If you're on this page you're probably thinking of surrounding yourself with new colors and freshening up the walls of your room, your office, or your entire home, but you've had a legitimate question, "How much does it cost to paint your house?"
Obviously, the answer to this question depends on many factors, such as the size of the surface to be painted or the type of paint used. However, we can advise you on what to consider in order to make a realistic cost estimate.
Painting techniques and costs for painting house
Also affecting the final price of painting are the various techniques that are used to achieve particular aesthetic effects and technical results.
Costs change, for example, if you choose simple painting (with brush and roller), spray, spatulate, sponged, scratched effect, or even if you want one or more rooms to be done in fine Venetian stucco.
The only way to give you precise references is to consider a standard whitewash that can be done with different types of paint.
Painting costs - average prices for different paints
Types of paint |
Paint prices per square meter |
Application prices per square meter |
Painting features |
Washable white paint |
1-2 euro |
8-12 euro |
Good washability, good whiteness but not disinfectable |
Washable colored paint |
2-3 euro |
10-14 euro |
Good washability, wide choice of colors but not disinfectable |
White wall paint |
3-4 euro |
14-18 euro |
Excellent washability, disinfectable, high resistance to mold and bacteria, super-white durable |
Colored wall enamel |
3-4 euro |
14-18 euro |
Excellent washability, disinfectable, high resistance to mold and bacteria, wide range of durable colors |
Thermal paint |
4-5 euro |
15-20 euro |
Excellent anti-condensation characteristics, but poorly smooth finish to the touch, low washability, and limited choice of colors |
Acrylic paint |
2,5-5 euro |
14-18 euro |
High resistance to washing, excellent degree of whiteness, wide choice of colors and suitable for disinfection |
Anti-condensation paint |
4-5 euro |
15-20 euro |
Excellent anti-condensation characteristics, but poorly smooth finish to the touch, low washability, and limited choice of colors |
Lime paint |
1-2 euro |
8-12 euro |
High breathability but applicable only on suitable plasters and not on old paint. It is not washable. |
Breathable water-based paint |
1-2 euro |
8-10 euro |
High breathability, but very absorbent, if not additive is easily attacked by mold and bacteria |
Tempera |
0,5-1 euro |
6-8 euro |
High breathability, but very absorbent, easily attacked by mold and bacteria, and easily soiled. Suitable for basements or places where people do not usually stay |
Note: The prices of the various paints and installation are approximate. To get accurate costs you need to contact specialized firms and evaluate the various quotes.
How to calculate the price of painting a house?
A crucial factor in determining the final price of painting is the amount of paint you have to buy and the intrinsic characteristics of the paint (see table), which will go into determining the degree of sanitization and protection from mold, germs or bacteria.
To calculate the amount of product you need to paint a room, you need to measure the square meters of the walls and ceiling:
- Calculating wall m2: sum the lengths of the walls in the room and multiply by the height.
- Calculating ceiling m2: multiplies length of room by width.
Adding up the results of the two operations will give you the total area you need to cover with paint.
At this point, you will have to consider the coverage of the paint you buy: the higher the coverage, the more area you can cover for the same number of gallons. In fact, the coverage of a paint is an aspect that, if you limit yourself to the evaluation on the cost per liter, you might miss. You have to consider that if a paint has high coverage you will need to buy fewer liters of it.
For example,VERNICE KOSmetica is a high-coverage paint, which gets to cover between 10 and 12 square meters with one liter.
In addition, for some surfaces (such as new and never painted walls or those made of wood or metal) specific products may need to be applied before the paint. In these cases also consider purchasing the fixative and the brush to apply it.
Painting house with a professional or DIY?
Painting the walls is not a particularly difficult task and may be the right choice if you want to refresh the rooms while saving money. Painting the walls is not a particularly difficult task and may be the right choice if you want to refresh the rooms while saving money, but be careful not to make mistakes that could drive up costs.
If you prefer to turn to specialists, it is easy to find firms and freelancers to suit all budgets. What we can recommend is to compare several offers before making your choice. Also, even if you rely on someone more experienced, define well what result you want to achieve and try to follow the work closely.
Think about the tools you need to paint
If you decide to do it yourself, choosing the right tools is most important. Buying cheap, shoddy tools might save you a few euros in the moment, but it risks making your job more difficult and compromising the final result.
Using previously used tools can also be a savings, but will require more care in washing and preparation before their use.
Before buying new tools, check that the rollers and brushes are high absorption and that the materials are of quality.
One or two coats?
Applying only one coat of paint, instead of two, is certainly a great saving, costs become half, but it is often advisable to apply an additional coat of paint, even if after the application of the first coat the result already seems satisfactory.
This double work basically depends on the final effect you want to achieve: for example, if you want to cover up wall spots or if you want the texture to be visible.
Consider that some colors (such as very light colors and those tending toward red) have a lower covering ability, and may require a second coat.
If you are unsure of the final effect you want to achieve, you can request 100-mL samples from paint manufacturers with which to do all the necessary testing before purchasing the amount of paint you need for your job.
How much does it cost to paint a 100-square-meter house?
As we have already seen, the costs of painting a house can vary widely, even when considering an area of a specific size.
Factors that increase or decrease an estimate for painting a 100-square-meter house are:
- Types of paints to be used;
- Painting techniques and tools that must be used (example: spray painting);
- Conformation of rooms (whitewashing in cramped or hard-to-reach spaces takes longer, so it is more expensive);
- Furniture that needs to be moved;
- Presence of mold, which must be removed before painting;
- Presence of cracks and imperfections on the walls, which need to be fixed.
To give some numerical reference, we can say that the expense of painting a 100-square-meter house performed by professionals can range from just under 1,000 euros to over 2,500 euros depending on the variables listed above.
How long does it take to paint 100 square meters?
Whether you call a specialized company or try your hand at DIY house painting, always remember that "time is money" and that "the more you spend, the less you spend".
For example, choosing a higher-coverage paint, which requires few coats to return a perfect result, saves a lot of time.
In general and approximating, to paint 100 square meters takes 4 to 10 working days.
And if we're talking about time, the durability of a paint should also be considered: a cheap paint might save you money in the moment, but it could be ruined in a few years, thus, necessitating a new painting job.
The best advice we can give is to choose a paint that, in addition to having high durability, contains silver ions, because these particles have a sanitizing action and protect the wall from mold, bacteria, and viruses, thus preventing many problems and future interventions.
How much does it cost to paint a room?
The price of painting a single room, first of all, depends on its size.
To figure out how much it can cost to paint a single room you can take the table with costs per square meter for different types of paint, but you can also consider the following price ranges.
Costs for painting a room
Type/effect of painting |
Prices per square meter |
Traditional |
From 6 to 20 euro |
Sponged |
From 15-30 euro |
Glazing |
From 15-30 euro |
Venetian stucco special effects |
From 60-100 euro |
Note: Prices are approximate. To get accurate costs you need to contact specialized firms and evaluate various quotes.
Saving on painting is not worth it!
Going too cheap when it comes to choosing a paint could be a mistake, because a cheap product could bring with it "hidden" costs that will emerge later.
If you are still undecided about your choice or want more information about the different paints and costs of house painting: