A great resource for house painters

Coming up with the right price is only part of the process… In the competitive market it is also how you write up and prepare your estimate as well.

Every area is different so the best way to get a ball park of what the going rate is in your area you may have to do a bit of competition research.

A good place to start is the local paint store. Learning how to properly bid and estimate paint jobs is vital to the long term success of a painting business. If you are bidding jobs using a T&M method (time and materials) you are leaving money on the table and working for about half of what you could be earning.

I have found this site and program to be a great resource for learning how to bid paint jobs.

Hope this helps.

A friend, who painted for a few years, told me to figure a room a day on average. Does that sound right?

Bidding a paint job by the sq/ft.

Charging by the square foot is fine for new construction but for repaints "by the day" is a better way to figure it. With this method you know how much you will make at the end of the job, as long as the materials, fuel and other expenses are properly accounted for.

To find a good price for per sq/ft jobs you need to visit your local paint store and talk to the sales rep. They travel around to the jobs and try to convert painters to their products or talk directly with builders. They will have a good idea of the going price.

As for fuel costs, the amount you charge depends on the distance and the van or pickup you are driving. You need to charge something, especially with today's prices.

plus, keep it real! If you figure 10 gallons of paint bump it up a little, maybe 12. It almost always takes a little more than expected. And if not, this is your pizza money!!!

Per Day Concept

How can you calculate gas and so on.
I agree with the per day concept plus materials and your mark up.

Ridiculous, I do maintenance for an apartment complex. Part of the budget is paint. There is no way I would vend or contract out paint for any of the prices I saw here on this board. Only fair way to price a paint job is by the hour, an experienced painter knows how long he can do a room. Myself can do a normal sized room in an hour brush and roll complete so I charge $25hr no materials 60 dollars for a 5 of paint (Sherwin Williams) to cover 3-4 rooms. Example- 3 bedroom condo 2 bath 1 kitchen interior no ceilings same color no conversion (conversion is double), I have a 6hr minimum, has to be at least 150 dollars to look at it. Factor in prep time, say 1hr no patches, 1 bedroom-1bath-1kitchen-l living room= 6hrs plus extra 2 bedrooms 1hr each 1 bathroom 1hr= 10hrs x 25=250 labor 150 for paint (markup your deal .25 percent)=total 400.. Ive seen companies from 20hr to 32hr and the results the same.