Interior painting in Auckland usually costs $800 to $2,000 for a bedroom, and $4,500 to $15,000 for the whole inside of a three-bedroom home, going by the published prices of local painting businesses. The price follows the area, the number of rooms, how much repair the walls need, and whether ceilings, doors and trims are included. A professional job looks finished because of the preparation: filling, sanding, sealing stains and cutting clean lines. For outside work too, see house painting in Auckland.
What does interior painting involve?
Most of a professional interior job is preparation and protection. The painter moves and covers furniture, protects floors, removes or masks fittings, fills holes and cracks, sands, seals stains and primes any bare or repaired areas. Then come two finish coats on the walls, with ceilings, doors and trims done in their own finishes. Cleaning up and a final walk-through finish the job.
The usual order in a room:
- Ceiling first, so drips land on unpainted walls.
- Walls next: cut in the edges with a brush, then roll the walls.
- Doors, frames and skirting boards last, often in a harder-wearing semi-gloss finish.
Kitchens and bathrooms get paints made to handle moisture and cleaning. In heritage homes with old painted woodwork, check for lead before anyone sands. Health New Zealand advises presuming lead in paint on buildings from the 1980s or earlier, and keeping children and pets away while it is disturbed. See lead paint on heritage homes.
What affects the price of interior painting?
The price depends mostly on area and condition. More rooms, higher ceilings and lots of trim mean more hours. Walls with holes, cracks, water stains or peeling paint need repairs first. A big colour change, such as dark to light, often needs an extra coat. Moving furniture, painting doors and window frames, and premium paint all add to the price. Whole-house jobs are often cheaper per square metre than a single room.
| Item | Published Auckland price range |
|---|---|
| Single bedroom, about 12 square metres of floor | $800 to $2,000 |
| Living room | $1,500 to $3,500 |
| Kitchen | $1,000 to $2,500 |
| Ceilings | $500 to $1,500 per room |
| Doors and trims, whole house | $1,000 to $3,000 |
| Whole interior, three-bedroom home | $4,500 to $15,000 |
| Per square metre of wall | about $35 to $80 |
These figures come from the published prices of several Auckland painting businesses and are a starting point only. Your painter quotes after seeing the rooms. More detail is on the house painting cost page.
How much paint do I need for a room?
Measure the wall area, divide it by the spreading rate on the tin, then multiply by the number of coats. That is the method Resene's paint calculator uses. A typical 3 by 4 metre bedroom with 2.4 metre walls has about 30 to 34 square metres of wall once the door and window are taken out. At around 11 square metres per litre, two coats need roughly 6 litres, so a single 2.5 litre tin will not do it.
To measure a room:
- Add the lengths of all the walls together.
- Multiply by the wall height.
- Take off the doors and windows.
- Measure the ceiling separately (length times width) if you are painting it too.
Resene's own example is 42 square metres at 11 square metres per litre, two coats, which comes to about 7.6 litres. Rough or porous surfaces such as new plasterboard soak up more, so buy a little extra and keep it for touch-ups. Resene also has a free paint calculator on its website if you'd rather not do the sums.
What finish should I use on interior walls?
Each surface needs its own finish, because walls, ceilings and woodwork take different wear and get cleaned in different ways. Kitchens and bathrooms need a finish that handles steam and washing. Ask your painter which product and finish they recommend for each room.
Walls
A low sheen finish is what many painters use on walls, because it wipes clean and hides small marks.
Ceilings
Flat or matt paint suits ceilings, where you want no shine.
Doors, frames and skirtings
Semi-gloss or gloss suits doors, frames and skirting boards, which get knocked and cleaned.
What are the interior colour trends for 2027?
Dulux New Zealand's Colour Forecast 2027 groups its colours into three palettes. Sensory is warm neutrals, layered greens and rich browns, for calm rooms. Play keeps a soft neutral base with brighter accents. Treasure goes deep, with blues, smoky purples and berry shades. Blue features strongly across the forecast. A trend is a starting point, not a rule: test any colour with a sample pot on your own wall, in your own light, before a painter quotes the room.
Frequently asked questions
How long does interior painting take?
A single bedroom usually takes a day or two, including preparation and two coats. Auckland painting businesses publish estimates of about five to ten working days for the full interior of a family home. Rooms with a lot of repairs, high ceilings or detailed woodwork take longer. Ask for the expected start and finish dates in the quote.
What should I ask before I hire an interior painter?
Ask for a written quote that lists the rooms, what is included (walls, ceilings, doors, trims), the preparation and repairs, the products and the number of coats. Ask who moves the furniture, how floors are protected and what happens if extra repairs turn up. Check whether GST is included. If your home is a heritage home, ask how they deal with lead paint.
Do I need to be home for interior painting?
Most people stay home and the painter works one or two rooms at a time, so you can keep using the rest of the house. You will want to be there at the start to confirm colours and at the end to check the work. If the whole house is being painted at once, some people stay elsewhere for a few days.
Can I paint over wallpaper?
You can, but painters usually advise against it. Paint can loosen the paste, so the paper bubbles or lifts at the seams. Most professional painters remove wallpaper, repair the wall underneath, seal it and then paint. Removal adds time to the quote, so mention any wallpaper when you ask for a price.