How much it costs to paint a room in Chicago relies on a number of factors but it is very affordable.
A recent house painting pricing study over the past year reveals that it costs $640 to paint a medium-sized room in Chicago on average.
This price includes all labor, paint, and supplies to hire a painter in Chicago, IL to complete a standard size room.
How much does it cost to hire a house painter in Chicago?
Painting a room in Chicago does not cost a ton of money.
As previously mentioned, there are a number of factors that go into the price to paint a medium-sized room.
Not to mention, the actual painting is only a small part of the budget.
The number one factor in the cost of your paint job is the amount of preparation required.
This includes taping off light switches and wall fixtures as well as surface preparation like patching, caulking, and sanding.
How much does a painter cost per day?
In fact, nearly 80% of the cost to paint a room in Chicago (or otherwise) comes from the prep needed before opening a can of paint.
Prep before painting also includes moving furniture and properly covering items in the room like couches, beds, or nightstands.
Whether you are painting a small bedroom or your living room, you will also need to protect flooring with drop cloths and mask off unpainted surfaces. Don’t forget that it also takes time to choose the best neutral interior paint color for the room.
Price Of Hiring A Painter Versus Doing it Yourself
Now, the decision to hire a professional painting company versus doing it yourself depends on a number of factors as well.
Perhaps, a good place to start is to ask yourself the following questions. What is the value of my time and energy? Obviously, if you are a skilled painter that enjoys the act of painting, I would steer you to DIY the project.
Unfortunately, not all of us are professionals or enjoy the act of watching paint dry.
Homeowner Pro Tip: Professional painting and drywall repair prices are the lowest of the year this month. Get your free painting price quote online now.
Professional Painters Chicago Cost
The average cost for a Chicago painter to paint the entire interior of a home is $5,814. While different types of projects like exterior painting in Chicago can range from $4,612 to $9,836 on average. Other Chicago-area painting contractors may charge per square foot or use an hourly rate.
As a rule of thumb, it typically takes a beginner 3-5x longer to paint a room vs hiring a professional painter to do it. That in addition to the full retail price you’ll be paying for the paint. Indeed, the cost per gallon of paint can top out at $70-$90 per gallon with inflated Chicago taxes included for homeowners.
On the other hand, if you choose to hire a good painting service you’ll likely get the job done faster, at a higher level of quality, and at a reasonable cost. Oftentimes, the cost of hiring a good painter vs. doing it yourself is surprisingly comparable after the drywall dust settles.
How much do painters charge per hour in Chicago?
While rare, some new painters charge per hour for labor. Hourly labor rates for a professional painter will average $60 to $90 for most paint jobs but specialty work could cost as much as $120 per hour in Chicago.
Specialty painting work includes murals, texture finishes, intricate trim, hard-to-reach surfaces, and wood staining. This doesn’t include the price of paint, materials, or fixed costs like insurance.
Painting your living room? Check out our top paint color picks of the year for living rooms!
By and large, be wary of painters in Chicagoland that charge a per hour labor rate. These are often fly-by-night contractors that wouldn’t think twice about putting your home or family at risk.
Accordingly, they rarely carry valid liability coverage or workers’ compensation and often disappear before the job is done. Your best bet is to steer clear of these types of painters to avoid a home improvement nightmare.
What's the average cost to paint a room in my house?
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The True Cost To Paint A Room
So if you hired a professional painting crew to paint three rooms in your condo, how long would that same job take you?
A good painting team can get those rooms done in a day, including all setup and cleanup time.
That versus the 3-5 days it would likely take a beginner to complete the same amount of work, with all the extra Home Depot supply runs included.
Learn more about the cost to paint your condominium’s interior by reading our apartment and condo painting guide.
Additionally, the crew already has all of the ladders, rollers, drop cloths, masking tape, paintbrushes, buckets, and equipment to do the job.
Furthermore, the painters get a massive contractor discount on the paint at their local Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore store.
Likewise, they came in from the suburbs and bought the paint outside of Cook County, skipping that pesky 10% sales tax in Chicago.
DIY Room Painting Costs
In the end, you’ve spent $300 on paint, another $250 on supplies (including a ladder you’ll never need), and literally days of your life choosing to paint yourself.
Okay, so in theory, let’s say you are a decent DIY painter and get the job done in two days.
Given that the average salary needed to own a house in Chicagoland is $60k, this works out to $230 a day. Based on your annual income, this would be your personal paint labor cost per day rate.
After all of that, you may or may not be happy with the DIY painting masterpiece you’ve spent days working on.
Maybe that “paint and primer in one” product you used is now flashing in the afternoon sunlight and now requires a second coat.
When it’s all said and done, I would rather pay a good professional crew $1,800 to paint my bedroom, bathroom, and living room.
Notwithstanding, the toughest part of this scenario is finding a good Chicago painter that can take on the job.
Indeed, this is why Improovy Painters Chicago exists, to make the often difficult process of hiring a professional paint crew easier than actually doing it yourself.
Small Painting Jobs
Now, if you’re only painting one room I would actually recommend doing it yourself. Accordingly, most good professional painters have a minimum job size of at least $1,500.
No question, you can overpay for a painter to come in to do one room.
However, it’s really tough for a pro to justify taking on a job that requires under one day of labor, especially during the busy season.
Thinking about painting a small bathroom? Here’s a helpful list of our most popular bathroom wall colors of the year to inspire ideas for your next powder room makeover.
Lastly, you can roll the dice and hire a handyman service using Thumbtack or Titan Painting Chicago.
Keep in mind that their crews don’t specialize in the painting trade and have limited capabilities in providing professional results.
As a result, they will likely take longer to do the job at a lower quality level versus a pro.
And since most of these “platforms” charge high hourly labor rates (think $150 per hour plus), the final price tag could be much higher than you’d expect.
Check out our about page to learn more about Improovy’s roots in Chicago, Illinois!
Also, if you need a painter in Chicago’s North burbs, visit Improovy Painters of the North Shore to get a free price quote.
