INTERIOR PAINTING

The average cost to paint the interior of a home is $2.75 per square foot. If you include walls, trim, and ceilings the cost per square foot is $4.69. If repairs are needed before painting, you’ll likely pay more. This assumes you hire a professional painter to do the job versus doing it yourself.

You’ll spend less if you paint the house yourself or live in an area with low labor rates. However, other factors can cause the job to cost even more: You may spend up to $8 per square foot or more if you have high ceilings, need wall repair or want accent walls.

Typically, the painting costs vary between $2 – $3 CAD per square foot, plus HST for paint. For a house measuring 1200 sq ft, the overall cost can range from $3,000 – $5,000 CAD + HST, translating to about $2.5- $3 CAD per square foot + HST.

Each room in your home has unique painting needs. Living and dining rooms often need a fresh coat every 5-7 years, while master bedrooms can go up to ten with high-quality paint. But kids’ rooms might need attention more frequently – think every 3-5 years.

You should paint your ceiling with a fresh coat about every ten to fifteen years. And it’s best to paint your ceilings at the same time as the rest of your interior walls since the paint job requires moving furniture and obstacles out of the way. It’s best just to do it all at once.

Most interior designers will say, as a general rule of design, that you should never paint your entire home one singular color. That isn’t to say that you can’t use the same color palette throughout your entire home.

Paint your baseboards every two to three years to maintain their appearance. Door and window trim and crown molding are safely out of reach and don’t require paint as often. However, if you don’t clean these areas periodically, dirt and dust can degrade the paint over time.

Most ceiling paints have a flat (or matte) finish. A flat finish doesn’t reflect lights and will hide most irregularities and defects in the ceiling. On the other hand, reflective sheens draw the eye upward and can detract from the rest of the room. Another benefit of a flat finish is that it doesn’t scuff easily.

White trim may be the rule in most homes, but it isn’t the only option for trim color! Painting the casings and baseboards to match the wall color creates a cohesive, modern look. For example, if your walls are light gray, consider using the same gray color on the trim instead of white.

Step 1: Clean Existing Baseboards

So we always recommend cleaning baseboards with a tsp (trisodium phosphate) “no-rinse” substitute before painting or priming.

Cons:
May not provide as much reflectivity as satin paint, which can make smaller rooms feel more cramped.
Not as suitable for creating a modern or contemporary look due to its low sheen finish.
May require more coats than satin paint to achieve full coverage.

So, to fully paint the interior of an average-sized 1,500 – 2,000 square foot home, you can plan on it taking around 3 – 6 days from start to finish. This depends on the following 6 variables: The amount of furniture that requires moving. The size of the paint crew.

Semi-gloss finish

The most common and best sheen for interior trim is a satin or semi-gloss finish. Satin paint finishes have a medium sheen and are durable and easy to clean. Semi-gloss paint finishes have a higher sheen and stand out in a room. They are easy to clean and stand up to dirt, stains, mold, and mildew.

Matching your doors to your trim–for example, white doors with white trim–makes a room feel continuous and unbroken. This can help a room to feel more open and larger. This is especially great if you have small rooms and want to keep your guests from feeling claustrophobic.