At a Glance
Interior painting across Australia typically costs $400–$1,500 per room, using Sydney metro as the baseline. Melbourne tracks close to Sydney. Perth and Adelaide tend to sit 10–15% higher due to smaller trade pools and higher overheads. The spread comes down to how many rooms, what condition the walls are in, and whether ceilings and trim are included.
What's Included
A standard interior painting quote covers:
- Surface preparation: filling nail holes, sanding rough patches, spot-priming repairs
- Masking and protecting floors, fixtures, and fittings
- Two coats of acrylic paint to walls. AS/NZS 2311:2017 requires a minimum of three coats on bare surfaces (one primer plus two topcoats). Repaints over sound existing paint typically need two topcoats only.
- Ceiling painting if included in the scope (flat finish is standard)
- Clean-up and touch-ups on completion
Labour makes up 60–70% of the cost for interior painting. Materials (paint, primers, filler, tape, drop sheets) account for 20–30%, with overheads and consumables making up the remainder. A standard 3x4m bedroom has roughly 43–46 m2 of wall area (after deducting the door and window), needing about 6–8 litres of paint for two coats at 16 m2/L coverage.
Paint Types and What They Cost
The paint your painter uses affects both the upfront cost and how long the job lasts. Understanding the tiers helps you evaluate quotes.
Builder's grade / economy ($10–$14/L in 15L drums). Products like Taubmans Trade Pro (15L for ~$160, or ~$11/L) and British Paints Interior Paint & Prime. Lower coverage rates (12–14 m2/L), less washable, and more likely to show roller marks. Fine for rental turnovers and ceilings in low-traffic areas.
Mid-range washable ($16–$23/L in 15L drums). The standard for residential repaints. Dulux Wash & Wear is Australia's best-selling interior wall paint: 15L runs $275 ($19/L), 10L $210 ($21/L), 4L $110 ($28/L). Coverage is 16 m2/L on smooth plasterboard. Taubmans Endure is the direct competitor: 15L for $250 ($17/L), 10L for $200 ($20/L). Both offer stain resistance and are suitable for hallways, living areas, and kids' rooms.
Specialty variants ($19–$28/L). Dulux Wash & Wear comes in several "+PLUS" variants: Kitchen & Bathroom (mould-resistant additive), Anti-Scuff (high-traffic areas), and Anti-Bac (antibacterial, suited to homes with young children). These cost $2–$5/L more than the standard formulation. Haymes Expressions Ultra Premium (15L ~$235) is an Australian-owned alternative positioned between mid-range and premium.
Ceiling paint ($14–$17/L standard). Dulux Ceiling White runs $70 for 4L ($17/L) or $210 for 15L ($14/L). The Kitchen & Bathroom ceiling variant costs more (~$100 for 4L) due to mould-resistant additives.
Trim enamel ($28–$35/L). Skirting boards, architraves, and door frames use a harder finish than walls. Dulux Aquanamel (water-based) runs $120 for 4L ($30/L). Dulux Super Enamel (oil-based, for a smoother finish on doors and high-wear trim) costs ~$32–$35/L.
Primers and undercoats ($15–$21/L standard). Taubmans 3-in-1 (primer, undercoat, and sealer in one product) runs $85 for 4L ($21/L) or $220 for 15L ($15/L). Dulux 1Step Prep is comparable. For stain blocking (water stains, smoke damage, tannin bleed), Zinsser B-I-N (shellac-based) is the trade standard: $60 for 946ml ($64/L) or $120 for 3.78L ($32/L). Expensive per litre, but nothing else blocks smoke and water stains as reliably.
Choosing the Right Finish
Each paint finish has a practical purpose. The standard Australian interior combination is flat on ceilings, low sheen on walls, and semi-gloss on trim.
- Flat / matt (0–5% gloss). Hides surface imperfections and reduces ceiling glare. Harder to clean, so only suited to ceilings and very low-traffic rooms.
- Low sheen (10–25% gloss). The most popular wall finish in Australia. Subtle sheen, good washability, forgiving on minor surface defects. Dulux Wash & Wear Low Sheen and Taubmans Endure Low Sheen are the two dominant products.
- Semi-gloss (35–70% gloss). Moisture-resistant and easy to wipe clean. Standard for bathrooms, kitchens, laundries, skirting boards, architraves, and door frames. Shows surface imperfections more than low sheen.
- High gloss (70–90% gloss). Maximum durability. Suited to front doors and highlight trim on period homes. Shows every bump and imperfection, so surfaces must be well-prepared.
