Painting Job Pricing Calculator: price a room like a pro
Quote this room at
$752
- Paintable area
- 417 sq ft × 2 coats
- Paint — 3 gal @ $32.92 (National median)
- $98.76
- Sundries (tape, plastic, patch — 12% of paint)
- $11.85
- Labor — 6.6 hrs @ $65/hr
- $426.40
- Direct cost
- $537.01
- Markup (40%)
- $214.80
Labor assumes 150 sq ft/hr for standard prep (patch, sand, spot-prime) plus one hour of setup/cleanup. Coverage assumes 350 sq ft per gallon per coat (typical for premium interior latex on smooth walls).
How this calculator works — the formula
wall area = 2 × (L + W) × H − doors × 21 − windows × 15
gallons = ⌈(area × coats) ÷ 350⌉ · labor hrs = (area × coats) ÷ production rate + 1
price = (paint + 12% sundries + labor hrs × rate) × (1 + markup%)
Production rates: ~200 sq ft/hr light prep, ~150 standard, ~100 heavy (rolling, cutting-in, and prep combined). Deductions of 21 sq ft per door and 15 sq ft per window are standard estimating practice.
This week’s prices: Behr Premium Plus interior, 1 gal (eggshell)
Tracked at Home Depot and Lowe’s store-level pages across 20 metros. Stamps advance only when a fresh check succeeds — methodology.
| Metro | Home Depot | Lowe’s | Week over week |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $37.49 | $37.40 | ▼ $0.64 this week |
| Los Angeles, CA | $35.49 | $35.95 | ▲ $0.47 this week |
| Chicago, IL | $32.80 | $33.10 | ▼ $0.17 this week |
| Dallas, TX | $31.29 | $31.10 | ▼ $0.44 this week |
| Houston, TX | $30.29 | $31.13 | ▼ $0.19 this week |
| Phoenix, AZ | $31.80 | $31.21 | ▼ $0.50 this week |
| Philadelphia, PA | $33.87 | $34.32 | ▲ $0.49 this week |
| Atlanta, GA | $31.63 | $31.35 | ▼ $0.04 this week |
| Miami, FL | $33.73 | $33.17 | ▲ $0.39 this week |
| Boston, MA | $36.33 | $36.02 | ▲ $0.35 this week |
| San Francisco, CA | $37.09 | $37.13 | ▼ $0.43 this week |
| Detroit, MI | $31.78 | $31.50 | ▼ $0.03 this week |
| Seattle, WA | $34.67 | $35.22 | ▲ $0.13 this week |
| Minneapolis, MN | $32.61 | $32.37 | ▼ $0.26 this week |
| San Diego, CA | $35.93 | $35.23 | ▼ $0.62 this week |
| Tampa, FL | $31.78 | $31.63 | ▲ $0.30 this week |
| Denver, CO | $33.36 | $32.83 | ▲ $0.28 this week |
| St. Louis, MO | $30.08 | $30.03 | ▲ $0.21 this week |
| Baltimore, MD | $33.08 | $32.67 | ▼ $0.16 this week |
| Charlotte, NC | $30.83 | $30.96 | ▲ $0.39 this week |
| National median | $32.92 | ▼ $0.04 this week | |
Questions contractors actually ask
How much should I charge to paint a 12×12 room?
With standard prep, two coats, and a $65/hr rate, a 12×12×9 room (≈390 sq ft of wall after openings) prices around $600–$800 including paint at this week's verified price ($32.92/gal national median, Aug 24, 2026). Heavy prep or ceilings push it higher — run your own inputs above.
How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?
Plan on 350 sq ft per gallon per coat for quality interior latex on smooth, previously painted walls. Textured surfaces, new drywall, and drastic color changes cut coverage — that's what the coats and primer settings are for.
What do painters charge per hour?
Typical billed rates run $55–$95/hr depending on metro and finish level. Your real floor comes from your burdened labor cost plus overhead — the hourly rate calculator builds it from your own numbers.
Is the paint price in this tool real?
Yes — it's the tracked shelf price for Behr Premium Plus interior (1 gal) at big-box retailers per metro, national median $32.92 as of Aug 24, 2026, re-verified weekly. The full 20-metro table is on this page.
The Job Numbers Weekly
Get the 2026 painting rate sheet for your region — free, from our verified data.
Signups open at launch. One email a week: price changes, material deltas, one calculator. No vendor spam. What’s in the Weekly →