A single room takes 4-8 hours for a professional. A whole house takes 3-7 days. Here's the detailed breakdown by room type and what affects timing.
What Professional Painters Count As Time
Professional painting time includes: setup and masking (often 20-30% of project time), surface prep (patching, caulking, sanding), prime coats where needed, paint coats with proper dry time between them, cut-in work on edges and trim, and cleanup and touch-up. The 'painting' itself is often less than half the total time — prep and setup are where speed differences between professionals and amateurs really show.
Per-Room Time Estimates
Standard 12x12 bedroom (walls only, no furniture): 4-6 hours for a professional. Same room with ceiling and trim: 7-10 hours. Kitchen (complex layout, high walls): 8-12 hours. Bathroom (tight space, lots of cut-in): 4-6 hours. Living room with 10-foot ceilings: 8-14 hours. Hallway and stairs: 6-10 hours (challenging access). These assume professional crew — a DIYer should double or triple these estimates.
Whole-Home Timelines
2,000 sq ft home (8-10 rooms): 3-4 days with a 3-person professional crew. This assumes clean walls in decent condition — extensive patching adds time. 3,000 sq ft home with trim and ceilings: 5-7 days with a 3-person crew. New construction full paint package: 2-3 days because there's no furniture to move and no patching needed. The biggest variable is always prep — a home with 20 nail holes per room takes significantly longer than a well-maintained home.
How We Schedule Your Project
We'll give you a clear timeline before we start — how many days, how many people, and what you should have ready (furniture moved to center of rooms, pets secured, valuables packed). We typically work 8am to 4pm to minimize disruption. Most interior projects can be completed in 3-5 business days. We leave the home clean at the end of every day.
Ready to Transform Your Home?
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