How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Bedroom

It’s quite easy to forget how much of a retreat your bedroom can be. It’s not so hard to think it is. It’s where you lay your head and most times it’s your comfort space within your home especially if you don’t live alone.

So it’s quite normal for you to want to change the atmosphere of the room, the general vibe or just to have a new perspective on things. And one of the best ways to do that is by changing things up and repainting your room.

The first thing to do is to figure out the basics and ask yourself the right questions. This might all seem quite overwhelming but it’s all necessary. Painting a bedroom like anything takes a plan and a good plan means a good job.

The Cost Of Paint

Now the main requirement for any painting is obviously painting. And figuring out the type of paint you want to use on your bedroom walls dictates two things. One, how much you’re going to spend, and two, the duration of time it would take for the painting to be done.

It’s also good to note that to paint a room a lot of factors are taken into play. From the types of paint available to their differences, the cost for each type of paint, there are quite a few details you’d probably need to get into.

To help ease the stress of researching this information, we’re going to let you know the various types of paint available, their cost on average, as well as their quality and finish.

Oil-based paint Vs Latex paints

There are majorly two types of paint available to use for doing a paint job – Oil-based paint and latex paint.
Oil-based paint happens to be the cheaper alternative. It has a mean cost between $30 – $50. Now, this particular paint is good for areas that will be exposed to moisture regularly. This is cause such areas tend to suffer much damage on a regular basis.
They sometimes give off an offensive odor and happen to not be eco-friendly due to the amount of highly volatile substances in their makeup.
Latex Paints are the most commonly used paints for home painting as they tend to dry quickly, have a smooth finish and are generally much more comfortable to use. It shares no drawbacks with oil-based paint and only lacks the durability portion. The average cost for this paint generally falls between $30-$70.

Types Of Paint Finish

Now, most paint jobs require a finish and both paints offer the full variety of finishes you might want. Paint finishes are basically the attributes of a paint that gives it a sheen or reflective surface. Now there are 5 major types of paint finish, namely, Eggshell, Matte, Enamel Matte, Satin, Semi-Gloss, and High Gloss.

The type of finish you use is dependent on what exactly you are going for and also your price range cause the prices of finish differ across the board. All finishes have an aesthetical purpose, you simply need to match one to what you are looking for when you paint a room. Do you want a reflective surface that bounces light off it or you’re looking for one that absorbs light and diffuses it. These choices greatly determine what finish you eventually use in your bedroom.

Matte Finish

This finish exists to absorb light instead of reflecting so basically gives a deep hooded vibe to a room, basically mysterious. It also allows for more coverage so it’s great for mature bedroom designs. Not a good selection for children cause it’s hard to take out stains without pulling off paint. A gallon goes for between $20-$50, which is the average cost if you’re getting the same brand

Eggshell Finish

Similar to the name this finish has a little to no sheen to flat look it delivers on its surfaces. It is great to paint if you’re in a room that’s controlled and is not prone to much physical interaction with the walls. A gallon goes for between $1-$6 if you’re getting the same brand as the paint.

High Gloss Finish

Right off the bat, we would advise you not to even consider this for your bedroom. And we really do mean at all. The reflective and sparkly finish tends to be a bit jarring for any ones’ sleeping quarters.

This paint, despite being the most resilient and the ease at which it can be cleaned, is more suitable for doors and cabinets. A gallon goes for between $1-$6.

Semi-gloss Finish

This finish is not as durable as high-gloss paint. Because of that, they are well suited for rooms where moisture common and needs to be easily wiped away. This makes it the best for bathrooms and kitchens. A gallon goes for between $1-$6 if you’re getting the same brand.

Satin Finish

It’ll mostly be used in places that stain easily because it is easy to clean. So if you want to paint a room that is going to require constant interactions with the surface walls this will be a good painter to go for because of its easy to clean nature. A gallon goes for between $1-$6 if you’re getting the same brand

These are all the available paint types out there. Now if your getting paint another necessary material required for a paint job is your Paint Primer

Should I Use A Paint Primer?

