How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Door And Frame? (2023 Estimates)

How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Door?

The short answer is: it depends!

Are you painting an interior door? An exterior door? An old door? A new door.

You see the problem here. Giving a blanket answer to this is difficult without knowing the specifics, but I'm going to try anyway!

Average Cost To Paint A Door and Door Frame If You Do It Yourself?

If you're handy at home improvement and are confident in your ability to paint a door, then you may just want to take the DIY approach. But, painting doors is one of the rare instances where it's sometimes cheaper to hire a professional.

This is because of the costs of materials. If you happen to have a bunch of painting supplies and all you need is paint, then your DIY costs are going to be much lower than they would if you're hiring a professional painter.

But, if you don't have any painting supplies and you can't borrow them from a friend, it may actually be cheaper to hire a pro! It just depends on your material costs compared to how much a professional painter might charge.

However, keep in mind, you might need to buy some supplies that you wouldn't otherwise have on hand, and they're not all painting supplies. 

These will ultimately add to your painting costs.

For example, you'll need to factor in the supplies required for the paint job prep work like sanding, caulking (if its an exterior door), correcting door jambs, and potentially even the door costs themselves if you're putting on a new door during this process.

Also, keep in mind that these estimates are based on painting a standard sized door like a front door or interior door, these numbers will need to be reevaluated if you're painting a garage door or something much larger than the average door.

That said, here's an itemized list of some of the painting supplies you might need when painting a door and door frame (but if you need to sand, patch, or do any other prep work you'll need to add those supplies to your estimate as well):

• Drop Cloths - $10
• Painter's Tape - $7
• Paint Roller Frame - $7
• Paint Roller Covers - $10
• Paint Tray - $6
• Paint Brushes (For Detailing) - $10
• Disposable Painter's Masks - $20 
• Disposable Painting Gloves - $8
• Safety Goggles - $12
• 1 Gallon of Benjamin Moore Paint - $45
• 1 Gallon of KILZ Paint - $35
• 1 Gallon of Primer - $36

Although you probably won't need to purchase everything on this list if you've painted before, and you likely will only need a single gallon of paint to cover one door (unless it's a giant door...). 

That said, the estimated total cost of painting supplies for one door is:

$160 - $200

This range is based on the assumption that you'd need to buy all of the painting supplies, plus primer and 1 gallon of paint. 

Your final cost will ultimately depend on your painting project and the overall effect you're looking for.

For example, if you're doing a super fancy paint job on a 6-panel door or a pair of french doors, it might add a bit to your door painting costs to get extra paint or multiple types of paint.

Or, if you're looking to add accents to the crown molding and baseboards, that might add to your costs as well.

Overall though, the cost guide above is a great ballpark to work from when opting to paint a door yourself compared to hiring a professional painter.

Read More >> How Do You Paint A Door Without Leaving Brush Marks?

Average Cost To Paint A Door If You Hire a Professional Company?

If the time-consuming process of painting a door isn't your style and you want to hire a professional painter to do the job instead, your overall costs will be different.

Most professional painters charge by square footage but keep in mind every painting company prices their work differently and they may have a specific pricing chart for painting doors. 

For something as small as a single door, many painting companies will offer a price per hour rather than pricing by a linear foot.

But, if you're looking to add all new doors to your home, they may factor in the door costs like door jambs, door painting, and other small tasks like drywall repair that may be required during the construction process.

Ultimately, when hiring a painting company, you're paying for the expertise, convenience, labor costs, and a higher quality painting job.

So for some people, it's well worth the additional painting costs to hire a painting contractor to take the stress off themselves.

That said, the typical cost to hire a painter to paint a single door ranges from $75-$200.

Read More >> How Do You Paint Baseboards Near Carpet?

How Can You Save Money When Painting A Door And Door Frame?

Lucky for you, if you decide to go the DIY route there are several things you can do to lower your painting estimate and save money on your painting project.

Types of Paint

One of the best ways to save money is to choose the type of paint you're using carefully.

Obviously, if you choose to go with multiple paint colors, your project will cost more because you'll need an individual paint can for each color.

The same goes if you're choosing a very high-quality paint.

But, one way to save money here is to choose your paint finish carefully. Typically, high-gloss and semi-gloss paints cost more than matte paints or flat paints.

Also, latex paints are typically cheaper than oil-based paints, and if you're a beginner looking to DIY a single wall in your own home, I'd recommend staying away from oil-based paints as they're harder to clean up and harder to dispose of.

Read More >> What Are The Best Paint/Primer Combos?

Renting vs. Buying Supplies

Did you know you can actually rent certain painting supplies rather than having to buy them?

Most Home Depot stores and Lowe's stores have a rental program where you can rent out certain painting and home improvement supplies. 

Obviously, the cheapest route here is to see if any of your friends and family have some painting supplies they could lend you for the day.

Sales And Dented Cans

Another way you could try to save money on paint is by waiting for your local hardware store to run a sale. 

Even if they knock off a few dollars on a can of paint, this can save you a bunch of money if you know you have a bunch of square footage to cover.

You can also see if they have any dented or paint cans that are about to expire that they could sell to you for less.

Just keep in mind using old paint can have its issues, but if you really want to save a few bucks this can be a great way to do it! And usually, it's not going to create a horrible difference in the end.

Most people don't want to buy dented cans (just like ugly produce) but the paint inside is the same stuff, and if you can get it for a bit cheaper that's more money left over for you!

Read More >> What Are The Best Paint Brushes For Painting Baseboards?

Final Thoughts On Door Painting Costs

Now that we've broken down the individual costs for door painting, these project cost estimates should give you a good starting point.

While every painting project is different, knowing the range of costs before you start is always helpful so you can find all the areas of the budget that you can cut back on.

Whether you're going to DIY a wall in your house or plan to hire a professional, I wish you the best of luck on your painting project.

As always, happy painting!