Interior
A painting menu split into interior, exterior and the prep that makes the paint last.
| Service | What it covers | Typical range | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior walls | From This Old House, one source | $1.00 to $2.00 a sq ft of wall | $1.50 |
| Ceilings | From This Old House and Fixr | $0.75 to $2.75 a sq ft | $1.75 |
| Trim and baseboards | From This Old House, one source | $1.00 to $3.00 a foot | $2.00 |
| Cabinet painting | Doors, boxes and drawer fronts | Set your own | |
| Accent wall | One wall, color change | Set your own |
Exterior
| Service | What it covers | Typical range | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior, paintable area | From HomeAdvisor and This Old House | $1.85 to $4.20 a sq ft | $3.03 |
| Pressure wash before painting | Vinyl or painted siding | $0.20 to $0.45 a sq ft | $0.32 |
| Deck and fence staining | Clean, prep and stain | Set your own | |
| Front door refinish | High-visibility add-on | Set your own |
Prep and repair
| Service | What it covers | Typical range | Typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drywall patch, small hole | Before paint | $20 to $120 a hole | $70 |
| Drywall patch, large hole | Before paint | $50 to $200 a hole | $125 |
| Caulking and wood repair | Trim and siding | Set your own | |
| Lead-safe prep on pre-1978 homes | EPA RRP work practices | Set your own |
How painters usually price
Painters price interior work by the room or by wall area, exterior work by paintable area with prep priced in, and give a written scope that says how many coats.
Our guide on pricing painting work walks through it step by step, from your labor rate to the price on the estimate.
Where the ranges come from
7 of the 13 services carry a range. Each one comes from a koira.ai calculator that lists the cost guides behind it and the date they were checked: painting cost calculator, pressure washing cost calculator, drywall cost calculator. They are national figures; the calculators scale the labor share to your state's wages when you enter a ZIP.
Lines marked "Set your own" have no range we could source well enough to publish. Price them from your own hours and parts.
What it takes to deliver this menu
The starter kit behind these services: angled sash brushes in two or three widths; roller frames, extension poles and roller covers; 5 in 1 or 6 in 1 tools and putty knives; drop cloths, plastic sheeting and painter's tape; step ladder and a multi-position ladder; caulk guns, spackle and sanding sponges; buckets, grids and a paint mixer; respirator, eye protection and a lead test kit. The full tools list adds the pro kit and van stock, with maker prices where we could check them.
Turn this into your price list
Edit the prices in the sheet above, print it or download it as a spreadsheet. To use it on real jobs, start a free Koira Office account: your services and prices become the price list your estimates are built from, with signing and a deposit on the same page, and the invoice goes out when the job is done.
Start free on the Office plan. Everything on this page stays free without an account.
Sources
- This Old House, interior painting cost, checked October 8, 2026
- This Old House, exterior painting cost, checked October 8, 2026
- HomeAdvisor, interior painting cost, checked October 8, 2026
- HomeAdvisor, exterior painting cost, checked October 8, 2026
- Fixr, cost to paint a room, checked October 8, 2026
- Benjamin Moore Regal Select, coverage, checked October 8, 2026
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national files), checked October 8, 2026
- US Census Bureau, 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area to county relationship file, checked October 8, 2026
- Fixr, cost to pressure wash a house, checked October 8, 2026
- Fixr, cost to pressure wash a deck, checked October 8, 2026
- Fixr, cost to pressure wash a fence, checked October 8, 2026
- Fixr, roof cleaning cost, checked October 8, 2026
- HomeAdvisor, power washing cost, checked October 8, 2026
- HomeAdvisor, driveway pressure washing cost, checked October 8, 2026
- HomeAdvisor, roof cleaning cost, checked October 8, 2026
- Thumbtack, power washing prices, checked October 8, 2026
- Bob Vila, cost to pressure wash a house, checked October 8, 2026
- Today's Homeowner, pressure washing, checked October 8, 2026
- Fixr, drywall installation cost, checked October 8, 2026
- HomeAdvisor, drywall installation cost, checked October 8, 2026
- HomeAdvisor, drywall repair cost, checked October 8, 2026
- Bob Vila, drywall cost, checked October 8, 2026
- Thumbtack, drywall installation cost, checked October 8, 2026
- EPA: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, contractors, checked October 8, 2026
Last checked October 9, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.