How Much Does It Cost To Paint One Room?

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Written By Sourabh Negi

I cover structural design, construction technology and building materials.

In this post, we will learn to calculate the cost to paint one room. Besides cost estimation, we will learn to calculate the quantity of material required to paint any given area.

Suppose let us consider the size of the room is 12 feet x 12 feet. The cost estimation will show the total cost to paint one room (interior only) of 12 feet x 12 feet size.

Image showing dimensions of the room to be used in calculation of cost to paint one room
Room of size 12feet x 12 feet having height 10 feet

For estimation, we have taken the room of size 12 feet (3.66 M) and height 10 feet (3.05 M). There are four walls. Let us name each wall as Wall-A, Wall-B, Wall-C, and Wall-D. So the size of one wall will be 12 feet in length and 10 feet in height -12 feet x 10 feet (3.66 m x 3.05 m).

There is one door represented by the letter D having size (0.8 m x 2.1 m) and one window represented by the letter W having size (1.8m x 1.2m). Interior paint will be applied to the walls only.

Before applying the paint the surface is to be cleaned for dirt, dust, loose matter, and grease, etc. The surface is to be rubbed with sandpaper to remove loose material as well as to make it uniform. This will ensure a good bond between the paint and the surface.

First, a primer coat is applied with a brush or spray as the case may be. It is thinned with water in the required proportion. After drying it is rubbed with sandpaper. Then a coat of putty is applied. Putty should not be applied in thick quantity. If a thick layer of putty is to be applied then it should be applied in two coats.

The surface is then left to dry. After drying it is rubbed with the sandpaper to form a mechanical key to the finished coat. Two or three coats are applied as per the requirement. Each coat is left to dry before application of the next coat.

Description of Item

To paint a room, basically, three items are required- Primer, Putty, and Paint (distemper, acrylic, emulsion, or plastic paint).

Description of ItemNo.LengthBreadthHeightQty.Unit
Applying one coat of water thinnable cement primer of approved brand and manufacture on the wall surface 
Wall A13.663.0511.16 
Wall B13.663.0511.16 
Wall C13.663.0511.16 
Wall D13.663.0511.16 
Ceiling13.663.6613.4 
Deductions 
Door10.82.11.68 
Window11.81.22.16 
Total54.20Sqm.
Providing and applying plaster of Paris putty of 2 mm thickness over the plastered surface to prepare the surface even and smooth complete. 
Same as that of Qty. 154.20Sqm.
Distempering with 1st quality acrylic distemper (ready mixed) having VOC content less than 50 gms/litre, of the approved manufacturer, of required shade and colour complete, as per manufacturer’s specification. 
Same as that of Qty. 1    54.20Sqm.
description of item

Analysis of Rates

Analysis of rate is done to calculate the cost to paint one room and the total quantity of material required to paint one room.

Rate Analysis for Primer Coat.

one coat of primer coat is applied after cleaning the surface. The cost to paint one room includes the cost of applying a primer which is calculated as below:-

Applying one coat of water thinnable cement primer of approved brand and manufacture on the wall surface
DescriptionUnitQtyRateCost
Detail of cost for 10 sqm
Material
Water thinnable cement primer for interior wall surface, having VOC content less than 50 gms/litLtr.0.75035
Brushes, putty etc7.152.1215.16
LABOUR0
Painter0.4714285.6
Coolie0.2645129
Sundries including carriageLS8.062.1217.09
TOTAL481.85
Add 1 % Water charges 4.82
Total486.67
Add GST (multiplying factor 0.1405)68.38
TOTAL555.05
Add 15% CPOH 83.26
Total638.31
Add Cess @ 1% 6.38
Cost of 10.00 sqm644.69
Cost of 1.00 sqm64.47
Say64.45

For 1 Sq.M cost to apply primer coat is 64.45 if the work is awarded to the contractor. If the labour is employed by the owner himself then the cost to apply a primer coat to a 1 Sqm area will be 481.85/10 = 48.19 (water charges, GST, Contractor profit, and cess is not applied).

Note:- Water charges are applied where the Municipality applies 0.5-1% for water to be used for construction work.

Rate analysis for Putty

Putty is applied after the primer coat in one or two coats. The cost to paint one room also includes the cost to apply putty in one or two coats.