Not all walls require a primer. This is because it only serves to hide stains as well as imperfections. It’s also useful on new surface walls, as it helps protect the surface material and keeping the paint stuck to the wall. If you have a wall that’s been painted before or it’s in great shape with no imperfections, chances are you won’t need to use a primer.

It’s possible you could also go-ahead to get two-in-one paint and primer combo paints. Now, these are advertised to be a mix of a primer and a paint and so meant to just require one coating to get the surface both sealed and covered. The actual truth is that you’re actually purchasing a heavier paint that can only simulate but not deliver the same finishing as a separate use of both primer and paint. So while I know the combo could be a cheaper and probably much faster option, the alternative offers better quality for your work.

Oil-based, latex-based and Shellac primers are the various types of primers. Now it’s important to know that when using primers, while latex primer can work with all paints, its best to match the primer to their corresponding paints e.g latex primer and latex paints.

Shellac Based Primers

They work best for walls that are vulnerable to water or smoke damage. They go for an average cost of $40-$63 per gallon

Latex Primers

Now these primers when used are less brittle than their oil-based counterparts. They are preferably used for mostly woodwork like prepping unfinished softwood or drywall. The cost per gallon varies between $30-$80

Oil-based Primers

Primers of this type are better for woodwork like bare or unfinished. They go for $20-$30 per gallon. They allow better adhesion of the paint by completely sealing up the wood

Be sure to make plans for paints that do not overstep the total cost of your budget. One thing to remember when purchasing products, is that quality always means better basically. Now paints with better quality tend to have a much richer, thicker consistency.

This allows the paint to not require as many coats as lesser quality paints and adherence to surface by the pains is much more efficient.

Color Of The Paint

Also color can play a major factor in dictating how much paint would sell for. Most times much more vibrant colors tend to cost more than your normal run-of-the-mill colors. This is mostly dependent on what the company creating the paint dictates.

Should You DIY Or Pay A Professional Painter?

Before painting, you have to decide if you’re fine handling the job of painting yourself or hiring some professional help instead. This decision is completely dependent on if you’re willing to learn how to paint properly or if you would rather not stress yourself.

Hiring A Professional

Now if you’ve decided to go with contracting the job out to someone else to handle the painting of the room you’re probably considering the cost to paint. Like how much does it cost per hour? Does the cost of material come with the bill? Is the total labor cost going to be worth it? Stuff like that.

Most painters charge an hourly rate at an average cost of between $20 to $100 in order to handle a paint job. Since you’re handling the painting of just a bedroom it’s probable that your fee might not be as exorbitant as you are expecting.

Painters, depending on which, sometimes charge separately for the required materials, like primer, paints and other necessary tools. Or they factor it into the total cost of their bill.

If your home happens to be an old one, an extra cost might be pulled by your painter in order to deal with any prep work to renew the walls.

Patching holes: around $10 per square foot for resurfacing and repairing holes and cracks in the wall.

Drywall repair: $115 to $380 per room.

Sanding: around $1.80 per square foot.

Repairing plaster: $60 to $90 per hour or a fixed rate of $200 to $300 for minor to medium jobs.

Mold remediation: $500 to $6,000 based on the size of the area and level of mold infestation.

Be sure to see assessments of your painter’s previous work so as to make sure the quality of work is well worth the labor cost. This way you are assured that the expected results can be delivered. Take into consideration also the number of materials used so as not purchase more than is necessary for the room

Cutting Costs

Painting a room tends to be something everyone happens to do in order to get the right ambiance from it. The only problem is that painting can be a pretty pricey job and that’s not a joke.

Now if you’re on a budget and you’re trying your best to paint a room, manage the cost to paint as much as possible. But also look to get quality work.

