculated?: As a rate per square foot of wall area, which is how most professional painters price interior jobs — typically $2 to $6 per sq ft depending on your market and the job's complexity. Switch to DIY to see materials-only cost, or adjust the rate if a local painter already gave you a number to compare against.
What isn't included in this estimate?: Ceilings, trim and baseboards, primer (needed for major color changes or new drywall), and prep work like patching holes or sanding. All of those add to a real quote — treat this number as a starting point for the walls themselves, not a full project budget.