Providing and applying plaster of Paris putty of 2 mm thickness over the plastered surface to prepare the surface even and smooth complete.
DescriptionUnitQtyRateCost
Detail of cost for 10 sqm
Material
Plaster of paris 10×0.002×1121 = 22.42kg
Add 2% wastage= 0.45kg
Total = 22.87kg. Say23kg
Plaster of ParisKg235115
Carriage of Plaster of ParisL.S3.92.128.27
Labour0
Mason (for plaster of paris work) 1st classday0.91784713.44
Beldarday0.91645586.95
Scaffolding and sundriesL.S83.982.12178.04
Total   1601.7
Add 1 % Water charges 16.02
Total1617.72
Add GST (multiplying factor 0.1405)227.29
TOTAL1845.01
Add 15% CPOH 276.75
Total2121.76
Add Cess @ 1% 21.22
Cost of 10.00 sqm2142.98
Cost of 1.00 sqm214.30
Say214.30

Similarly, the cost to apply putty over a 1 Sqm. the area will be 1601.7/10 = 160.17 Rs.

Rate Analysis for Distemper

Here we have chosen distemper as the final coat because it is cheaper and durable. The cost to paint one room includes the cost to apply distemper as well, which is calculated as below:

Distempering with 1st quality acrylic distemper (ready mixed) having VOC content less than 50 gms/litre, of the approved manufacturer, of required shade and color complete, as per manufacturer’s specification.
DescriptionUnitQtyRateCost
Detail of cost for 10 sqm
Material
Acrylic distemper 1st quality , having VOC content
less than 50 grams/ litre
Kg1.54060
carriage of materialLS4.422.129.37
Brushes, putty etc11.572.1224.53
LABOUR
Painterday0.4714285.6
Coolieday0.46645296.7
Sundries including carriageLS8.062.1217.09
TOTAL693.29
Add 1 % Water charges6.93
Total700.22
Add GST (multiplying factor 0.1405)98.38
TOTAL798.6
Add 15% CPOH 119.79
Total918.39
Add Cess @ 1% 9.18
Cost of 10.00 sqm927.57
Cost of 1.00 sqm92.76
Say92.75

The cost to apply distemper over 1 Sqm area will be 693.29/10= 69.33 Rs.

Also Read:- How to prepare Cement Concrete Road Estimate.

Abstract of Cost to Paint one Room

Sr. NO. Description of ItemUnitQty.RateAmount
1Applying one coat of water thinnable cement primer of approved brand and manufacture on the wall surfaceSqm.54.248.192612
2Providing and applying plaster of Paris putty of 2 mm thickness over the plastered surface to prepare the surface even and smooth complete.Sqm.54.2160.178681
3Distempering with 1st quality acrylic distemper (ready mixed) having VOC content less than 50 gms/litre, of the approved manufacturer, of required shade and colour complete, as per manufacturer’s specification.Sqm.54.269.333758
 Total Amount in Rs. . 15051

How much does it Cost to Paint a 12 x 12 Room?

From the above example, we can say that cost to paint 12 x 12 Room, will be approximately 15000 Rs. The cost of paint depends on the material cost, labour cost and largely depends on the location of the area. Thus approximately 10,000-25,000 Rs. will be required to paint a 12 x 12 Room.

How much does it Cost to Paint one Room in a House?

We have calculated the cost of paint required for 54.20 Sqm (583.40 Sq. feet ) area which works out to be 15051 Rupees. So, cost per Sq. feet will be 15051/583.40= 25.80 Rs. As we have used distemper paint which is cheaper thus our total cost per Sq. feet is 25.80.

The average cost to paint one room (interior paint) lies anywhere between  ₹20 to ₹38 per sq ft in India as suggested by the website livspace. Our approximation of 25.80 is thus correct.

How much does it Cost to Paint a Small Room?

As per the National Building Code of India, the smallest size of the room shall not be less than 9.50 Sqm. For a room of 9.50 Sqm floor area having a height of 3.00 m, the area to be painted works out to be approximately 460 Sq Feet. Taking the average cost to paint per Square foot between 20 and 40, the cost to paint one small room will be approximately 10,000-20,000 Rs.

Also Read:- Classification of Buildings as per NBC.

To download the Excel Sheet of Cost Estimation of Paint, join my telegram Channel- Civilwala.

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