10 Pro Tips from Dallas Interior Painters

Interior Painting May be the Only Project that Improves Home Value

HOMR's research team has seen one number tossed out over and over when it comes to interior painting and home value — “painting your home's interior yields a 107% ROI”. In other words, your home value increases $1.07 for every dollar you spend on interior house painters.

Sounds great. Trouble is, we can't seem to find any conclusive data to back that figure up. So we decided to calculate a realistic value Dallas homeowners can expect from a quality interior painting service.

Why Cost Per Square Foot Rates Are Misleading

It's easy to find appealing prices to paint your Dallas home on Google. We've seen rates well under $3 per square foot advertised. These rates don't include materials, paint and any miscellaneous labor costs — that's just the base cost to strictly move a paint brush or roller across your wall.

A more realistic quote from a quality Dallas residential painter is $5-6 per square foot. That means a 1,000 square foot interior painting job costs between $5,000-6,000. This includes labor, materials, prep work, primer and painting.

Our local interior paint pros gave us 6 ways to cut down those costs — more on that in a moment.

So, What's the Real ROI of Painting Interiors?

The cost to paint the interior of a home in Dallas and your home improvement value are dependent on the scale of your project. The larger your house painting project, the greater the return on your investment.

According to a leading luxury real estate firm, painting your home can improve its value by up to 5%. That means repainting a $300,000 home in Oak Cliff nets $15,000 in property value, against a $9,000 cost to repaint a 1,800 square foot interior.

By the same data, repainting a $2 million home in Preston Hollow improves its value by $100,000. Current Preston Hollow is $408/sf on market.

No matter the scope of your Dallas interior home painting project, your home value will improve by more than the cost of your painting project. And the bigger the job, the bigger the return.

6 Cost-Saving Tips When Hiring Dallas Interior Painters

We spoke to Andrey Shelokovskiy, owner of 360° Painting in Dallas, about cost-effective ways to work with home painting contractors near you. 

HOMR selected Andrey as a featured partner for his experience in the painting industry and multiple certifications as a petroleum engineer and chemical corrosion expert. He brings commercial painting expertise to residential projects, and spoke to us at length about how to save money working with Dallas house painters.

Here are 6 of Andrey's best cost-saving tips for your upcoming interior paint job:

Get Multiple Quotes for Interior Painting Services

Starting a new interior painting project? Get job quotes from more than one Dallas interior painter — even if you have a preferred contractor in mind.

As we stated earlier, top-tier interior painters in Dallas TX charge $5-6 per square foot. If your painting contractor offers a bid significantly lower than this — especially $4 or less — you're likely dealing with a handyman or non-specialist. If you're dead-set on paying less, that's fine — but expect a reduced level of quality and workmanship.

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Hire a Dallas Painter That Takes Exact Measurements

Andrey from 360° Painting suggests hiring a painting company that takes exact measurements during a home walk-through estimate. You'll ensure that your quote is specific to your home, and that the painters you hire are precise and ethical.

“We don’t come in and ballpark anything," Andrey explains. “Whether it's exterior or interior, we take [exact] measurements to quote you exact prices — square footage of plane surfaces, linear footage of trim.”

Andrey also noted a concerning trend he sees, especially in more affluent Dallas neighborhoods. It's not unusual for unethical painting services to mark up their work when they enter a pricier neighborhood. Don't be afraid to compare your quote against prices in other DFW neighborhoods to ensure you're being quoted fairly.

“Our price quotes don’t fluctuate from neighborhood to neighborhood,” Andrey continues. "It’s all based on the parameters of your project."

Ask for a Locked-In Interior Paint Estimate

Once you receive an estimate from your Dallas painting company, ask them to lock in your rate.

“Whatever we put in the bid documents, we stand behind,” Andrey says. “The consistency of our quotes is there across all projects. We don't just toss a figure in the air and see if it sticks.”

If your house painter took the time to walk through your home and accurately measure the scope of your project, they'll have no problem standing by their bid.

Have a Hand in Choosing Paint Brands and Materials

Don't be afraid to voice your opinion when it comes to choosing paint brands and materials. Your house painter should be aware of your preferences, and happy to provide feedback on the options you provide. 

Choosing the right paint in Dallas is crucial, given the beating it takes from the consistent sunshine.

