If you’re reading this article then chances are you really aren’t in love with the way the interior of your house looks anymore! All you really want is to make your house look and feel like some of the homes you see on Pinterest and Instagram! Is that too much to ask? Not at all, you deserve it! Considering, the cost of these types of projects I’m sure it’s safe to assume you are very concerned about how much it will cost to paint the interior of your home! With that in mind, my goal with this article is to give you all of the information you’ll need in order to understand what goes into the price of a paint project in Baltimore County. This way you’ll have a better idea of what your particular project will cost and what factors will drive the price of your project up or down.
The cost to paint the interior of a house in Baltimore County can range from as low as $4,000, for just painting the walls in a small home. All the way up to and above $35,000 to paint a very large home in its entirety. Obviously, there are tons of factors that might cause the price of a paint project to go up or down. Needless to say, that price range is huge! So let’s break it down somewhat so that you can identify where your project falls within that spectrum!
In general, there are 8 factors that contribute to the price when painting the interior of your house.
Factor 1: The Size of Your House
Factor 2: What Will Be Painted
Factor 3: How Much Surface Prep Work Is Needed Or Desired
Factor 4: Heigh of the Ceilings
Factor 5: Intricacy of the Trim Work
Factor 6: Number of Windows and Doors
Factor 7: Furniture and Window Dressings
Factor 8: Quality and Color of the Paint
As we consider each factor try to think about your particular project in order to identify your particular need!
And don't worry, these same pricing principles apply to all parts of Maryland, so if you live in Harford County, Carrol County, or Howard County there's no need to feel left out!
Factor 1: The Size of Your House
The first and most important factor determining the cost of your interior paint project is the size of your house. For obvious reasons the bigger your house the more time and materials it will take to complete. And at the end of the day, a painting estimate has a very simple formal.
Time + Material = Project Total Price
So if your house is very large you can expect it to be significantly higher up in that price range compared to someone with a smaller house.
At the end of this article, I’ll share with you a very simple math equation that will allow you to take the square footage of your house to find a ballpark price for your project. Be sure to stick around!
Factor 2: What Will Be Painted
As a general rule of thumb the more surfaces you would like to paint, the more expensive your project is going to be. Surfaces include:
Walls
Ceilings
Baseboards
Window trim
Doors and trim
Chair rail molding
Crown molding
Wainscoting
Stair risers
Etc.
As you look over your project, carefully consider what you would like to have done. For some, simply repainting everything is a no-brainer. It’s the quickest and easiest way to make your entire house feel brand new again! Others, however, may value trying to save money where they can. We totally understand that!
You might be wondering how can I decide what absolutely needs to be painted and what doesn’t. Well here are our go-to tips:
Ceilings: There are only a few real reasons ceilings get ruined or dirty. Usually, if you are considering painting your ceiling one of the following things has happened:
Roof or bathrooms leak
Heavy smoking or candle burning
Previously painted the wrong color
A bad paint job on walls caused wall color to be on the ceiling in many spots
Catastrophic accident involving food or a drink
If none of these things are true in your situation then chances are you can skip the ceilings for your project
Baseboards, Doors, and Woodwork: You would probably be surprised what a box of magic erasers and some elbow grease can accomplish. In a lot of cases being willing to go through and scrub down your woodwork can have some awesome effects! Try testing a spot in your home! If you like the results and don’t mind the extra work you can save a lot of money on your project!
Word of advice: I specifically mention magic erasers because they are powerful yet gentle. Some cleaners however, have the power to completely remove paint so it’s important to consider what you use to clean your woodwork!
Factor 3: How Much Surface Prep work Is Needed Or Desired
Over the course of a couple of years, it is nearly impossible for the walls in a house not to receive some wear and tear. The vast majority of that wear and tear will be minor scuffs and discoloration. However, there will almost always be little dents, dings, and holes throughout. Whether it be from moving furniture or hanging pictures you likely want these things taken care of before you paint.
In most cases, these minor dents and dings are covered in the baseline surface prep included with your project. But depending on the current state of your walls you may decide that you need or want more surface prep! Here’s what to look out for:
I need more surface prep:
Large holes in drywall
Large or problematic settlement cracks
Excessive nail pops
Water damage on ceilings or walls due to a past leak.
Walls need to be primed do to things like kids writing on walls, wrong paint being used, or extra dark colors.
Etc.
I want more surface prep:
The previous paint job left the walls with a texture that I just don’t like.
If you feel like any of these things are true about your project there can be anywhere from a small to a large price jump in the project depending on the severity and quantity of the issues.
Factor 4: Height of the Ceilings
This is a simple one but it can have a dramatic effect on the price of your project. Just from a materials standpoint going from 8ft to 16ft ceilings will instantly double the amount of paint needed for a particular room. The real killer here is the introduction of ladders. In a room with exceptionally high ceilings, the labor required to complete the room will easily double if not triple. Depending on the size l and intricacy of the room. Over the price of an entire interior painting project, one or two rooms with extra high ceilings can have a significant effect on the cost of your project!
