Perhaps you’re considering sprucing up your home with a new coat of paint. Well, that’s a great way to improve your home’s appearance. But before reaching for that paintbrush, get some basic information about painting a room.
Get to know what it takes to paint a room, its cost, how to go about it, and so much more. It’s only after you get information on this that you can come up with estimates of time, money, and so on.
And herein, we are ready to unleash every iota of information you need about painting a room. And as usual, we begin with the big question; how long does it take to paint a 12×12 room?
Read: 6 Clever Ways To Keep Paint From Freezing in Your Garage
How Long Does It Take To Paint a 12×12 Room?
The time it takes to paint any room in your house will depend on several factors. However, it’s widely agreed that an average homeowner can take about 5 hours to paint the four walls of a 12×12 room. Adding the ceiling, you can expect time to increase by about an hour and a half, bringing the total time to about 6.5 hours.
Painting a 12×12 room is a task that’s often completed in one day. The job can be done faster if you have more than one person working on it. But if you’re working all alone, it should take you no less than 6 hours for decent work.
And just so you know, a 12×12 room doesn’t mean that the total area you’ll need to paint is 144 sq. feet. To get the actual size you’ll cover, find the perimeter of the house and multiply it by the ceiling height, then add to that the area of the ceiling if you’re also painting it.
In our case of a 12×12 room, the total perimeter is 48 feet (12×4). To calculate the area, we’ll multiply 48 by 9 (the average modern ceiling height). That gives us a total of 432 square feet, the total area of the 4 walls without the ceiling.
Let’s work with the 4 walls in this case, that is, 432 square feet. If this area takes an average person 5 hours (300 minutes), then the average time to paint a square foot is 0.69 minutes, translating to about 42 seconds.
Assuming that you paint the ceiling at the same rate as the 4 walls, it should take 100 minutes to paint the additional 144 square feet area. That brings the total time for painting a 12×12 room to about 6 hours and 40 minutes.
What is the Average Cost of Painting a 12×12 Room?
The average cost of painting a 12×12 room is between $300 and $400 if you’re doing the work yourself. If you intend to bring in a professional, expect the cost to shoot up to the regions of $800 and $1000. But either way, the painting cost per square foot will reduce the more you cover a larger area.
You see, before you paint, you need to bring in other materials like drop clothes, painter’s tape, paintbrushes, paint, and other paraphernalia. However, the cost of some of these things remains constant with the increase in the size of the room to be painted.
For example, you won’t need to buy a new roller, paintbrush, or painter’s tape regardless of how big the room is or when painting a second room. The only thing that will change is the amount of paint required and, to some extent, the number of drop clothes.
But even with all these factors considered, the cost of painting a 12×12 room is still cheaper than most home improvement projects. Somewhere around 350 bucks is pretty low, considering what else you could do with that money.
However, if you intend to bring in a professional, you can expect the cost of painting a 12×12 room to go up to $800 or even $1000. It all depends on how the individual painter or painting company charges for their services.
So, if you can, do the work itself. Otherwise, a professional can also do it. And one way to reduce painting costs when using professional service is to get several competitors to send their estimates and then pick the lowest.
Read: How To Make Matte Floor Tile Glossy? (Steps to Follow)
Factors Involved in How Long It Takes To Paint a Room
Some of the factors influencing the time it takes to paint a room include the size of the room, the tools you’re using, prep work required, and of course, the skill level of the one doing the job.
Let’s take a look at each of these factors;
1. The Size Of The Room
This one is obvious. The larger the room, the longer it will take to paint, and a smaller room means you have a smaller surface area to work on. So, preparation, painting, and, where necessary, recoating will generally need less time here.
2. The Tools You’re Using
Rollers are the most efficient tools when it comes to painting. But you still need brushes for the corners and other areas where rollers can’t reach. So, a combination of both is usually best.
3. Preparation Work Needed
Preparation work isn’t just about laying drop clothes or taping. It also covers the need for sanding, cleaning, and generally everything in between that helps create a conducive environment for painting. If there’s a lot of work to do in this aspect, it will take more time.
4. The Skill Level Of The Painter
The skill level of the painter is a huge factor when it comes to how long it will take them to complete a painting job. A professional will obviously take less time than an amateur. In most cases, a veteran can take as little as half the time an amateur will need using the same tools.
How To Paint a Room?
Painting a room is a pretty straightforward process. Actually, you can do a great job without being a professional painter. As long as you have the right set of tools and are good at following instructions, you can save a bundle by doing the work yourself.
Just follow these simple steps and you’ll be good to go;
Step 1: Get The Plan First
Even your basic kitchen activities require some level of planning. The same goes for painting a room. You can’t just start slapping paint on the wall without having some sort of plan. The plan will help you paint a picture in mind of what the final outcome should look like and how best you can streamline the entire process.
Step 2: Pick The Color That You Need
This will obviously depend on your preferences. Here, consider how you want the room to feel like. Do you want it bright and clean, rich and dramatic, or cozy and intimate? If you can answer this question, you’re on your way to picking the perfect color.
