A 1500 sqft 3BHK Chennai apartment or independent floor typically needs 45-55 litres of interior emulsion + 30-38 litres of exterior emulsion + 80-100 kg of putty + 8-12 L primer, costing roughly ₹1.7 – 2.4 lakh fully done with labour. Here's the line-by-line working, plus how to do it on your own plan size using our Paint Calculator.
🧮 Skip the math: Use the Paint Calculator — wall area × coats → litres, packs, and live Asian Paints Chennai cost in 2 seconds.
Setup — typical Chennai 3BHK
- Carpet area: 1,500 sqft
- Wall surface area (interior, both sides counted once): ~3,200 sqft
- External wall area (single-floor apartment façade or independent house): ~1,800 sqft
- Coats applied: 2 interior, 2 exterior
- Surface prep: putty (2 coats) + primer (1 coat)
Step 1 — Interior paint quantity
Asian Paints Tractor Emulsion at 140 sqft per litre per coat:
Litres = (3,200 sqft × 2 coats) ÷ 140 sqft/L
= 6,400 ÷ 140
= 45.7 L → order 50 L
Best pack combo for 50 L:
- 2 × 20 L buckets = 40 L
- 1 × 10 L can = 10 L
Cost (Chennai, June 2026): 2 × ₹4,800 + 1 × ₹2,500 = ₹12,100 for paint alone.
Step 2 — Exterior paint quantity
Asian Paints Ace Exterior Emulsion at 110 sqft per litre per coat:
Litres = (1,800 sqft × 2 coats) ÷ 110
= 3,600 ÷ 110
= 32.7 L → order 35 L
Best pack combo:
- 1 × 20 L bucket = 20 L
- 1 × 10 L can = 10 L
- 1 × 4 L = 4 L (slight over for touch-up)
Cost: ₹6,200 + ₹3,250 + ₹1,350 = ₹10,800.
If your build is on ECR or any coastal location, upgrade to Apex Ultima (3× longer-lasting in salt air, ₹450-500/L vs Ace's ₹310): cost goes to ~₹15,500.
Step 3 — Putty (wall smoothening)
Birla White Wall Care Putty coverage: ~12 sqft/kg per coat. Two coats over 3,200 sqft interior:
Putty kg = (3,200 × 2) ÷ 12 = 533 kg → order 540 kg
Pack: 40 kg bags × 14 bags. Chennai price: ~₹38/kg.
Cost: 540 × ₹38 = ₹20,520.
If walls are already smooth (skim coat only): ~half this.
Step 4 — Primer
Asian Paints Primer (water-based): 1 coat over putty, coverage ~120 sqft/L:
Primer = 3,200 ÷ 120 = 26.7 L → order 30 L
Pack: 1 × 20 L + 1 × 10 L. Chennai price: ~₹230/L.
Cost: 30 × ₹230 = ₹6,900.
(Exterior usually doesn't need separate primer — Ace bonds direct to plastered surface with one diluted first coat.)
Step 5 — Labour
Chennai painting labour rates (June 2026):
| Job | Rate |
|---|---|
| Putty + 2 coats interior emulsion | ₹16-20/sqft of wall |
| 2 coats exterior emulsion | ₹14-18/sqft of wall |
| Premium finishes (texture, accent walls) | ₹30+/sqft |
For our 3,200 sqft interior + 1,800 sqft exterior:
- Interior: 3,200 × ₹18 = ₹57,600
- Exterior: 1,800 × ₹16 = ₹28,800
Labour total: ₹86,400 (round to ₹85,000).
Step 6 — Consumables
Brushes, rollers, trays, sandpaper, masking tape, drop cloths, scaffolding hire:
Cost: ₹8,000 – 12,000 depending on whether painter brings their own kit.
Full cost summary for 1500 sqft 3BHK painting
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Birla White Putty (540 kg) | ₹20,520 |
| Asian Paints Primer (30 L) | ₹6,900 |
| Asian Paints Tractor Interior (50 L) | ₹12,100 |
| Asian Paints Ace Exterior (35 L) | ₹10,800 |
| Painting labour (interior + exterior) | ₹85,000 |
| Consumables + scaffolding | ₹10,000 |
| Total | ₹1,45,320 |
That's basic full painting. For repaint (no putty, no primer, just 2 coats over existing paint): drop the putty + primer line items → ~₹1,17,900.
Adding premium finishes
If you want a designer look:
| Finish | Add-on |
|---|---|
| 1-2 accent walls in Asian Paints Royale Aspira | ₹15,000 – 25,000 |
| Texture finish (master bedroom feature wall) | ₹20,000 – 40,000 |
| Royale Glitz / metallic finish (living room) | ₹25,000 – 45,000 |
| Wallpaper (designer, 1 bedroom) | ₹15,000 – 60,000 |
| External texture (façade) | ₹35,000 – 75,000 |
A "premium 3BHK paint job" with 2 accent walls + 1 texture wall + Apex Ultima exterior typically totals ₹2.3 – 2.8 lakh.
Where most people overspend
- Buying small packs. 4 L cans cost ₹240/L; 20 L buckets cost ₹240/L too — but 1 L cans cost ₹290/L. Order the biggest pack you'll fully use.
- Premium brand for interior when nobody sees it. Royale Aspira on bedroom walls is wasted money — Tractor at 1/3 the cost is indistinguishable to non-paint-experts and lasts the same 3-4 years before repaint.
- Skipping primer to save ₹7,000. Without primer, putty absorbs the emulsion unevenly → patchy finish → 1 extra coat needed → costs ₹15,000 in extra paint + labour to fix.
- Hiring a generic painter for exterior work. Exterior requires waterproofing knowledge — improper edge sealing on parapets causes leaks within a year.
Comparison — 1BHK vs 2BHK vs 3BHK vs 4BHK painting cost
| Size | Carpet area | Total paint cost (basic) | Total paint cost (premium) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 BHK | 600 sqft | ₹50,000 – 70,000 | ₹85,000 – 1,10,000 |
| 2 BHK | 1,000-1,200 sqft | ₹85,000 – 1,15,000 | ₹1,40,000 – 1,80,000 |
| 3 BHK | 1,500-1,800 sqft | ₹1,40,000 – 1,85,000 | ₹2,30,000 – 2,80,000 |
| 4 BHK | 2,000-2,500 sqft | ₹1,85,000 – 2,40,000 | ₹3,00,000 – 3,80,000 |
Timing — how long does it take?
For a 1500 sqft 3BHK with 2 painters:
- Day 1: Putty coat 1
- Day 2: Putty coat 2 + sanding
- Day 3: Primer coat (dries overnight)
- Day 4: First emulsion coat (interior)
- Day 5: Second emulsion coat (interior)
- Day 6: Exterior coat 1
- Day 7: Exterior coat 2 + touch-ups
Total: 7 working days, single crew. Double crew → 4 days.
Use the calculator for your exact plan
This was a worked example for a typical 1500 sqft 3BHK. For your specific wall area, open the Paint Calculator, enter the actual wall dimensions, choose coats, and get the same math run with live Suppliable Chennai prices in 2 seconds.
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