Interior Painting Cost Calculator

Nothing says ‘brand spanking new’ like a fresh coat of paint. It can transform your home, making it feel like a totally new space. But how much does it cost to paint the interior of your house? And how do you calculate painting cost?

Whether you're repainting one room or the entire shebang, use our handy interior painting cost calculator Australia to find out.

Need more information? Alongside our painting cost calculator above, we dug deep into the research and chatted with one of our trusted tradies to break down everything you need to know about the costs of interior house painting. Topics you'll find on this page include: 

• How to estimate interior painting cost 
  • Step 1: Understand room dimensions
  • Step 2: Understand the number of paint coats needed
  • Step 3: Understand paint costs per litre
• What is the average cost of interior house painting?
• What influences the cost of interior painting?
• DIY vs. professional painters: why is a pro worth it?
• How to choose an interior house painter
• Interior house painting FAQs 

How to estimate interior painting cost

Are you wondering how to calculate your painting cost? Good news: working out how much paint is needed for your interior house painting job is way easier than cutting in a fiddly window frame. 

Step 1: Understand your room dimensions in m²

If you want to work out your interior painting costs, start with figuring out the square metreage of the room that you want to paint. Check out some examples below on professional painting costs for rooms with different dimensions, with all examples including 1 cost of primer and 2 coats of paint. Ceiling paint, as well as paint for window sills and doors are also included in the estimates below. 

Living room

• Dimensions: 5m x 4m x 3m

• Painting cost per m2: $60 - $100

• Estimated total cost: $4,500 - $8,000

Bedroom

• Dimensions: 3.5m x 3m x 3m

• Painting cost per m2: $60 - $100

• Estimated total cost: $3,200 - $5,500

Bathroom 

• Dimensions: 2.5m x 2m x 3m

• Painting cost per m2: $60 - $100

• Estimated total cost: $2,000 - $3,500

You can remove windows from this total to be more accurate, but we often find that accounting for higher costs and some extra paint is a good thing to cover any touch-ups, mistakes, or other unexpected needs. This is especially the case if you're painting more than one room with the same colour.

Step 2: How many coats of paint do you need?

Generally, most rooms need two coats of paint and a coat of primer. However, this varies depending on the state of the wall and what you’re covering.

For example, if you have a dark blue wall and want to go pristine white, you’ll likely need a lot more paint. If you're refreshing your walls with the same colour, you might get away with one coat only.

Step 3: Work out the cost of paint (per litre)

There are endless interior paints available, and each comes with a different price tag and coverage (how much surface area one litre will cover). This will usually be stated by the paint can, or you can ask your local hardware store or pro painter. In our calculator above, our painting amount and cost calculations are based on a default paint coverage of 15m2/litre.

Here’s what some of Australia’s most common paint brands have to say. 

Dulux

Perhaps Australia’s most popular paint brand, Dulux says: As a general guide 1 litre of Dulux Wall, Dulux Trim or Dulux Ceiling paint covers approximately 16m squared, while 1 litre of Dulux Primer will cover approximately 14m squared.

For a medium-sized room of up to 4.3m x 4.3m, they suggest 15 litres of paint with the following breakdown:

• Walls, 6 litres, two coats

• Ceiling, 3 litres, two coats 

• Undercoat Primer, 5 litres, one coat

• Doors and Trims, 1 litre, two coats 

10 litres of Vivid White Low Sheen Wash&Wear Interior Paint is currently $18 at Bunnings, and you can pick up 5 litres of primer for around $140, and a litre of Aquanamel paint for doors and trims for $64. 

Taubmans

According to the Taubman’s website, for the same size room, with one window and one door you’ll need around 12 litres of paint. That’s based on two coats. 

According to Bunnings, 12 litres of Taubman’s Endure Interior Paint costs around $260. Remember to add primer and a litre of paint for doors and trims, too. 

British Paints 

British Paints suggests 9 litres of paint for a 4.3 x 4.3 metre room plus another plus another 5 for the ceiling, based on two coats.

