PAINTING
How to Price a Painting Job
Measure the surface, count the gallons and add real labor so you can price a painting job that covers costs and still wins the bid.
Painting looks simple, but an accurate price needs three parts: the square footage to cover, the gallons that will consume, and the labor to prep and apply it. Miss any one of them and the job eats your day. This guide walks through each part and hands you the painting calculator.
Measure the surface you will actually cover
Measure the walls and ceiling that will be painted, not the whole room. Multiply length by height for each wall and add the ceiling. Deduct large openings you will not paint, but leave the rest — every square foot costs paint and time.
- Wall length times height for each wall
- Ceiling area for any ceiling work
- Skip only large openings you will not paint
- Note texture, which changes paint use and labor
Count coats, coverage and gallons
Each coat multiplies the paint you buy. Divide the total surface by the coverage of a gallon (commonly around 350 sq ft), multiply by the number of coats, and round up. Primer, bold color changes and texture all push the gallons higher.
Estimate paint plus labor with the tool
Enter the surface, coats, coverage, price per gallon and your labor hours and rate. The calculator returns the gallons needed, the paint cost, the labor cost and the total for the job.
Prep is where jobs get expensive
Filling holes, sanding, caulking, priming and moving furniture can take as long as the painting itself. Price the prep into your hours or you will watch the profit disappear early in the job.
Add overhead and profit to the total
The calculator's total is your direct cost. Add your overhead and profit so the price you send supports the business, not just the paint and the hours. Compare it with the market and adjust speed or scope only when the math is still sound.