You’re standing in the aisle at Home Depot or Sherwin-Williams. It smells like sawdust and chemicals. You just want a nice "eggshell" white for the guest room, but then you see the price tags. Some cans are $25. Others are $110. It’s enough to make you walk right back out to the parking lot. Honestly, figuring out how much is the paint shouldn't feel like solving a calculus equation, but the industry has made it weirdly complicated with "contractor grades," "architectural coatings," and "lifetime warranties" that mostly just mean you’re paying for the marketing budget.
Budgeting for a project isn't just about the liquid in the bucket. It's about the square footage, the number of coats, and whether you're buying the cheap stuff that’s basically tinted water or the thick, premium acrylic that actually covers a wall in one go.
The Basic Price Brackets (And Why They Exist)
Paint prices are all over the place. You've got the economy stuff, the mid-range, and the "I have too much money" designer labels.
At the bottom end, you're looking at $20 to $30 per gallon. This is your Behr Premium Plus or Valspar 2000 territory. Is it bad? Not necessarily. It’s great for a ceiling or a closet where nobody is going to be scuffing the walls. But it’s thin. You’ll probably need three coats to cover a dark color, which means you end up buying more cans. Suddenly, that "cheap" project costs as much as the expensive one.
Then there’s the sweet spot: $45 to $70 per gallon. This is where most homeowners should live. Think Benjamin Moore Regal Select or Sherwin-Williams Duration. These paints have more solids—the stuff that stays on the wall after the water evaporates. They're scrubbable. You can wipe a muddy dog print off them without taking the color with it.
Then you hit the high-end. Farrow & Ball. Benjamin Moore Aura. These can run $100 to $130 per gallon. You're paying for deep, rich pigments and a specific "look" that cheaper brands struggle to replicate. If you're painting a small powder room and want it to look like a jewelry box, maybe it's worth it. For a whole house? That’s a mortgage payment.
The Hidden Cost of "Free" Color
When people ask how much is the paint, they forget the tint. Most base paints are white. When you add heavy pigments—think deep navy or vibrant red—the price can actually tick up a few bucks at some independent retailers because those colorants aren't cheap. Plus, deep colors often require a dedicated gray primer. That’s another $30 a can right there.
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Why Some Paint Costs Double the Others
It’s all about the chemistry. Paint is basically four things: pigments, binders, liquids, and additives.
Cheap paint has more liquid (solvents) and less binder. When it dries, the liquid disappears, and you’re left with a thin layer of pigment. Expensive paint is "high solids." It stays thick. Brands like Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore invest heavily in resin technology. Their binders are like high-strength glue that holds the color to your drywall.
Also, consider the sheen. Flat paint is usually the cheapest. As you move up to Eggshell, Satin, Semi-Gloss, and High-Gloss, the price often rises by $2 to $5 per gallon. Glossier paints have more resin to create that shiny, hard shell. They’re tougher to manufacture and tougher on the wall.
Exterior vs. Interior: The Price Gap
Painting the outside of your house is a different beast. Exterior paint has to survive UV rays, rain, and temperature swings that make your siding expand and contract. Because of this, it’s usually pricier.
Expect to pay a 10% to 20% premium for exterior cans. A solid exterior acrylic latex, like Sherwin-Williams Emerald Rain Refresh, might set you back $90 a gallon at retail price. It sounds steep until you realize that scraping peeling paint off a two-story house in five years is a nightmare you want to avoid. Buying the good stuff now buys you time later.
Specialty Coatings
If you're painting a garage floor or a deck, throw the standard rules out the window. 1-part epoxy floor paint is around $40-$60, but a real 2-part kit can be $150+. Cabinet paint is another outlier. You want something like Benjamin Moore Scuff-X or Envirolak. These are "alkyd-modified" paints. They flow out smooth so you don't see brush marks. They're expensive—often $80+ per gallon—but you don't want your kitchen cabinets feeling sticky or peeling after six months.
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Professional Discounts and How to Get Them
Here is a secret: nobody in the industry actually pays the "sticker price" you see on the shelf at the big dedicated paint stores.
Contractors get massive discounts. We’re talking 30% to 50% off. If you’re hiring a pro, they are likely paying $35 for a gallon that shows $70 on the display. Some painters pass this saving to you; others keep it as part of their profit margin. If you’re doing it yourself, wait for the sales. Sherwin-Williams has 30% to 40% off sales almost every other month. Never buy paint there at full price. Just don't do it.
Buying in Bulk
A 5-gallon bucket is almost always cheaper than five individual 1-gallon cans. Usually, you save about $15 to $25 by going big. If you're doing a whole living room and a hallway, just get the 5-gallon. Even if you have a little left over, it’s better than running back to the store mid-project because you ran out of a custom mix.
The "Real" Cost of a Room
Let's look at a standard 12x12 bedroom.
You have about 400 square feet of wall space.
One gallon of paint typically covers 350 to 400 square feet (one coat).
You always need two coats for a professional finish. Always.
So, for that one room, you need two gallons.
- Cheap DIY: $60 (Paint) + $30 (Supplies) = **$90**
- Mid-Range Quality: $120 (Paint) + $50 (Good brushes/rollers) = **$170**
- Premium/Designer: $240 (Paint) + $60 (High-end supplies) = **$300**
Most people focus so much on the paint that they forget the sundries. A crappy $4 roller cover will shed lint all over your wall. A good $15 Wooster or Purdy brush will last you ten years if you wash it. Don't skimp on the tools. It’s like buying a Ferrari and putting wooden wheels on it.
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Regional Variations and Inflation
Prices aren't the same in NYC as they are in rural Ohio. In high-cost areas, the overhead for the stores is higher, and you’ll see that reflected in a $5-$10 markup per can. Also, the paint industry got hit hard by supply chain issues a few years ago. Prices jumped and they haven't really come back down. What used to be a $40 gallon is now $55.
Also, watch out for the "Environment Fee" or "PaintCare" tax. In states like California, Oregon, or Colorado, you’ll see an extra $0.75 to $1.60 added to every can at the register. It’s for recycling programs. It’s small, but it catches people off guard when the total doesn't match the shelf tag.
How to Save Money Without Buying Trash
You don't have to buy the $100 stuff to get a great result.
First, check the "Mistint" shelf. This is the island of misfit toys for paint. Someone ordered a custom color, didn't like it, and returned it. The store can't sell it at full price, so they mark it down to $5 or $10 a gallon. If you aren't picky about the exact shade of gray or beige, you can paint a whole room for the price of a sandwich.
Second, use a dedicated primer if you're making a big color change. Primer is cheaper than paint. If you’re going from navy blue to white, don't use five coats of expensive paint. Use two coats of $25 primer and then two coats of the good stuff.
Actionable Steps for Your Project
Before you head to the store, do these three things to ensure you don't overspend:
- Measure your walls exactly. Subtract the windows and doors. Don't guess. Use an online paint calculator.
- Check for upcoming sales. Call the local paint store and ask, "When is your next 30% off sale?" They usually know.
- Test a sample. Spend the $8 on a small sample pot. It is much cheaper than buying two gallons of a color you hate once it dries on the wall.
- Buy the 5-gallon bucket if you are doing more than two rooms in the same color. The "per-gallon" price drop is the easiest way to save $40 instantly.
- Invest in a "Handy Paint Pail" and a good synthetic brush. It makes the work faster and prevents you from spilling a $70 gallon of paint on the carpet.
Stop worrying about finding the absolute lowest price. Focus on "value." A $60 gallon that covers in two coats is infinitely cheaper than a $30 gallon that takes four. Your time has a price tag, too. Keep that in mind when you're staring at those rows of colorful cans.