Painting the inside of a whole house costs $3,500 to $10,000 on average in 2026, by national published figures. We do not publish a St. Louis price list, because the walls set the price. A room of smooth drywall in Ballwin and a room of cracked plaster with eleven foot ceilings in Tower Grove are two different jobs.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, paint prices and the condition of your own walls, wood and brick move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
How much does it cost to paint the interior of a house?
Nationally it costs $3,500 to $10,000 to paint the interior of a house, with a national average of $7,500. HomeGuide lists a low of $2,000 and a high of $15,000. That works out to $3 to $7 per square foot of floor space.
St. Louis has a lot of older housing. Plaster walls, tall ceilings, wide baseboards, picture rail and old wood windows all add hours compared with a plain modern room. Newer homes in west St. Louis County have more drywall and less trim detail, but often have two story foyers. We measure and look before we price.
How much does it cost to paint a room?
It costs $300 to $1,000 to paint a room on average, by the national figures, with a national average of $750. The published low is $150 and the high is $2,500. Painters also have a minimum job fee, published as $250 to $500 or more.
| Room | National range |
|---|---|
| Bathroom | $150 to $400 |
| Primary bathroom | $250 to $650 |
| Kitchen walls | $150 to $250 |
| Bedroom | $350 to $850 |
| Primary bedroom | $650 to $1,400 |
| Living room | $600 to $2,000 |
| Dining room or hallway | $300 to $1,000 |
| Open-plan basement | $800 to $2,500 |
These are from HomeGuide's page on room painting. Walls only cost less than walls with trim and ceiling.
How much to paint a 1,500 or 2,000 square foot house inside?
For a 1,500 square foot house the national range is $4,500 to $6,000, and for a 2,000 square foot house it is $6,000 to $8,000. These come from HomeGuide's whole interior page and go by floor area.
| House size | National range |
|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $3,000 to $4,000 |
| 1,200 sq ft | $3,600 to $4,800 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $4,500 to $6,000 |
| 1,800 sq ft | $5,400 to $7,200 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $6,000 to $8,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $7,500 to $10,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $9,000 to $12,000 |
HomeGuide's separate room page gives lower figures for the same sizes, such as $1,600 to $5,600 for 2,000 square feet. The gap comes from what is counted: walls only, or walls with ceilings, trim and doors. Ask every painter what their number covers.
How much to paint a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house?
A 3-bedroom house costs $1,200 to $8,500 to paint inside, by the national figures. The range is wide because it runs from walls only in a small house to walls, ceilings, trim and doors in a large one.
| House | National range |
|---|---|
| 1-bedroom | $800 to $4,100 |
| 2-bedroom | $1,000 to $6,400 |
| 3-bedroom | $1,200 to $8,500 |
| 4-bedroom | $2,000 to $10,000 |
| 5-bedroom | $3,000 to $12,000 |
You can also build it up room by room from the published room figures: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a hallway. That gives a rough frame only. A written quote after a walk-through gives the real number.
How much do painters charge per square foot?
Painters charge $1 to $3 per square foot of wall and ceiling surface, or $3 to $7 per square foot of floor space, by the national figures. Walls only are published at $1.00 to $2.00 per square foot. Ceilings add $1.00 to $2.00 and texture adds $0.80 to $2.00.
Labor is 70% to 85% of the total, by the same source. That is why prep and detail move the price more than the paint does.
Do painters charge by the room or by the square foot?
Both. Most painters price by the room or by the job for houses, and work it out from the square feet of surface, the height, the trim and the prep. A price per square foot is a way to check a quote, not a full quote.
We give one written price for the job with the rooms and surfaces listed, so you can see what is in and what is out.
Does it cost more to paint ceilings as well as walls?
Yes. Ceilings cost extra, published at $1 to $2 per square foot of ceiling, or $150 to $300 per ceiling in labor. Textured or popcorn ceilings are $1.00 to $3.50 per square foot.
Old St. Louis ceilings are often plaster with hairline cracks and old water marks. Those need repair and stain-blocking primer before paint, which adds time. If the ceilings are clean and white, leaving them alone is a fair way to save money.
How much extra for trim, doors and baseboards?
Trim and baseboards cost $1 to $4 per linear foot, or $500 to $2,000 for a house, by the national figures. Interior doors are $75 to $150 each. A window frame is $25 to $100, and $50 to $120 with sashes and mullions. Crown molding is $1 to $5 per linear foot.
Older homes here have a lot of trim: tall baseboards, wide casings, picture rail, built-in bookcases and multi-pane windows. Trim that was painted in oil years ago also needs sanding and a bonding primer before a modern paint will hold.
How much extra for high or vaulted ceilings and stairwells?
High ceilings add 10% to 50% or more, by the published figure for ceilings over 10 feet. No dollar amount is published, because it depends on the room. Stairwells are published per linear foot by height: $16 for 8 to 13 feet, $20 for 13 to 17 feet, $24 for 17 to 19 feet and $30 above 19 feet.
Two story foyers and great rooms are common in Chesterfield and Ballwin. Ten and eleven foot ceilings are common in city homes from before 1920. Both need taller ladders or staging and more time.
Does it cost more to go from a dark color to white?
Usually yes, but there is no published figure for it. Going from dark walls to a light color often needs a primer coat or a third coat, which adds paint and labor. HomeGuide only says that such a change may need more coats.
We tell you in the quote how many coats we have allowed for, so there is no surprise.
How much more if the walls need a lot of prep?
Walls that need a lot of prep cost more, and the published figure for sanding and patching is $1 to $3 per square foot of the area repaired. Larger drywall repairs are published at $300 to $1,500 or more as a separate job.
This is the big variable in St. Louis. Plaster cracks, loose plaster over wood lath, failed old patches and peeling paint on radiator walls are normal in homes from the early 1900s. We point out the repairs during the estimate and price them in writing.
Does the price include moving furniture and covering floors?
Covering floors and furniture is part of our job. We move and cover the furniture and protect the floors, and we ask you to put away small and fragile things. Some painters charge for moving furniture: the published national figure is $35 to $60 per hour.
Ask each painter whether moving furniture, taking down curtains and removing switch plates are in the price.
Why are my painting quotes so far apart?
Painting quotes end up far apart because they are rarely for the same work. One painter prices two full coats, plaster repair and trim. Another prices one coat on the walls and nothing else.
- How many coats, and whether primer is included.
- Which surfaces: walls only, or ceilings, trim, doors and closets too.
- How much repair is allowed for.
- The grade of paint.
- Whether lead-safe work is priced for a pre-1978 home.
- Whether the company is licensed and insured.
Line the quotes up item by item before you compare the totals.
How do I know if a painting quote is fair?
A painting quote is fair when it is written, complete and close to other complete quotes for the same scope. It should name the rooms, the surfaces, the prep, the number of coats and the paint.
You can set it against the national ranges on this page as a rough check. A higher number is not wrong for a house with plaster repair and a lot of trim. A number far below the others deserves questions about what was left out.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (314) 742-3507.