People never seem to understand that a paint job can get a bit pricey so proper precautions should be taken to make sure you don’t greatly overstep your budget. But be sure to not be too tight-fisted. Cutting corners should not come at the cost of quality cause quality most times dictates endurance.

With that said, here are a few ways you could get a better painting deal.

Get Proper Measurements

Having a full idea of the specifications of your room actually can be a great helper to ensuring that you stay well within your budget. Doing the prep work yourself and letting the painter know the dimension of the room in square foot, also reduces the amount of time he would spend handling the paint.

This reduced time means lower hours to pay for which reduces the total labor cost, so that’s a few bucks saved. There are also ways to let you know just how much paint is required to get the paint job on your bedroom done.

That at least helps to save on waste of materials, which in turn reduces the cost to paint it as well. This is good news cause sometimes professional painters add the cost of the painting materials to their bill.

Working knowledge on what you need can help you cut this down as you can make a request for just the right amount of tools that would be needed to carry out the job. Also, figure out the cost of most of the tools that could be used. That way when your painter provides his bill you don’t get overcharged. Or if you confirm the requirements of your painter, you could go ahead and purchase the materials yourself.

Use Quality Paint Materials

It’s a hard pill to swallow when you’re on a budget but when painting any space that you wish to be living in, let alone your bedroom, make sure to use quality materials.

This would seem exorbitant in the short run but the payoff will come in the long run. Lesser quality paint tends to fade and falter, faster over time, which would require repeat paint jobs which would cost more money.

A smarter choice would be to invest in more durable and efficient paint which lasts longer and has better qualities. Make sure to let your painter know of this if you’re not handling it yourself. That way he would not be inclined to make the wrong decisions in your bed space. This decision should also carry to other necessary materials, primers especially.

Seasonal Planning

During the summer and spring, professional painters are in more demand than they are in the colder seasons. This is due to the fact that most people would be looking to have a new change of scenery to match the fresh warm season. Because of the massive demand at this time, professional painters tend to charge at higher rates to meet up due to the labor cost. A smart idea would be to wait till winter, before figuring out a painters labor cost to paint. Demand is quite low at this point of the year so you’d be able to get a much lower rate on working hours.

Prep Your Walls

It’s always easy to forget that the walls of a room actually matter almost as much as the paint being used. Your walls need to be ready for a paint job and if there happens to be noticeable damage on your walls, your painters’ bill is going to go up.

Painting damaged walls require a whole lot more work than just handling a simple surface. This is especially true in the case of moisture or mold damage, as the weakness of the wall could affect the finished work once the painting has been done.

Most times painters ignore charging for fixing a problem if it is little. But big sized damages, like the one created by moisture and mold, require a lot more work. This could obviously lead to a higher total cost.

Also, wallpapered walls can also be a problem as if you intend to paint them, the labor cost of removal of the wallpaper from the wall before the actual painting would cause a higher charge. So if possible take off the wallpaper yourself, that way the cost to paint is reduced

Painting A Room DIY

If you’re looking to cut costs, one of the best money savers would be to handle the job yourself. This way you don’t have to pay exorbitant prices to get a painter.
You simply need to purchase the tools and handle the labor yourself. The problem with this is that there is a difference between the job of a professional and that of an amateur.
Without the proper experience and knowledge, chances are while in the short run, the cost has been managed, due to your unskilled work you might require a repaint in a few years.
The long term consequences will lead to a higher labor cost to pay off a new painter at a much earlier time than would have been necessary.

Hire a professional

Using a professional painter to paint a room might be an idea that doesn’t make the best sense, financially speaking but that is because considerations are only made on the financial short term instead of the financial long run.

A professional painter is trained on painting surfaces so he is more adept at handling the job in a way that offers quality work. Also, professional work tends to last longer. Even if the total cost of hiring him is a bit much the results, in the long run, will be well worth it.

