How Much Does It Cost to Paint Baseboards in 2025?

This article was updated using automation technology and thoroughly reviewed for accuracy by HomeAdvisor Editor Ryan Noonan.

Painting your baseboards is a crucial step in maintaining a polished interior. Expect to spend an average of $1,000, with most homeowners spending between $700 and $2,500, or $1 to $4 per linear foot. Factor in trim size and whether you’ll do it yourself or hire a professional to stay on budget and achieve crisp, cost-effective results.

Baseboard Painting Cost Factors

Painting your baseboards costs $1 to $4 per linear foot, or $1,250 total for most homes, with an average range of $500 to $2,000. Trim size and style play a significant role in determining where your project falls on that range. A seasoned professional delivers crisp lines quickly, saving you hours of prep and brushwork.

Linear Footage

While the going rate to paint trim ranges from $1 to $4 per linear foot, your final tab depends on the amount of trim your home has. Both the width and the run of your trim dictate how much paint and labor you’ll need. Remember, a single gallon covers 350 to 400 square feet.

Labor

Painting pros quote either an hourly rate or an all-in flat fee for the job. Most charge between $20 and $50 per hour to tackle interior trim.

Plan on five to 25 hours of labor, depending on the prep work, access, trim size, and the number of coats your boards require. Hard-to-reach trim or heavy prep can increase both the schedule and the price.

Cost to Paint Interior Trim by Type

Repainting all the interior trim of a standard home costs an average of $500 to $2,000, but the cost of different types of trim varies.

Baseboards

Painting baseboards costs $1 to $4 per linear foot. Because painters need to protect your floors and work close to the ground, it can take more time. Due to their wider width, baseboards require more paint to cover them. If you're installing new baseboards, you’ll spend $262 to $414 for 46 linear feet on installation.

Crown Molding

Crown molding, which connects your ceiling to the walls, requires extra prep time to protect surrounding areas. Painting crown molding costs $1 to $5 per linear foot, but the price increases in rooms with ceilings higher than eight feet. When installing new crown molding, expect to spend between $4 and $23 per linear foot.

Doors and Windows

The casements around doors and windows cost between $1 and $4 per linear foot to paint. Some painters prefer to remove the doors before painting to reach the inside of the frame without dripping on the door.

DIY Baseboard Painting vs. Hiring a Pro

You can paint trim yourself if you're an experienced DIYer, but the process requires time, thorough prep work, and a steady hand with a paintbrush. You'll need to use painter's tape and drop cloths meticulously to prevent paint from bleeding onto walls or other parts of your home. Tools and materials, including paint, cost between $25 and $50 on average.

While you save on labor, professional painters often have access to better paint prices and can help you avoid costly mistakes. Accessing high trim, such as crown molding or exterior soffit trim, can be dangerous if you're not comfortable working on a ladder. For these tasks, it's best to hire an interior painting professional.

If you’d rather skip the ladders and taping, hire a pro and enjoy top-quality results without the stress.

Budgeting for Baseboard Painting

To keep your baseboard painting project cost-effective, consider the following tips:

• Use leftover paint from other projects to save on material costs.

• Compare quotes from at least three painters to find the best rate.

• Bundling baseboard painting with other projects to get better labor rates.

• Do the prep work, like sanding and taping, yourself to minimize fees.

How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data

No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. After a project is complete, we survey real customers about the costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from 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.