Also, pay attention to the level of lighting. If the light isn’t as bright, there’s no way you’ll go for a dark tone. Otherwise, you’ll just end up feeling like you’re in a dungeon.
Step 3: Determine The Amount Of Paint You Need
This will again depend on the size of the Room. But generally, you’ll need at least one gallon of paint to cover 300 to 400 square feet of surface – walls and ceilings combined. If you need help getting the exact amount, you can use this Lowe’s calculator.
Step 4: Get Braced For The Job
You’ll need a set of essential painting tools. The tools you get can affect your time on the job and how good the final outcome will look.
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Paint
- Paint brushes (both angled and straight)
- Paint roller
- Stir stick
- Paint tray
- Drop cloths
- Paint tapes
- Putty knife
- Paint roller extension pole (optional)
Step 5: Do The Mixing
If you’re using more than one can of paint or the paint has been sitting on the shelf for a while, it’s essential that you do the mixing. This is to ensure the color and texture consistency of the paint.
Step 6: Prepare The Surface
No matter how good of a painter you are, the final outcome will always be as good as the surface you’re working on. That said, take the time to prepare the surface. This includes removing any dust or dirt, putting the paint tapes, protecting the furniture and other areas you don’t want to catch paint, and bringing in drop clothes for the floors.
Step 7: Do The Actual Painting
Once the surface is all set, it’s now time to do the actual painting. Here, you’ll use the brush for the corners and tight spots, and the roller for open areas. As usual, begin with the ceiling and work your way down to the walls.
Step 8: Finish Up
After you’re done with the painting, it’s time to clean up. This step involves removing the paint tapes, putting back the furniture, and disposing of the drop clothes and other painting materials. It also consists of revisiting the areas you may have missed.
This Youtube Video will provide you with some basic priceless tips and tricks when painting your room;
How Long Does It Take To Paint a 10×10 Room?
The duration it takes to paint a 10×10 room will depend on the same factors as painting a 12×12 room. In general, it will take you about 5.3 hours to do the job if you’re working alone. However, if you’re working with a partner, the time will be reduced to about 3 hours.
A 10×10 room has a total perimeter of 40. So, assuming the ceiling height is 9 feet, the 4 walls give a total surface area of 360 square feet. Add to this area the ceiling, which in our case is 100 square feet. That brings the total paintable area to 460 square feet.
Using our painting speed of 42 seconds per square foot, 460 square feet would take 19,320 seconds, translating to about 5 hours and 20 minutes.
How Long Does It Take To Paint a 20×20 Room?
The duration it takes to paint a 20×20 room is also subject to some factors. However, with the same tools and painting speed as the 10×10 Room, it will take you about 13 hours to do the job if you’re working alone. But if you have a partner, it will only take about 6 to 8 hours.
A 20×20 room has a total perimeter of 80. Working with the same ceiling height of 9 feet, the four walls give a total surface area of 720 square feet. Add to this area the ceiling, which in our case is 400 square feet. That means the entire area you need to paint is 1,120 square feet.
At our painting speed of 42 seconds per square foot, 1,120 square feet would take 47,040 seconds, or about 13 hours. That’s the theoretical time it should take to paint a 20×20 room. But, of course, you aren’t a robot. You’ll need to take breaks in between, and the actual time it takes you will most likely be longer.
With that in mind, you should set aside about 2 days to paint a 20×20 room if you’re working alone, or 1 day if you have a partner.
How Long Does It Take To Paint a Room By Yourself?
The time it takes to paint a room by yourself depends on your skill level, the tools you’re using, the preparation work necessary, and the room size. But on average, use 42 seconds for every square foot to know how long it’ll take.
However, contrary to cost behavior, the painting time increases with an increase in surface area. That’s because the more you keep painting, the more you get tired, and thus, the slower you become. Sometimes you even have to take short breaks to regain your energy and focus. All these factors can add to the total time it takes to finish painting a room.
For this reason, it’s essential to have a partner when painting large rooms. With two people working, the job can be done much faster than if you were working alone.
Can You Paint Just Over Paint?
You can paint over paint if the two paints are of the same type, like painting oil-based on top of oil-based. However, you need to ensure that the surface is clean first to improve adherence. Otherwise, dirt may compromise the quality of your work.
Whether or not you can paint on another paint depends on the type of the coat. If the initial coat was oil-based, there’s no way you can apply latex on top of it. It just won’t work.
However, if the initial coat was latex, you can apply oil-based paint on top of it. But again, it just isn’t a straightforward process. You may have to first sand the surface and use an oil-based primer to act as the middleman. Otherwise, it just won’t work!
Read: Can You Paint Over a Powder Coat? (Steps to Paint)
Final Verdict
Painting a 12×12 room will take about 6 hours and a half if you work by yourself and have all the necessary tools. However, if you’re working with a partner, the time will be reduced to about 3 to 4 hours. As for the cost, expect it to claim about $350 if you’re the one doing the work and up to $1000 if using a professional. Even so, painting is a great way to ramp the curb appeal of your home and is a very worthy investment.