What Affects the Cost
- Number of rooms. A standard 3x4m bedroom repaint (walls only) runs $500–$900. Including ceiling and trim pushes to $900–$1,400 per room. Whole-house repaints attract better per-room rates: a 3-bedroom house typically runs $4,000–$8,000; a 4-bedroom house $7,500–$12,000+. Per-square-metre rates sit at $25–$35/m2 for walls in good condition, rising to $35–$45/m2 for walls needing above-average prep.
- Wall and ceiling condition. Walls with cracks, holes, peeling paint, or water damage need extensive prep. This can double the cost of a single room compared to walls in good condition. Gap filler runs $5–$19 per tube (Selleys No More Gaps ~$6, Selleys Spakfilla Rapid ~$15). For homes with mould (common in Melbourne and Brisbane), the mould must be killed and the surface primed before any paint goes on.
- Ceiling height. Standard 2.4m ceilings are straightforward. Anything above 2.7m requires scaffolding or baker's scaffolds, adding cost per room. Period homes with 3m+ ceilings and warehouse conversions with 4m+ ceilings are significantly more expensive.
- Colour change. Going from dark walls to white (or the reverse) means 3–4 coats instead of 2. Each additional coat adds both labour time and paint cost.
- Trim and woodwork. Skirting boards, architraves, door frames, and window frames are labour-intensive to paint. Including trim can add 30–40% to a room's cost. Trim requires a separate enamel paint ($28–$35/L) applied with a brush, not a roller.
- Paint quality. The difference between builder's grade ($10–$14/L) and mid-range washable ($16–$23/L) is roughly $100–$200 in materials for a 3-bedroom house. Most painters recommend mid-range for owner-occupied homes, where the better durability and washability justify the small uplift.
- Furniture movement. If the painter needs to move heavy furniture rather than working in a cleared room, some charge extra. Clearing rooms yourself keeps the quote lower.
A single bedroom repaint in a modern home with good walls and standard ceilings sits toward $400. A full interior repaint of a 3-bedroom house with high ceilings, colour changes, extensive wall repairs, and all trim included pushes toward $1,500.
Lead Paint: Know Before You Sand
Any Australian home built before 1970 very likely has lead paint under the current layers. Pre-1950s paint could contain up to 50% lead by weight. Even homes built between 1970 and 1997 may contain lead paint, though at lower concentrations (the maximum was progressively reduced from 50% to 1% to 0.25% to the current limit of 0.1%).
If walls need sanding or scraping before repainting, test first. DIY lead test kits (3M LeadCheck Swabs) cost $10–$15 from Bunnings but have limited sensitivity. Professional XRF (X-ray fluorescence) testing gives more reliable results: a full assessment for a 3-bedroom home costs $550–$850. Laboratory analysis of paint chip samples runs $200–$600 depending on the number of samples.
Under AS/NZS 4361.2:2017, lead paint must never be dry-sanded, dry-scraped, or burned off. Safe methods include wet sanding, chemical strippers, or encapsulation (painting over intact lead paint with a suitable primer). Projects disturbing more than 10 m2 of lead paint in 12 months require a qualified lead abatement contractor.
If the existing lead paint is intact and in sound condition, painting over it with a bonding primer and two topcoats is the safest and most cost-effective approach. Disturbance is where the risk lies.
City and Regional Price Comparison
Prices vary across Australia based on labour rates, housing stock, and the condition issues common to each region.
At the city level, Sydney and Melbourne are closely matched, with painter day rates of $400–$680. Brisbane tends to sit slightly below the eastern seaboard average. Perth and Adelaide typically run 10–15% above eastern capitals due to smaller painter pools and higher travel distances between jobs. Licensing thresholds vary significantly by state: WA requires painter registration for work over just $1,000, QLD over $3,300, NSW over $5,000, while VIC has a single-trade exemption for painting-only work and SA's threshold is $12,000.
Within any city, the biggest variable is property age and condition. Period homes in suburbs like Paddington (Sydney), Carlton (Melbourne), or Norwood (Adelaide) often have ornate cornices, plaster walls with hairline cracks, and layers of old paint that demand careful prep. New-build estates in outer suburbs with flat plasterboard walls and standard ceilings sit at the lower end. Pre-1970 homes in any city carry a lead paint risk. Brisbane's Queenslander homes with VJ board walls need flexible fillers for timber gaps. Adelaide's sandstone and bluestone cottages face salt damp issues that cause paint failure if not addressed before repainting.
How We Calculate
Estimates are based on surveyed trade rates for licensed painters, adjusted for each state and property age bracket. All prices include GST. Figures cover standard residential interior painting. Commercial fitouts, wallpaper removal, lead paint remediation, and specialty finishes are not included.