Depending on the exact British Paint you choose, this will cost around $260 from a shop such as Bunnings. It could be a bit more if you add primer and any special gloss paints for trims. 

Average cost of interior house painting

It’s probably not surprising that when it comes to interior house painting, the cost varies depending on the size of your house and how much of it you’re painting.

But, if you’re going with a professional painter (which you should if you want it looking top notch), the cost — according to Alexander Berry, from R.J & A.L Berry Painting in Piara Waters, Western Australia — painting cost per square metre is around $60 - $100 per m2. For Alexander, this rate includes the cost of the paint itself, with paint for your doors and window frames too. 

Depending on the tradie and scope of work, this cost could cover things such as:

• Prep work such as sanding and filling cracks

• Priming the surface

• Two coats

• Doors, windows and trims

• Materials and paint

• Tools

• Labour/wages for your painter

Always check what's included, and remember that painting rates will vary depending on where you’re located, the experience level of your tradie, the paint you choose, and a few other things that we’ll delve into in more detail later. If you want more information on interior painting costs, check out our painting cost guide.

What influences the cost of interior painting?

There are plenty of things that will influence the final cost of painting your home's interior:

• Surface area: The larger the area that needs painting, the more you’ll pay. Having said that, some tradies may lower costs per square metre for larger jobs. Plus, the larger the paint pot you buy, the cheaper the price per litre

• Paint quality: Higher-quality paint will cost more. It's often worth the investment, though, as it will last longer and give a better finish

• Preparation work: Slapping paint onto an unprimed wall is a recipe for peeling paint and a patchy finish. You’ll need to sand, fill cracks, and make sure the surface is primed to perfection. If your walls need a lot of prep work, this will drive up the price

• Decorative mouldings and fiddly bits: If your home has fancy cornices, mouldings or other complex or fiddly areas to paint, this adds complexity and time to the job, meaning a higher cost

• Ceiling height: Taller ceilings mean more labour and sometimes special equipment, bumping up the price

• Multiple colours: Using different colours can add complexity and time to the job, which might increase the overall cost 

DIY vs. professional painters: why going pro is worth it

You might be tempted to grab a brush and tackle the job yourself, but hiring a licensed painter is the way to go.

They know the ins and outs of prepping surfaces, choosing the right materials, and getting a smooth finish. Plus, if anything goes wrong — like uneven coverage or peeling paint — they have the experience to fix it quickly.

In a recent survey with hipages customers, painting was ranked Number 1 in a list of DIY disasters. 

And that doesn’t just leave your house looking dodgy; it makes you feel bad, too. 42% of people are annoyed that they wasted so much time, and 28% are annoyed that they spent so much money just to go to waste. Ouch.

The answer? Call in the pros and let them do the hard work.

How to choose an interior house painter 

Don’t just base your final choice on cost when getting house painting quotes. Look at their track record, read reviews on platforms like hipages, and make sure they’re licensed and insured. A list of questions you could ask include:

• Do you have a valid licence to complete the work in my home?

• Can you show proof of training and qualifications?

• How much experience do you have?

• Can I see examples of your previous work?

• Do you provide written quotes?

• Are you insured?

• What’s included (or not included) in your service?

A successful job isn't all on your tradie. You are responsible for giving your professional painter as much information as possible so they can give you an accurate quote.

Do your walls or ceilings have lots of imperfections? Are they just doing the walls of the room? Or the ceilings, too? What about the doors, windows, and other elements? Do you have tricky access issues or extremely high ceilings? Be upfront with your tradies, and there’ll be no surprise price hikes down the line.

FAQs about interior house painting

How far will 1 litre of paint go?

According to Dulux, one litre of paint will cover 14-16 metres squared. For all brands, it depends on the type of paint and the quality of the surface. 

How much do painters charge per m² in Australia?

Painters in Australia generally charge between $60 and $100 per square metre for interior painting. This varies depending on location, skill level, paint type, and other factors. 

How do you calculate the cost of painting?

To calculate the painting cost, multiply the total square metres of the surface by the painter’s rate per square metre and add additional costs for preparation or special finishes. You can also use our house painting cost estimator.