What you’ll get from this guide
- Interior painting runs $2–$6 per sq ft of floor area in 2026; exteriors run $1.50–$4 per sq ft of living area.
- Per room: about $400–$800 for a 10×12 bedroom, $500–$1,200 for kitchen walls and $600–$1,500 for a living room.
- Kitchen cabinets are their own job at $3,000–$10,000. Ceilings ($1–$3 per sq ft), trim ($1–$3 per linear ft) and doors ($100–$300 each) are separate lines.
- Set a $250–$500 minimum and aim for a 20–40% profit margin.
Price the Job, Not the Hour
Customers compare totals, not hourly rates. A painter who quotes $65 an hour loses to one who quotes $4,500 for the house, even when the hourly painter would have cost less. Quote a price per square foot or a flat total, and keep the hours for your own math.
Labor is 70–90% of a painting bill, so the per-square-foot rate is really your labor rate in another form. Check it the other way round: estimate the crew hours, multiply by what you need per painter-hour (Angi reports $25–$100), add paint and supplies, and confirm the square-foot price covers it.
What Painting Contractors Charge in 2026 (US)
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Interior, per sq ft of floor area | $2–$6 |
| Exterior, per sq ft of living area | $1.50–$4 |
| Whole interior, 1,500–2,000 sq ft | $3,000–$8,000 |
| Full exterior repaint | $2,500–$10,000+ |
| Ceilings | $1–$3 per sq ft |
| Trim and baseboards | $1–$3 per linear ft |
| Door | $100–$300 each |
| Kitchen cabinets | $3,000–$10,000 |
| Minimum job charge | $250–$500 |
Ranges from Housecall Pro's 2026 painting price guide (aggregating Angi, HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack) and Angi's 2026 cost data.
How to Price Interior Painting
Start from the floor area of the rooms. It's the number you can get fastest, and it scales with the work. Then adjust for the things that change the hours:
- Ceilings. Price them separately at $1–$3 per sq ft. Many customers want walls only, and a separate line lets them choose.
- Trim, baseboards and doors. Cutting in trim is slow, detailed work. Charge $1–$3 per linear foot for trim and $100–$300 per door.
- Tall walls and stairwells. Ladders, planks and more cutting-in move you to the top of the $2–$6 range.
- Prep and color changes. Patching, peeling paint and dark-to-light changes that need an extra coat add real hours. Price them in, or quote them as a line.
Interior Painting Prices by Room (2026)
| Room | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Bedroom (10×12) | $400–$800 |
| Kitchen (walls) | $500–$1,200 |
| Living room | $600–$1,500 |
| Single room repaint | $400–$1,200 |
| Accent wall | $100–$300 |
| Door | $100–$300 |
Housecall Pro, 2026. A room price assumes standard ceiling height and normal prep.
How to Price Exterior Painting
Exteriors typically run $1.50–$4 per square foot of living area, or $2,500–$10,000+ for a full repaint. The square footage gets you in the range; these decide where in it you land:
- Height. A second or third story means taller ladders or a lift, and slower work.
- Surface condition. Scraping, sanding, caulking and spot-priming peeling siding can take as long as the painting.
- Number of colors. Body, trim, doors and shutters in different colors mean more cutting-in and more setups.
- Weather. Exterior work stops for rain and cold. Build that risk into the price, not into your evenings.
How Much to Charge for Painting Kitchen Cabinets
A full kitchen typically runs $3,000–$10,000. Cabinets take far longer than walls: doors and drawers come off and get labeled, every surface is degreased, sanded and primed, and most painters spray for a factory-smooth finish, which means masking the whole kitchen and waiting on dry times between coats.
Always quote cabinets as their own line, never inside a room price. It's the most profitable work most painters do, and the line where a vague quote costs you the most.
Got your price?
LeadDuo Invoice turns it into a quote or invoice in minutes. ServiceHub automates the bookings, reminders, and follow-ups around it.
Worked Example: 1,500 Sq Ft Interior Repaint
| Line | Math | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Walls | 1,500 sq ft × $3.00 | $4,500 |
| Ceilings | 1,500 sq ft × $1.50 | $2,250 |
| Trim and baseboards | 400 linear ft × $1.50 | $600 |
| Doors | 6 × $150 | $900 |
| Walls only | $4,500 | |
| Full scope | $8,250 |
Walls alone sit mid-range for a whole interior; the full scope reaches the top. Itemizing lets the customer drop the ceilings instead of asking you to cut your rate.
Set a Minimum and Protect Your Margin
A one-room job still means loading the truck, masking, setup, travel and cleanup. A $250–$500 minimum keeps small jobs from losing money.
Most painting businesses target a 20–40% profit margin. Price from your costs: price = total cost ÷ (1 − target margin). A job that costs you $4,000 is $5,333 at a 25% margin and $5,714 at 30%.
How to Present a Painting Quote
The quote is where you win or lose the job. A few habits that help:
- Itemize walls, ceilings, trim, doors and cabinets so the customer can choose instead of haggling.
- Offer two options, for example walls only and walls plus ceilings and trim, so the question becomes which one, not whether.
- Name the paint line and the number of coats. It answers the cheaper-quote objection before it comes up.
- Put the start date and the duration on the quote, and send it the same day as the walkthrough.
FAQ: Painting Prices
How much should I charge to paint a house?▼
How much should I charge to paint a room?▼
How much should I charge per square foot for painting?▼
How much should I charge to paint kitchen cabinets?▼
How much should I charge for painting in California or other high-cost areas?▼
How much do painters make per hour?▼
What is a good profit margin for a painting business?▼
Related Painting Resources
Painting Price Calculator — price any interior or exterior job with ceilings, trim, doors and cabinets
Painting Estimate Generator — turn the price into an itemized estimate
Painting Quote Generator — send a quote your customer can approve
Painting Price Book Builder — keep your per-sq-ft, room and add-on prices in one list
How Much to Charge for Drywall (2026) — price the patching and finishing that comes before paint
Quote Painting Jobs in Minutes
Run the numbers in the painting price calculator, then send an itemized quote your customer can approve. Creating quotes is free; downloading or sending one takes a $4.99 Invoice Pass.
Join 400+ contractors and service pros