Whether it’s the entire interior of your home or a single 12×12 room, you need to put equal emphasis on the cost of painting it. If you think, why take all the hassle, and why not just let it be? Well, you’re mistaken here, my friend.
Your wall paint has worn out, chips and stains here and there. Even your kids feel gloomy as the wall just by being in that room.
If you can change all of that just by applying a fresh coat of paint to it, then why not? Now, let’s answer the question, how much does it cost to paint a 12×12 room? I’ll break down all the interrogations for you, even if you’re handling the job independently or by a professional. Let’s get moving!
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Painting Costs for A DIY Project
When you are settling for doing it all alone, your costs will be minimized, and it’s a great experience as well. The total expense, the supplies, and the paint cost range from $100 to $300 only.
List of products you’ll need for painting the house-
- Paint gallons
- Primer cans
- Film rolls
- Tape rolls
- Painting sheets
- Brushes and rollers
- Gloves and other accessories
Now, if you have decided to go for the DIY, how would you determine how much you’ll need. You need to start by determining the total area you need to cover. And you can find it out in a few steps-
- Measure the wall length and room width, and multiply them.
- Next, take the height and multiply it with the result.
-Determine the doors, windows, cabinets, etc., and subtract it from the total coverage area.
- You need to be clear if you want to include the ceilings and baseboards in the whole DIY project. If so, add their area measurements as well.
- This is a total of the area you are going to cover. But it is wise to add an extra 10% to the whole area because your walls may need additional detailing or patchwork.
Painting Costs for A Professional Finish
If you want an average estimation, about $180-$800 will do if you want a professional company to handle the paintwork. If a simple average analysis is not enough for you, there are other brief ways to determine the cost yourself. This includes-
- Labour cost per square foot coverage varies from $1.5 to $4. This is a bidding method that gives off different rates from different companies. It is no bogus, relatively entirely consistent, so it wouldn’t be a loss if you go for it.
It will cost around $3 to $6 per square foot for labor and materials together.
- If you want to paint your floors as well, it would cost around $5 to $10 per square foot of the floor space. Again, you can use this method to quickly determine the cost to cover the intricate floor-to-windows architectural features.
- Finally, you need to check the hourly rate for the labor. This is where most of your expenses will add up. It takes about 80% of the total painting cost, costing around $25-$50 per hour. If you are going to some top-notch paint experts, remember the hourly rate can be as high as $70.
- You can also determine the labor cost by looking at their operating speed. It usually takes an hour to cover about 100 sq. ft. So, the faster they work, the less it would cost. However, painting intricate details or scuffed walls can delay the time, increasing the labor expense.
Painting Costs For Different Room Types
Yes, I’ve given you a standard estimation of the cost of painting a 12×12 room, but the price does vary room-wise as well.
Bedroom:
When painting a 12×12 bedroom, the average cost would be from $350 to $850, considering the room would require 2 gallons of paint and two cans of primer.
Living room:
The average area of a living room or a hallway is about 300 sq. ft or even more. It takes from $1000 to $2300 to paint the whole room. Usually, the living room space is quite the deal to decorate. Don’t we love putting some extra detail work in the walls and ceilings? That would undoubtedly cost more, and if you have higher ceilings, the cost will increase even more.
Kitchen:
The cabinets cover most parts of the kitchen, reducing the total cost of wall painting. The wall painting total cost can be about $200-$400. However, if you want to paint those cabinets, the average price for a typical kitchen would be about $800-$1000.
Bathroom:
Painting the bathroom is probably the cheapest considering all the cabinet spaces and tiles everywhere. The cost will range from $170-$370.
Painting Costs According To Paint Types
Different rooms need an extra level of maintenance. For instance, kitchens and bathrooms face a lot of traffic, wear, and tear. Hence, easy cleaning paints with more durability is what these spaces need. Let’s breakdown the types for you-
Flat:
Flat or matte paint finishes go excellently with bedrooms. However, since the bedroom doesn’t see much of the wear and spills, dull colors are the best suited, each gallon costing a $30 average.
Semi-gloss:
Semi-gloss paints are the best options for kitchen countertops and bathrooms with high traffic and more humidity as well. However, each gallon of the paint is quite expensive, costing around $150-$300.
Eggshell/Satin:
Eggshell or satin paints are pretty impressive as they are suited for both smaller bedrooms and kitchens. They give off a smoother finish, even texture, and are pretty to clean up as well. In addition, the cost is about $80 a gallon, making it even more convenient.
Textured walls:
If you are tired of those solid-painted walls and want to try something different, painting textured walls is your go! Although it’s aesthetically quite pleasing, it adds about half the cost more to the typical painting cost.
Read more: Should know about Waterproofing Exterior Basement Walls Cost
Why Hiring Professionals Is More Than Doing It Yourself?
If you have never hired professional painters before and don’t have the time to focus on a DIY painting project, you must be wondering what to do. Go for the professionals; the following reasons will justify my advice-
- These companies have experienced painters; they know what they are doing. So, the risk of making blunders is minimum here.
- Professionals know what’s better for your room, the types of paints that suit your needs, the extra supplies, etc. They can even give you quicker estimation or some of the cost options according to your preferences!
- If you don’t have enough time, there’s no question whether you should go for a professional team or not because you definitely should!
Either you are doing it yourself or giving the job to a professional; you know the estimated costs you’ve been looking for so long. So now, let’s get it done! It’s been a long since you added a fresh coat of paint to the worn-out walls!