How Much Does It Cost to Paint Baseboards? [2025 Data]
Painting your baseboards costs $500 to $2,000 in the average-sized room. Before repairs or upgrades, expect to pay about $1,250 for baseboard painting.
If you’re planning to revive your home's baseboards, you expect the cost to paint baseboards to average between $1 and $4 per linear foot. Most baseboard paint jobs cost between $500 and $2,000, depending on the size, style, and current state of your baseboards. Here's what you need to know about the cost to paint your home's baseboards.
Baseboard Painting Cost Calculator
Calculations are based on the average square footage of a bedroom, which is 132 square feet, and 1 inch baseboards. We converted these dimensions to 46 linear feet. One gallon of paint covers approximately 400 square feet. Calculations rounded to the nearest whole number.
| Paint Costs | 1 gallon | $10–$100 |
| Baseboard Painting Labor | 46 linear feet | $46–$184 |
| Optional: Install Baseboards | 46 linear feet | $262–$414 |
| Optional: Remove Baseboards | 3 hours | $150–$300 |
| Total | $56–$284 | |
| Total per Linear Foot | $1–$6 | |
| Total with Options | $473–$998 | |
| Total per Linear Foot with Options | $10–$22 |
Factors That Affect the Cost to Paint Baseboards
When planning your baseboard painting project, consider these cost factors, which will impact your total price tag.
Baseboard Height
When providing estimates for baseboard painting, professional interior painters generally base costs on standard 3-inch to 5-inch baseboards. Baseboards ranging from 6 inches to 8 inches are considered specialty baseboards. Expect to pay 20% to 25% more for larger baseboards to account for the extra time and paint needed.
Baseboard Condition
If your baseboards are damaged or dented from wear and tear, your painter will need to use wood filler and buffering to get them into "paintable" condition. Most pros charge between $5.70 and $8.95 per linear foot for baseboard repair in addition to painting costs.
Cost per Linear Foot
With pros charging between $1 and $4 per linear foot to paint baseboards, the type and size of the room factors into the total cost. While most contractors charge by room, you may be able to get a "volume" discount through a flat rate if you're repainting baseboards throughout an entire home. Keep in mind that some painters estimate costs by requesting the total square footage of the baseboards.
Labor
While most painters bundle labor into the cost per linear foot when creating an estimate, others charge per hour. You can expect professional painters to cost $20 to $50 per hour for the labor required to paint your baseboards.
Materials
The average cost of one gallon of paint is between $10 and $100, depending on the brand and paint quality. You’ll need premium paint primers and paints to withstand the types of scrapes and kicks that baseboards experience. While your contractor may bundle material costs into your total estimate, your costs could increase if you request high-quality paint. Semi-gloss paint is considered one of the best paint options for trim and baseboards, so confirm that your painter isn't using flat wall paint if you're trying to achieve a more vibrant aesthetic. Also, learn more about the best brushes to paint trim with.
Prep Work
Most baseboards will require prep work to ensure that paint goes on smoothly to create a polished finish. If your baseboards have multiple layers of paint on them from previous paint jobs, consider asking your painter for a flat rate that includes all necessary prep work, like cleaning baseboards.
Depending on the state of your baseboards, you may need to account for the following additional cost factors:
| Prep Type | Average Cost Per Linear Foot |
|---|---|
| Cleaning | $0.20–$0.50 |
| Sanding | $0.30–$0.50 |
| Paint or varnish removal | $1.00–$3.00 |
Cost to DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
If you plan to DIY paint your baseboards, you can expect to pay between $25 and $50 for the materials, depending on your tools, size of the job, and number of paint coats. While the lower price of a DIY baseboard upgrade may seem appealing, it's important to remember that homeowners are paying for the precision and artistry that a professional interior painter near you applies to the paint job.
Unless your primary goal is to refresh your baseboards on a budget, it may be better to trust the skills of a professional painter with this job. They have the proper tools for precise painting and can do so much more quickly than the average bear. Hiring a professional will save you time and effort—and back pain.
Painter's tape will ensure crisp, clean lines, but only if you use it correctly. Wash and dry your surface before applying tape, then remove it as soon as the paint is dry to the touch.
Cost of Common Baseboard Painting Add-Ons
If you’re consulting with a professional painter about updating your baseboards, you might want to consider adding related paint jobs to heighten the polished look and combine services. Consider taking care of these related painting projects while painting your baseboards:
Crown molding installation cost: $4 to $23 per linear foot
Painting window frame cost: $1 to $5 per linear foot for paint
Install trim: $200 to $6,500
How to Save on the Cost to Paint Baseboards
If you have the time and motivation, consider handling some of the prep work yourself to reduce labor costs. You can get your baseboards in workable condition by preparing a bucket of warm water, liquid dish soap, and vinegar and scrubbing your baseboards clean with a sponge.
You may also choose to sand your own baseboards using 80-grit to 120-grit sandpaper until you can clearly see that the shine is gone from the surface. That way, your baseboards will be ready for the professional painters to paint right away, reducing their time on task and labor costs.
Finally, you may also consider taking on other less detail-oriented painting jobs, like painting the trim or walls in the room to match your new baseboards. Just be sure to give the appropriate amount of wait time between paint coats.
How Angi Gets Its Cost Data
Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to costquotes@angi.com. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.
Frequently Asked Questions
The average cost of installing baseboards ranges from $800 to $2,250. Painting your baseboards adds about $1 to $6 per linear foot. The baseboard materials, labor costs, baseboard style, and site preparation can all impact how much you pay.
While you can do either, it’s easier to paint your baseboards before your walls. Painting baseboards first lets you tape off the trim instead of the walls. Also, it’s easier to cover up any mistakes on the walls since you’ll eventually paint them.
It’s almost always less expensive to paint baseboards than to replace them. Replacing baseboards costs about $150 in materials to DIY or an average of $1,100 if you hire a pro. Painting will cost you $50 or less in materials, or $1 to $5 per square foot for professional work, which works out to no more than $720 for 144 square feet.
You should typically be able to paint baseboards without removing them. If you remove baseboards for painting, you risk creating large nail holes or cracks when putting them back in place after the job is complete. If you need to remove the feature, it is possible to remove baseboards, paint them in another location, and reinstall them.
Caulk and wood filler are handy tools for covering up nail holes in baseboards. Most painting pros recommend wood filler because it’s easy to sand it down to be smooth. Be sure to only use products that are labeled as "paintable" when filling in nail holes that will be painted.
