How to Price a Painting Job (Interior and Exterior)
Two coats, cut in clean, done in a day — that was the plan. Then the walls needed filling, the trim took a second coat, and the day rate you quoted from a glance now has to cover two. Painting is priced badly more often than almost any trade. Here is a way that doesn't leave the prep unpaid.
Measure the surface, not the room
A day rate quoted from a walk-through is a guess dressed up as a price. Measure the actual paintable area — wall square footage, trim linear feet, ceilings, doors and windows counted separately — because a 12 x 12 room with high ceilings, heavy trim and three doors is far more work than the floor area suggests.
Prep is the job. Price it that way
Filling, sanding, caulking, masking and priming are the hours that decide whether the finish looks professional — and the hours most quotes pretend are free. Bare or damaged surfaces, old gloss that needs a bond coat, and dark-to-light color changes all add prep and coats. Price prep as its own line, or it comes out of your margin every time.
Count coats and coverage honestly
Work out paint from real coverage: a gallon covers roughly 350-400 sq ft per coat on a smooth surface, less on rough or porous walls, and most jobs are two coats. A color change or a patchy substrate can quietly become three. Estimate the gallons from the measured area and the number of coats, not from what was left over on the last job.
Cost your hours, then set the margin
Price labor from what an hour of your time or your painter's time actually costs — wage plus the payroll burden on top — multiplied by the hours the prep and coats really take. Then decide the margin every job should earn and divide the cost by (1 minus that margin) to get the price. A 30% markup is a 23% margin; if you want 30%, divide by 0.70.
Skip the maths on the next one
Quote painting from real prep hours, coats and coverage, with the price worked back from the margin you want to keep.
See the Painting Quoting Calculator · $39Common questions
- Should I quote painting as a day rate or per square foot?
- Estimate from the measured surface and the hours the work really takes, then present it however the client prefers. A day rate quoted from a glance ignores prep and second coats, which is exactly where painting jobs lose money.
- How do I price prep work when painting?
- Put filling, sanding, caulking, masking and priming on the quote as their own labor line, estimated from the condition of the surfaces. Bare, damaged or glossy surfaces and big color changes all add prep and coats.
- How much paint do I need for a job?
- A gallon covers roughly 350-400 sq ft per coat on smooth walls, less on rough or porous surfaces. Multiply the measured area by the number of coats — usually two, sometimes three for a color change — and estimate gallons from that, not from leftovers.