Paint Cost Calculator
Advertisement
How much paint do you need, and what will the whole project cost? Enter your measurements — get gallons to buy, paint + primer + optional pro labor, and a total, with every step of the math shown. No email required.
No email required — instant results, nothing to sign up for
Worked example: a 12×15 living room, fully itemized
Computed by the calculator above · Behr Premium Plus @ $43.98/gal · 2 coats · September 2026 prices
| Line item | Math | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Wall area | 2 × (12 + 15) × 8 − 2×21 − 2×15 | 360 sq ft |
| Paint | 360 × 2 coats ÷ 400 × 1.10 → buy 2 gal × $43.98 | $87.96 |
| Primer | $0 — repaint, similar color needs none | $0.00 |
| Supplies | tape, rollers, drop cloths, brushes | $50.00 |
| Materials subtotal | $137.96 | |
| Labor — DIY | your weekend | $0.00 |
| Labor — pro | 360 sq ft × $2.50 | $900.00 |
| Scenario | Total | Typical range (±25%) |
|---|---|---|
| DIY | $137.96 | $103 – $172 |
| Hire a pro | $1,037.96 | $778 – $1,297 |
This is exactly what the calculator above produces for these inputs — run it yourself and check. Notice the pattern that holds on nearly every paint job: materials barely move; labor is the budget.
What's included — and what isn't
✓ Included in every estimate
- Paint, per your brand, price, and coats
- Primer, when your surface condition calls for it
- Supplies allowance (tape, rollers, drop cloths)
- Pro labor, when you select "Hire a pro"
- 10% waste & touch-up allowance, rounded up to whole gallons
✗ Not included
- Drywall repair beyond minor patching
- Lead-paint testing or remediation (pre-1978 homes)
- Moving or storing furniture
- Wallpaper removal, color consultation, design fees
- Scaffolding/lift rental on multi-story exteriors (often billed separately)
If a contractor's quote covers items on the right-hand list and ours doesn't, that's expected — it's also exactly what you should ask them to itemize before comparing.
Surprise costs painters don't put in the first quote
The worked example covers walls, paint, supplies, and labor. These are the extras that most often appear after work starts — ask about each one before you sign:
- Repairs first. Drywall cracks, water damage, and rotted trim are usually billed separately from painting. Get repairs priced in writing before painting starts, not discovered mid-job.
- Primer for big color changes. Going dark-to-light (or the reverse) usually needs a primer coat. Primer runs $30/gal in our price table — one extra coat on a 12×15 room is roughly a gallon plus its labor.
- Trim and doors. The worked example is walls only. Trim, doors, and built-ins are quoted separately in most bids — confirm whether your quote includes them.
- High ceilings and stairwells. Anything above 8 ft slows the job and needs taller equipment. Our labor range ($1–$6/sq ft) exists largely because of this — tall walls land at the top of it.
- Sheen and brand jumps. The table prices Behr Premium Plus at $43.98/gal; Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint runs $60–$77 and Benjamin Moore Regal Select $70–$78. Same room, different paint, different total.
Before you sign a painting quote
- Measure your own walls first (the 2-minute method above) so you can sanity-check the painter's square footage.
- Confirm the paint brand, line, and sheen in writing — not just "two coats."
- Ask whether primer, repairs, trim, and doors are included or separate.
- Get the prep scope named: caulking, sanding, and patching are where cheap bids cut corners.
- Confirm cleanup and touch-up terms before the crew leaves, not after.
The price data behind this calculator
Checked September 23, 2026
Data freshness: prices verified September 2026 · next scheduled re-check January 2027. If a major price move happens sooner, we update sooner. Stale data is misinformation — our update policy is public.
| Product | Price / gal | Coverage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behr Premium Plus (interior) | $43.98 (5-gal: $39.20/gal) | 400 sq ft | Home Depot listing |
| Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint | $70 (range $60–$77; frequent 30–40% sales) | 350–400 sq ft | Engineer Fix MSRP reporting |
| Benjamin Moore Regal Select | $74 (range $70–$78 by sheen) | 400–450 sq ft | Ace Hardware listings |
| Primer — Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 | $30 | 400 sq ft | Ace Hardware; Home Depot |
| Pro labor | $1–$6 / sq ft | — | HomeGuide; HomeAdvisor (2026 guides) |
Prices move by store, region, and sale cycle — every price above is editable in the calculator. Our full sourcing and update policy: methodology.