Use A Color Swatch

Figure out your colors before you start painting. It would be annoying to have had an image of how you wanted your room to look like with the colors that you had in mind, only for it to be put in place and then it doesn’t match the vibe you are going for.

Colour swatches give a sense or an image of what the color scheme would look like when it’s done. It is possible to purchase small swatches of paint to apply on walls, to not just test but also to get a sense of the paints’ visual representation in the room.

Also, it would be a complete waste to not be prepared and to have already ordered paint that would not carry the vibe that you are going for.

Check out these other articles

Conclusion

Figuring out the total cost for how much you are willing to spend on getting your room painted is entirely dependent on your choices. You simply have to go through the tips provided here, figure out what works for you and use that. And remember:

* A professional painter is a better investment than you think

* Proper preparation can help to reduce your biggest total cost

* Total cost of paints and primers vary dependent on quality and ability.

* The type of paint you use is very dependent on what you are going for as well as the surfaces it is to be applied on.

* Quality paints and primer last much longer low standard paints and Primers

And with that, I hope you’ve gotten all the information you need on the total labor cost to paint a room as well as the requirements for if you wish to handle it yourself. Feel free to come back and check through our content, specially curated to give you the information you’re looking for.

How To Paint A Bedroom – Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to paint a bedroom?

No doubt, hiring painters to paint your home can be quite costly. Therefore, you can save yourself some money if you do it yourself.

The amount of time it takes to paint a bedroom depends on a few factors. Like how many people will be painting the room with you, if the walls in the room have a lot of details to paint around, and the size of the room.

But generally, painting a bedroom takes about 45 minutes to two hours.

Do painters clean walls before painting?

Professional painters do not clean walls before painting.

First off, they are not in the business of cleaning – they are painters. Secondly, cleaning the walls cut into their painting time, which eventually cuts into their income. So, if you want your hired painter to clean your walls, you’ll have to pay for the cleaning service.

Although, some painters might not agree to clean the walls despite you paying. However, you can hire a cleaner to do the cleaning or do the cleaning yourself before the painters get to your home.

How do you paint a room in one day?

Avoid distractions.
Ensure that you have enough snacks and drinks nearby to fuel you.
Clear the room or move everything to a corner.
Cover the floor and furniture in the room using a plastic sheet or dust sheet.
Mix your paint thoroughly.
Paint the ceiling with a roller or broom handle. Ladders can be dangerous.
Cut in around the walls with a brush. If you need to unscrew loose fittings to make cutting easier, please do.
Paint the walls with your paintbrush or roller.
Remove any loose brush hairs while the paint is still wet and leave to dry.

Do I need to prime before painting?

You’ll need to prime before painting only if:

If the surface absorbs water, moisture, oil, odor, or stains. Otherwise, the wall surface will absorb your paint if you do not prime first.
If the surface is shiny. Paints do not adhere to shiny surfaces. In this case, you’ll need to do a light sanding and apply prime before you paint.
If the surface has an odor. The previous homeowners could have had pets or been victims of a fire incident. A good primer will eliminate the odors and prevent them from returning.

How do you calculate paint for a room?

To calculate the amount of paint you need for a room, add the length of all the walls and multiply it by the height of the room, from floor to ceiling. This will give you the room’s square footage.

Find out how much of that square footage is paintable. If you plan to use a different paint on your doors and windows, subtract 20 square feet for each door and 15 square feet for each average-sized window in the room. This will give you a number that is close to the paintable wall area.

Divide it by 350, that is, the square-foot coverage of a regular paint gallon. The number you get is the number of paint gallons you need to get.

Is it worth it to hire painters?

Hiring a professional painter is always worth the money you spend.

This is because the job is guaranteed to be done well, especially if it’s the first time. Paints are costly, so you’ll need someone that knows all about paint jobs to tell you which kind of paint will be good for you.

Also, if you paint your home yourself, you might not get it done quickly because you’ll be distracted by a lot of other household chores. A professional painter will focus on the job to get it done.