Factor 5: Intricacy of the Trim Work
Trim work can vary significantly from house to house. In some cases baseboards are very simple, window trim is limited to only a windowsill and there aren’t things like crown moulding, columns, archways, or wainscoting. A house that resembles what we just described has the most simplistic trim package possible and as a result, will cost significantly less than a house that is sporting custom trim work throughout!
Factor 6: Number of Windows and Doors
Put simply a house with a lot of bedrooms closets and windows will fall higher on the price spectrum than one that isn’t quite so well equipped. This is probably pretty obvious though. What may be less obvious is this next fact! Believe it or not, the number of windows and doors in your home can affect the price of your project regardless of if you are painting them. Each and every door and window must be cut around individually which takes considerably longer than otherwise rolling out paint on a flat wall. This usually only comes into consideration in areas of the house with a high concentration of doors and windows such as sunrooms and hallways, but if you know you have a particular room or area with a considerable amount of windows it may drive the price of you project up a bit.
Factor 7: Furniture and Window Dressings
For obvious reasons a home that is completely empty can be painted at less cost than one that is fully furnished. The same is true for a house without window dressings such as blinds and curtains. Painting before these things are in place can save you a considerable amount on your paint project! If that option is completely off the table for you but you are still hoping to save some money, try asking if moving all the furniture yourself can save you money. A lot of contractors may be willing to cut you a small break if you are able to handle this part of the project yourself.
Factor 8: Quality and Color of the paint
Depending on the grade of paint you choose there can be a huge difference in the price. Paint can be purchased for as little as $20 a gallon to as high as $100 dollars a gallon. Unfortunately, this is very much a case of "you get exactly what you pay for!" The hard truth is most paints under $60 a gallon are designed to look good when first applied but typically do not hold up over time or under significant traffic.
These cheaper paints are great when used for rental properties that need to be repainted frequently or homes that are getting ready to be sold. A word of caution, however. The paints at the very bottom of the price range can have especially bad coverage. This can cause you to need to do additional coats of paint beyond the standard 2 coats of paint. Since the cost of labor is typically significantly more expensive than the cost of paint most reputable painting contractors will have a minimum quality of paint that they are willing to use. This benefits both parties since the painter would have to charge more money to account for the possibility of needing apply extra coats of paint. If a painter you are considering hiring is planning on using very cheap paint and only doing two coats of paint you may not be entirely happy with the finished product.
On the other side of the spectrum, if you plan on living in the house you are painting and you prefer not to have to repaint high traffic areas every other year you will likely want to use paints that can stand the test of time. For that we recommend some of the more premium paints from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams. These two companies are the leading manufacturers of paints in the United States and their high-end paints such as Emerald (Sherwin Williams) and Regal Select (Benjamin Moore) will exceed your expectations in beauty and durability. A more cost-effective option that doesn’t sacrifice too much quality from both companies would be Super Paint (Sherwin Williams) and Ben (Benjamin Moore) between these products you will be extremely happy with your paint selection.
The other aspect of this factor has to do with the color choice. The dirty truth is that some colors such as red blue and black can require 3 or even 4 coats of paint which significantly increases the amount of work and paint needed in order to apply the color properly. In order to keep the cost of the project down consider limiting the number of walls with these types of colors.
Another thing to consider is the number of colors used. Often two medium/small bedrooms can be painted with three gallons of paint assuming they will be painted the same color. But if those rooms are going different colors 4 gallons of paint will be needed. Over the course of painting an entire house using many different colors will add considerably to the cost of the project especially if high-end paints are being used. Using many colors can add anywhere from $100 - $1500 to the total of a project.
Conclusion
Clearly, there are a lot of factors that can affect the price of a paint project! The reality is it’s impossible to say for certain what your project will cost without first understanding what your needs are as a customer and then seeing the project in person and taking some measurements! However, we can give you a simple way to determine a ball park price for your project
With some very quick math you can get a general idea of the cost of your project by simply taking the total floor square footage of your house and following the simple equation below:
Painting just the walls in my house
Square footage X 3.5 = Ballpark Price
Painting walls and ceilings
Square footage X 4.5 = Ballpark Price
Painting walls, ceilings, and baseboards
Square footage X 6 = Ballpark Price
Painting all surfaces within the house
Square footage X 7 = Ballpark Price
These numbers are by no means a concrete representation of what it will cost to paint your home. But with all the factors laid out in the article above paired with this simple equation, you should have a much better idea of what your project will cost!
Ready to find out exactly what your interior paint project will cost? Fill out an estimate request form today and we’ll get the ball rolling on your project!