Best San Francisco painting companies & interior painters

The national average cost to hire an interior painter ranges between $200-$2,700. Interior painters can tackle everything from complete color makeovers in each of your rooms to touching up an accent wall to painting pieces of furniture. The square footage and complexity of the project, along with the materials needed, are the main factors that will affect cost. Other factors include whether you supply the paint yourself or want the painter to do so, whether you move the furniture and do the prep work or ask them to do it, and whether any repair work is needed on the walls.

Painting the ceiling and the trim will also have an effect on cost. The type of paint you choose can also raise or lower your house painting cost. A gallon of paint may range from $20 to over $100, depending on quality and brand. Ask your painter if they charge per hour or per square foot, and how much you can save by doing prep work (moving furniture, etc.) yourself.

You can expect a 12x12-foot average room with 8-foot ceilings to cost $100 to paint, while a 16x16-foot room with 9-foot ceilings could cost around $175. 

To calculate the cost of interior painting per square foot, measure the square footage of wall space and ceiling space of your room. From this, you can estimate the number of gallons of paint needed to cover the wall space and compare it to these figures. You can also ask interior painters near you to provide an estimate before you hire them.

Interior house painting costs are calculated on a few key factors. Nationally, interior house painting projects range from $917 (for one room) to $4,893 (for eight rooms). The wide price range indicates how much square footage, paint selection and labor can affect cost. One pro uses a laser to measure each room, subtracting the size of the doors and windows, and then bases the quote on the square footage of the actual surfaces to be painted.

Painters may provide you with savings if you opt to paint your entire home rather than just having one room or an accent wall painted. For example, the average house painting cost for an 8x12 room with 8-foot ceilings is roughly $200, when contractor-grade paint is used. Painting ceilings, baseboards and frames can also affect cost. Pros may charge per linear foot to smooth and paint baseboards.

In one area, pros might charge 50 cents per linear foot to paint baseboards, while pros in another part of the country could charge $1.50 per linear foot for the same task. Painters may charge flat rates for painting door and window frames, with one charging $20-$25 and another $60 per door. Geography and regional costs to do business play a major role in the cost of interior painting. The same painter in a rural region has less to pay in taxes, transportation, insurance and overhead than they would in a major city like New York.

You can expect to pay around $2,535 to get the outside of your house painted, though this cost will increase with larger house sizes (and decrease with smaller ones). The average hourly rate for exterior painters is $45 and ranges from $25-$75.

Wood, brick, stucco, vinyl, aluminum and stone each have their own set of demands. Contact exterior painters near you to get a detailed cost estimate for your house.

You can expect to pay $50 per hour for interior painting. This price will change depending on a number of factors and may range between $30 and $160 per hour. Some factors include the height of the rooms, the complexity of the painting and more.

For an accurate cost estimate, request quotes from local painters and contractors.

When choosing a painter, pay attention to online reviews and ratings. Reviews with pictures are especially valuable, as these showcase the painter’s work. It’s also important to check whether your state requires licenses for painters — if it’s required, your contractor should be able to present their license. 

Finally, compare estimates and quotes from multiple painters near you. Take into consideration what each one guarantees with the job, including factors like higher-quality paint, extensive preparation and a good warranty.

Your house’s exterior will likely need two coats of paint. With two coats, your house will look more even and solid in color and will be better protected from moisture and the elements. The painting should always occur over a primed and well-prepared surface.

Yes, it’s best practice to tip house painters if you’re pleased with their work. Painters perform detailed, skilled work that can last for many years, if not decades. 

Tipping house painters is good etiquette. You can base the tip on the size of the crew, and request the amount to be evenly divided. Or, you can leave a tip based on the size of the job and leave it up to the foreman to decide how it is distributed among the crew. Sometimes — especially with big projects — the painters on the job change during the course of the project, so it’s often customary to leave one tip for the whole job.

Due to a lack of data available, it’s hard to say whether painting your home’s interior or exterior will increase its value. But there are some important things to keep in mind. 

If you're thinking about selling your home, you might want to repaint areas that look especially worn, dull or chipped so your house looks fresh and new to potential buyers. On the other hand, it’s possible some potential buyers will repaint the home upon moving in. So if you have a limited budget, your money (and time) might be better invested in other types of home projects, such as remodeling your bathroom or kitchen, installing new floors or fixing broken appliances. 

When in doubt, check with your realtor before making a final decision.

You should expect an estimate based on an actual examination of the house, as well as a plan for exactly what the painter will do. During the job, the painters should behave professionally while working as efficiently as possible to complete the job in a reasonable timeframe. Afterward, the only evidence of the paint job should be the paint itself — a professional contractor will clean up thoroughly once a job is done. 

Get started on your painting project, and get free estimates from the best painters near you.