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Professional painters charge $20 to $50 per hour, on average. Hourly rate cost factors include the complexity of the paint job, the type of paint, the height of the walls and ceiling, and the type of prep and repairs needed. For example, removing wallpaper costs an additional $3 per square foot because it can be very time consuming and labor intensive. Your location will also impact the hour rate.

To estimate the cost to paint interior walls, multiply the square footage by the average price range to paint interior walls, which is $2 to $6 per square foot. For example, a 12-by-12-foot room with 8-foot tall walls is 384 square feet, meaning that the cost to paint the room will range from $768 to $2,304. Painting the ceiling and any trim will add to the overall cost, as will any repairs.

To calculate the square footage of a home exterior, painters multiply the length of the wall by the height of the wall to be painted. Then they add the total square footage for all of the walls to be painted. To calculate the price, they multiply the total square footage by their cost per square foot to prep and paint. Additional costs may factor in such as repairs, additional trim, and walls higher than the first story.

The cost to paint the exterior of a house ranges from $1,900 to $4,500 or about $1.50 to $4 per square foot, depending on the size, height, and complexity of the home layout. Other cost factors include your location, the type of siding (e.g., wood, aluminum, brick, stucco, etc.), and the kind of paint (e.g. oil-based, latex, acrylic, etc.). Painting the trim a different color or painting intricately designed trim can also increase the cost.