What interior painting costs in Naperville, IL

What the published Naperville numbers say

Several cost guides publish figures specific to Naperville, and they make useful reference points before you collect quotes. They describe averages across many houses and jobs, so treat them as a sense of scale rather than a price for your home.

The per-square-foot figure is the most useful for whole floors, because it scales with the size of your home. The per-room figure is better for one or two rooms, where setup and cleanup make up a bigger share of the work.

What moves the price up or down

Two houses with the same square footage can get very different quotes. Almost all of the difference comes from a handful of things a painter sees on the walk-through:

• Prep. Patching holes, caulking gaps and sanding glossy paint can take as long as the painting itself on some walls.
• Height. Two-story foyers, stairwells and vaulted ceilings need ladders and planks, and setup takes time.
• Trim and doors. Brushed enamel on baseboards, casings and six-panel doors is slow, careful work.
• Color changes. Going from a dark color to a light one, or the reverse, can mean a tinted primer and an extra coat.
• Furniture and access. Full rooms take longer to protect than empty ones.
• Paint line. Premium paint costs more per gallon but often covers in fewer coats.

Per room or the whole house?

Single rooms cost more per square foot than whole floors. Setup, floor protection, color mixing and cleanup are much the same for one room as for three, so spreading them over more wall lowers the average.

If you plan to paint several rooms in the next year, doing them in one booking usually costs less overall than calling us back three times. If budget means phasing, group rooms that share colors or sit next to each other, such as a hallway with the rooms that open onto it.

What a good estimate should list

A clear estimate makes quotes comparable. Before you sign, make sure it spells out:

• Every room and surface included: walls, ceilings, trim, doors, closets.
• The number of coats, and whether primer is included and where.
• The paint brand and line, with the sheen for each surface.
• Repairs: patching, caulking, nail pops, and how unexpected repairs are priced.
• What gets moved and who moves it.
• The start date, how long it runs and which rooms are out of use when.

Where cheaper is not cheaper

The lowest bid usually saves time on prep. Paint rolled over unpatched holes, unsanded gloss or bare patches that were never primed looks fine on day one and shows its problems within a year: flashing patches, peeling on trim, and lap marks in window light.

When two quotes are far apart, compare the prep lines first. That is usually where the difference is, and where the long-term result is decided.

One more line for older homes

If your house was built before 1978, EPA rules require anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices. That adds containment and cleanup steps to sanding and scraping, and a good estimate for an older home will mention it. Most Naperville homes are newer than that, but older pockets of town and nearby cities have plenty that are not.

Written by Gloria Fenwick, Painting Guides Editor at Call Tip Top. Figures in this guide come from the published sources listed below and are checked when those sources update.

Sources used in this guide:

• HomeAdvisor
• HomeBlue
• U.S. EPA