What different budgets realistically cover when repainting a modern 55 sqm apartment from roughly 90.000 Ft in DIY materials to a 587.125 Ft professional repaint.
Repainting is often the first improvement owners make before selling or letting an apartment, because fresh paint makes a home feel cleaner, brighter and easier for buyers to imagine living in.
In Hungary, painting labour is often the largest part of the cost. Because of that, many owners consider doing the work themselves.
But how far does a given budget actually go in practice?
To make the numbers clear, the example below uses a typical 55 sqm one-bedroom apartment with an open kitchen–living layout. In this type of flat, the total paintable surface walls and ceilings combined comes to about 192.5 m². Two coats are standard, meaning roughly 385 m² of painting in total, and this surface estimate comes directly from the measurements used in the professional repaint quote below.
40.000–60.000 Ft Repainting one room
Even a modest budget can make a visible difference. At this level you could repaint a single bedroom, hallway or entry area, usually covering around 35–60 m² of wall and ceiling surface.
Two coats normally require 8–12 litres of paint.
The change is simple but noticeable. Marks disappear, slight yellowing fades and the room photographs brighter. This doesn’t increase the value of the property, but it removes a common reaction buyers have when they walk into a room: “We’ll repaint this straight away.” Removing that first negative impression can make viewings feel smoother.
Around 90.000 Ft, DIY materials to repaint the whole apartment
Repainting the entire apartment means covering the full 192.5 m² of walls and ceilings.
With two coats, this usually requires around 30–40 litres of paint.
Using Héra Gold interior paint (15-litre buckets priced at 12.970 Ft), three buckets provide enough paint to complete the job.
Paint cost: 3 × 12.970 Ft = 38.910 Ft
To match the preparation work included in the professional quote, DIY materials also need to include protection and basic repair supplies. Protecting 55 m² of floor and furniture area requires foil and masking tape, while repairing about 55 metres of wall cracks requires reinforcement tape and filler.
Together these materials bring the total DIY cost to roughly 90,000 Ft, excluding labour, and repainting an entire apartment usually takes several days of preparation and painting.
587.125 Ft Hiring a professional painter
For comparison, a recent professional quote for this same 55 sqm apartment came in at:
Floor and furniture protection: 55 m² × 1.300 Ft = 71.500 Ft
Crack reinforcement: 55 fm × 1.500 Ft = 82.500 Ft
Two-coat repaint with wall corrections: 192.5 m² × 2.250 Ft = 433.125 Ft
Total: 587.125 Ft
This price includes preparation work, protection of floors and furniture, crack repairs and the full two-coat repaint. The apartment itself doesn’t change structurally, but clean, uniform walls help the space feel ready to move into during viewings.
What changes at different spending levels
Smaller budgets improve presentation, while a full repaint refreshes the entire apartment and removes most visible wear.
When buyers compare similar apartments, details like wall condition often influence which home feels ready and which feels like work. Paint doesn’t change the structure of a home, but it can change the first impression buyers get when they walk through the door.
5 Practical Questions Buyers and Investors
1. Does repainting increase the asking price ?
Usually not directly, but a clean apartment can reduce the number of repair issues buyers raise during negotiations.
2. Is DIY repainting financially sensible ?
Material costs can stay relatively low. The main investment is time.
3. Why calculate using 192.5 m² instead of 55 m² ?
Because painting costs depend on wall and ceiling surface area, not floor area.
4. When does hiring a painter make more sense?
When time is limited or when owners want the work completed quickly before listing the property.
5. Where does repainting have the biggest effect?
In the rooms buyers see first, usually the living area and entrance spaces.