Paint costs by region: same room, different labor market
Paint costs the same at Home Depot everywhere — painters don't. This table takes the worked example above (12×15 room, pro job) and scales only the labor portion by each region's labor multiplier, exactly as the calculator's ZIP adjustment does. Materials ($137.96) stay fixed.
| Region | Labor multiplier | Pro labor | Total (pro job) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | ×1.18 | $1,062 | $1,200 |
| Midwest | ×1.01 | $909 | $1,047 |
| West | ×1.05 | $945 | $1,083 |
| South | ×0.89 | $801 | $939 |
| National average | ×1.00 | $900 | $1,038 |
Regional multipliers are the mean of this site's state labor multipliers (BLS OEWS May 2023, construction laborers — the same data behind the ZIP adjustment above). Same room, same paint: the Northeast–South gap is $261, all labor. Enter your ZIP in the calculator for your metro's exact multiplier.
Paint cost by room size: same paint, bigger room
Same assumptions as the worked example: repaint in a similar color (no primer), 8 ft ceilings, 2 coats, Behr Premium Plus at $43.98/gal, $50 supplies, pro labor at $2.50/sq ft of wall. Wall area = 2×(length + width)×8 − 72 sq ft for doors and windows.
| Room | Wall area | Paint to buy | DIY total | Pro job total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10×10 ft | 248 sq ft | 2 gal | $138 | $758 |
| 12×12 ft | 312 sq ft | 2 gal | $138 | $918 |
| 12×15 ft | 360 sq ft | 2 gal | $138 | $1,038 |
| 15×20 ft | 488 sq ft | 3 gal | $182 | $1,402 |
| 20×20 ft | 568 sq ft | 4 gal | $226 | $1,646 |
Gallons rounded up with the calculator's 10% waste allowance — buying one extra gallon beats a mid-wall shortage. Change colors, add primer, or raise the ceiling and the numbers move; run your exact room in the calculator.
Whole-home interior: by wall area, same formula
Same assumptions as the room table: repaint in a similar color (no primer), 8 ft ceilings, 2 coats, Behr Premium Plus at $43.98/gal, $50 supplies, pro labor at $2.50/sq ft of wall. Wall area = 2×(length + width)×8 − 72 sq ft for doors and windows; paint gallons round up. Walls only — ceilings and trim add more, and this table does not price them.
| Wall area | Paint needed | DIY (paint + supplies) | Pro (labor + paint + supplies) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 sq ft | 3 gal | $182 | $1,432 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 5 gal | $270 | $2,770 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 8 gal | $402 | $4,152 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 10 gal | $490 | $5,490 |
The DIY column covers paint + $50 supplies only. Brushes, rollers, tape, drop cloths, and ladder time are on top if you do not already own them — the most common reason DIY totals surprise first-timers.
How to measure a room in 2 minutes
- Measure the perimeter. Walk the room with a tape: length and width of each wall, or just the room's length × width — the calculator does 2×(L+W)×height for you.
- Use 8 ft unless you know better. Standard US ceilings are 8 ft; 9 ft in many newer homes. Vaulted ceilings need the average height.
- Count doors and windows. The calculator subtracts standard openings (21 sq ft per door, 15 per window) — close enough for estimating; pros measure exactly.
- Round paint up, never down. Running out mid-wall means a visible lap line and a second trip. The calculator's 10% waste allowance + round-up handles this.