“The sun [in North Texas] is very aggressive and that comes into play when selecting products,” Andrey explains. “My product selection helps protect you for 10-20 years from now, not just to look the best.”

Andrey suggests that a homeowner in Dallas paints with high-end products. Higher quality paints provide stronger protection against staining and better fade resistance over time. We suggest product lines like Sherwin Williams Cashmere Acrylic Latex and Benjamin Moore Aura.

Ultimately, Andrey explains the slightly higher price point of premium paint is offset by how long it holds up.

“The cost increase to go to high end products is not dramatic, maybe 7-12%. But it’ll protect your house paint for 12-15 more years.”

Choose a Professional Painter With a Workmanship Warranty

The best interior painters in Dallas are happy to stand behind their work. Painting contractors like 360° Painting offer workmanship warranties that cover the homeowner for any potential defects caused by labor. 

360° Painting offers a 2-year warranty on defects of painting procedures, and a 6-month warranty on carpentry work performed on removed and reinstalled products. HOMR suggests working with residential painting contractors who offer this level of guarantees on their craftsmanship, or better.

Save Some Money and Prep Your Own Walls for Painting

Prep your own walls for painting before your residential painting contractor arrives. You'll save money by tackling the prep work yourself — and you'll ensure your paint lasts longer and looks better.

“Your paint will perform as well as the preparation,” Andrey explains. “[Clean walls] are the building block of great paint.”

Soft wash your walls with mild soap and water, then make sure they're thoroughly dry. Dirt, grime and moisture create pockets where your paint can chip and peel away from the wall.

Painting your walls after a major remodeling project? Use a tougher soap with grease-cutting capacities to get your walls spotless and ready for paint.

Ready to hire a Dallas painter? Get a free quote from HOMR with no signup!

4 Ways to Save Money on Dallas DIY Painting Projects

If you decide to tackle an interior painting project by yourself, you'll be saving money on hiring an interior painter. Make sure you take the following 4 steps in consideration so you don't lose those savings on a purchasing mistake.

Consider Every Paint Color Before You Start

Good quality indoor paint costs up to $90 per gallon at Dallas paint stores. Buying 4 or 5 gallons of the wrong paint is a mistake worth several hundred dollars.

This isn't exterior painting, where you cover a massive space with one color. Interior paints have to work well with one another and look visually pleasing as you transition between rooms and spaces.

If your home has open sight lines from one room to the next, be careful how you paint interior walls that are both visible from one vantage point. The colors you choose should visually make sense with each other.

Door painting and cabinet painting should also factor into your planning stage. When you're painting interior doors, remember both sides will be seen against the walls around them — the same goes for cabinet doors. It's best to paint both sides of a door the same color.

Use Latex Paint for Interior House Painting

In our article about residential exterior painting, Andrey explained why acrylic paint is the best exterior paint for houses. Acrylic's chemical base provides better elasticity and is slower to fade in direct sunlight.

But if you're painting interior spaces, opt for latex paint. Latex paint's water base is ideal for painting crown molding and drywall, and doesn't release any chemicals into your indoor air flow. It's also much faster drying than acrylic paint.

Latex paint also keeps interior house painting prices down. High-end interior latex paint costs $12-20 less per gallon than premium exterior paint. 

It also takes fewer coats of latex paint to cover the same wall space as acrylic paint. One gallon of paint covers approximately 400 square feet, but acrylic may require an extra coat.

Test Paint Color Against Your Home Lighting

If you're paying $60-120 per room for interior paint, be completely sure it's what you want.

See how your paint looks at various times of day before you buy in bulk. The accent wall that looks fantastic lit by your interior lighting might look completely different in bright mid-day sunshine.

Paint a small section of your wall, then let it sit for 24-48 hours. Look at it throughout the day (and evening) to ensure it looks great at all times. 

Price Shop Your Home Painting Accessories

Don't forget to account for all your costs that aren't paint! If you're setting out on a DIY interior painting project, there's more to buy than a few gallons of Sherwin Williams or Behr.

Price shop your brushes, paint rollers, ladders, painter's tape, drop cloths and primer. Approach your job like a commercial paint contractor, and look into the tools and accessories that pros use.

For example, invest in a 2" angled sash brush with synthetic bristles to achieve ideal coverage on borders, corners and edges — a technique called “cutting in”. We like this 2" angled brush from Wooster.