How Much Does Interior House Painting Cost in Summerville, SC?

Quick Answer: A typical 12x12 bedroom with walls in good condition and essentially no prep would cost around $600 plus paint for two coats on the walls. Painting several rooms at the same time can lower the cost per room because we're able to keep working in other areas while repairs and paint dry.

One of the first questions most people have when they're thinking about having the inside of their house painted is, "How much is this going to cost?"

That's a perfectly reasonable question, but unfortunately there isn't a simple answer. I see websites giving painting prices based on the square footage of a house all the time, but there are just too many variables for me to tell you what it will cost to paint a 2,000 sq. ft. house without knowing anything else about it.

What I can do is give you some real examples of what we charge and explain what makes one painting job cost more or less than another.

What Does It Cost to Paint a Bedroom?

Let's start with a basic 12x12 bedroom.

If the walls are in good condition and there is basically no prep involved other than filling a few nail holes and getting the room ready to paint, you're probably looking at around $600 plus paint to paint the walls.

That's for two coats.

We always apply two coats of paint to walls. I'm not going to get too far into the one-coat versus two-coat debate here, but I've written about it before. There are a lot of reasons we apply two coats, and that's how we price our jobs.

Now let's say you want everything painted in that same room - the ceiling, walls, trim and doors. Assuming everything is in reasonably good condition, you're probably looking at around $1,200 plus paint.

Keep in mind these are examples. If I walk into that 12x12 room and the walls need a lot of drywall repair, there's a bunch of trim, the ceiling is 12 feet high or there are other things that require additional work, the price is going to change.

Painting More Rooms Can Actually Save You Money

Here's where painting prices can get a little interesting.

If I charge around $600 plus paint to paint the walls in one 12x12 bedroom, you might assume two bedrooms would be $1,200 and adding a bathroom would make it even more.

That's not necessarily how it works.

Under the same conditions, I could potentially paint the walls in two 12x12 bedrooms and a bathroom for around $1,200 plus paint.

So how can I paint an additional bathroom for basically the same price?

The answer is time.

There is a lot of waiting involved in painting. If I make a drywall repair, I have to wait for the joint compound to dry before I can sand it. Depending on the repair, it may need a second coat of compound, which means waiting again.

Then there is primer and paint. Those have to dry too.

When I'm only painting one room, there are only so many things I can do while I'm waiting. When I'm painting several rooms, I can make the repairs in the first room and move to the second. Then I can move to the bathroom. By the time I work my way back around, the first room may be ready for the next step.

The same thing happens when we're applying two coats of paint. Instead of waiting for one room to dry, we move on and keep working.

That makes the whole job more efficient.

It's one of the reasons the cost per room will usually come down when you have several rooms painted at the same time.

If you're already having us paint a bedroom and you're thinking about having the bathroom or another bedroom painted sometime in the near future, ask me to price it while we're there. You might be surprised at how little it adds to the total job.

What About Painting a 2,000 Sq. Ft. House?

This is where I'm hesitant to throw out a number.

You can have two houses that are both exactly 2,000 sq. ft. and they can be completely different painting jobs.

One might be empty with 8-foot ceilings, very little trim and walls that are in great shape. We can go in and start painting.

The other might be fully furnished with a two-story foyer, tall walls, crown molding everywhere, a bunch of doors and drywall repairs throughout the house.

They're both 2,000 sq. ft.

They're definitely not the same job.

That's why I don't think telling someone that painting a 2,000 sq. ft. house costs "X" dollars is very useful without knowing more about the house.

What Actually Affects the Price?

There are quite a few things I'm looking at when I price an interior.

How many rooms are we painting? Like I explained above, more rooms don't necessarily mean multiplying the price of one room by the number of rooms. Larger projects give us more opportunities to work efficiently.

How tall are the walls? An 8-foot bedroom is one thing. A two-story foyer or stairwell is something completely different.

How much drywall repair is there? A few nail holes aren't a big deal. Cracks, damaged drywall, bad patches and other repairs take time. Joint compound also needs time to dry, and larger repairs can require multiple coats.

How much trim is there? Some homes have basic baseboards and door casings. Others have crown molding, chair rail, wainscoting, built-ins and a lot more detail. All of that takes time to paint.

How many doors are there? Doors can add a surprising amount of labor to an interior painting job, especially when you're painting both sides.

Is the house empty or furnished? We paint occupied homes all the time, but obviously it's easier to work in an empty room than one full of furniture. Furniture has to be moved or worked around and, more importantly, protected.

What colors are we dealing with? Big color changes can require additional work. The existing paint and the color going over it can both affect the job.

What condition is everything in? This is probably one of the biggest variables. If the walls are in great shape, we can spend our time painting. If we're repairing drywall and fixing problems before we can paint, that adds labor.

Why Do We Put Two Coats on the Walls?

Our standard is two coats of paint on walls.

Could you occasionally make a wall look acceptable with one coat? Sure.

That doesn't mean that's how I want to price or perform the job.

Coverage is only part of the reason for applying a second coat. You're also building the proper paint film and getting a more consistent finish.

Ceilings and trim are a little different. They don't automatically get two coats because it isn't always necessary. We look at their condition, the existing color and how they're covering.

Walls, however, get two coats.

Can You Give Me a Painting Quote From Pictures?

A lot of times, yes.

If you're busy and it's difficult to find a time for us to meet, send me some pictures. If I can see the rooms clearly and get enough information about what you want painted, I can often put together a quote without making you take time out of your day to meet with me.

Obviously there are jobs where pictures aren't going to tell me everything I need to know. In that case, I'll let you know and we'll set up a time for me to take a look at it.

So, How Much Will It Cost to Paint My House?

If you've made it this far hoping I was eventually going to give you a magic price per square foot, I'm going to disappoint you.

There are just too many variables.

But hopefully the examples above give you a better idea of what you're paying for and why painting prices aren't as simple as multiplying the square footage of your house by a number.

For a basic example, figure around $600 plus paint for the walls in a 12x12 bedroom with essentially no wall prep.

Have several rooms that need painting? Don't multiply $600 by the number of rooms. Let us take a look at the entire project. As I explained above, being able to work in several areas at once can make a pretty significant difference in the price.

Paragon Painting has been painting homes in the Summerville and Charleston area since 1978. If you'd like a price for your project, give us a call or send us some pictures and we'll take a look.