Three ways people get the math wrong
- Using floor square footage. A 12×15 room is 180 sq ft of floor but ~400 sq ft of wall. Quotes and calculators that don't specify which "square foot" they mean aren't comparable.
- One coat fantasies. "One-coat coverage" is a marketing claim tested under lab conditions. Budget two coats; celebrate if one suffices.
- Comparing price per gallon. A $74 gallon covering 425 sq ft can be cheaper per finished square foot than a $44 gallon covering 350. See our brand comparison for the real metric.
Paint terms worth knowing before you buy
A little vocabulary goes a long way at the paint counter. Sheen is the finish's gloss level — flat hides wall flaws but scuffs easily, eggshell and satin suit living areas, and semi-gloss belongs on trim and doors where durability matters. Cutting in means brush-painting edges, corners, and trim lines before rolling the big areas — it's the skill that separates pro-looking results from amateur ones. Roller nap is the cover's thickness: 3/8-inch for smooth walls, 1/2-inch for lightly textured surfaces. Low-VOC and zero-VOC paints emit fewer fumes, worth the small premium for bedrooms and nurseries. An airless sprayer is the pro tool for exteriors and whole-house repaints — fast, but it needs masking everything you don't want painted. And an accent wall — one bold wall in an otherwise neutral room — is the cheapest way to make a $150 paint job look like a $1,500 design choice (October 2026 planning estimates).
What paint returns at resale
Interior paint is one of the few projects that can return its cost at resale. Angi puts interior-paint ROI at around 107% — but that figure is an editorial estimate, not realtor-survey data, so treat it as directional, not a promise. Applied to our worked example: a $1,038 pro paint job × 107% ≈ $1,111 in resale value. The return depends on the market, the home's condition, and the color — neutral, well-executed paint helps; bold or sloppy paint does not. Source: Angi, "How Much Does Interior Paint Increase Home Value?"
Paint cost FAQs
How many gallons of paint do I need for a 12×12 room?
About 384 sq ft of wall after subtracting a door and window. At 400 sq ft per gallon and 2 coats, that's ~1.9 gallons — buy 2, or 3 with a waste allowance. Punch your exact dimensions into the calculator above.
Do I need primer before painting?
Yes for new drywall, bare wood, or dramatic color changes (dark to light). Usually no when repainting a similar color over sound paint — especially with a paint-and-primer-in-one. The calculator auto-selects primer based on the condition you pick.
How much does it cost to hire a painter vs. DIY?
Pros charge $1–$6 per sq ft of paintable area in 2026 (or $25–$75/hour); labor is typically 70–85% of a pro job's total. DIY for a 12×15 room runs roughly $150–$300 in paint and supplies. Toggle "Hire a pro" in the calculator to see both.
Is expensive paint worth it?
Often, measured correctly. Premium paints cover more square feet per gallon and hide in fewer coats, so cost per finished square foot can nearly match mid-range paint. Our Behr vs. Sherwin-Williams vs. Benjamin Moore comparison does this math with September 2026 shelf prices.
How accurate is this calculator?
It's a budgeting estimate built on verified September 2026 prices and manufacturer coverage specs — good for budgeting and sanity-checking bids. Every result shows a ±25% planning range because real quotes move with region, surface condition, and prep needs. See how we compute costs for the full method and limitations.
How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover on different surfaces?
Coverage drops as the surface gets rougher. Plan on about 400 sq ft per gallon on smooth drywall, 300–350 on textured walls, 250–300 on wood siding, and just 150–200 on brick or stucco — which is why exterior masonry jobs need far more paint than the wall area suggests. Premium paints hold the high end of each range; always add ~10% for waste. (October 2026 manufacturer specs.)
How much area does a gallon of primer cover?
Most primers cover 200–300 sq ft per gallon — noticeably less than topcoat paint, because primer goes on thicker and soaks into porous surfaces. New drywall, bare wood, and patched areas drink primer fastest, so budget the low end (200 sq ft) for those. One gallon typically primes the walls of a 12×12 room. Prices checked October 2026.