5 Tips for Painting Contractor Estimates 

“How much should I charge?” 

“Does this scope make sense?” 

Creating accurate job estimates to set clear expectations for clients and determine your profitability is one of the most challenging parts of professional painting.  

Follow along to explore our top estimate tips, including the value of site surveys, fair labor costs, and estimating software for painting contractors. 

Tip 1: Conduct detailed site surveys. 

Picture this—a prospective customer tells your business they need two rooms painted, and it should only require a few gallons of paint. Sounds like a breeze, right? 

Customers don’t have the same expertise as you do, and a simple on-site inspection could reshape the scope of work. That’s why you should always begin with a site survey to fully understand their needs. 

Take detailed measurements. 

What’s getting a makeover? Whether you’re tackling an interior or exterior paint job for a customer, they require similar measurements: 

• Determine surface area by multiplying the perimeter by the height. 

• Measure nonpainted surfaces, such as windows and doors. 

• Subtract nonpainted surfaces from the surface area. 

• Add structures and accents, such as trim, baseboards, ceilings, or garages. 

Identify any special prep requirements. 

Did you spot problem areas, such as wall damage or peeling paint? Do you need equipment to reach high ceilings?  

Beginning with a walk-through makes it easier to prepare for nuances unique to the project at hand. 

Tip 2: Calculate material quantity. 

99 gallons of paint in your cart, 99 gallons of paint … 

Ensure an accurate estimate and balance your budget by taking stock of what you need to buy to complete the job. 

Precisely estimate materials. 

“Just the materials for this project will cost how much?” 

Prevent sticker shock and over- or under-cost estimates by being exact in your estimates. Use a combination of industry-standard formulas and estimating software for painting contractors to determine paint, primer, and other material needs. 

Ask key questions. 

You’re an old pro who knows interior projects use more paint, and new construction takes more material to prep and finish drywall. But don’t begin projects on autopilot.  

Here are a few important questions to answer during the estimating process: 

• Are you painting an interior or exterior? 

• Is it new construction or an existing repaint? 

• Does square footage include wall space or just floor space? 

Consider cost variables. 

Look at any home improvement website, and you’ll see that paint costs between $20 and $80 per gallon. And although a single can of interior and exterior paint covers up to 400 square feet, it still adds up. 

As you estimate each job, account for this and other factors that might affect your budget. Project size, surface porosity, coat thickness, waste, and additional materials—such as tape, brushes, and rollers—all affect the cost. 

Tip 3: Estimate labor costs. 

Who’s doing the work, and how complicated might it be?  

Labor is one of the ficklest elements of paint projects. You have to charge something that fairly compensates your workers, but too high a sticker price can drive customers away.  

Here are a few tips to remember when estimating your labor costs. 

Ensure fair pricing and profitability. 

You wouldn’t pay the price of a hamburger if you ordered steak, so don’t shortchange your business, either. You know your prices vary depending on complexity, so factor your crew size, experience level, and special needs into labor fees. 

To estimate labor hours and price per project, consider a few calculations: 

• Total expected labor hours = Number of people x number of hours 

• Total labor costs = Total labor hours x hourly labor cost 

Account for extras. 

Any number of variables can impact labor costs overall. Create flexibility for delays and additional labor expenses, such as: 

• Weather delays 

• Painter rates 

• Travel time 

• Insurance and taxes 

• Equipment rental/purchase 

Tip 4: Create a cost breakdown. 

Painting a two-story home will cost more than painting a primary bedroom.  

But there’s so much more at play than the physical size of projects, which impacts your own investment and customer quotes. 

Add everything up. 

Want to build trust with customers? Let them know exactly what to expect from their investment. This means clearly itemizing costs, including: 

• Materials 

• Labor 

• Prep work 

• Cleanup 

• Disposal and/or permit fees 

But don’t make extra work for yourself. Painting contractor software can present these details clearly and digestibly to improve transparency. 

Calculate overhead. 

Love it or hate it, overhead—including rent, insurance, marketing, and more—is part of running a painting business and impacts pricing.  

Use these calculations to ensure your overhead is included in each estimate: 

• Hourly overhead = Yearly overhead / (employees x weekly hours x 52) 

• Per-job overhead = Hourly overhead x job hours 

Calculate profit margin. 

While customers just want to finish their paint jobs, your business has to stay in the black. Estimates must also ensure you’ll have cash flow to operate and grow.  

Here are a few more calculations to help you do that: 

• Net income = Revenue – material – labor – overhead 

• Profit margin = Net income / revenue 

• Total project price = Material + labor + (material + labor x profit margin) 

Tip 5: Leverage estimating software.  

Painting contractor software improves the quoting process.  

You can build your job estimates in one tool that outlines the entire project and set an expiration date for your quote, ensuring that the pricing remains accurate and fair. 

Increase accuracy and efficiency. 

Don’t leave any stone left unturned. Estimating software for painting contractors accounts for every paint surface and unique job requirement, so you can draft accurate estimates quickly and keep moving forward. 

Estimating software lets you: 

• Create estimates in a few clicks. 

• Secure approval via eSign. 

• Share task lists, equipment, and job details. 

Reduce manual calculations and errors. 

Ditch paper and pen and save time with software automation.  

Painting contractor software simplifies labor and time calculations and can also integrate pre-populated product and service line items for each estimate. 

Improve project management. 

Breathe easier as your choice of software keeps the ball rolling across the organization.  

An all-in-one estimating software for painting contractors improves job and estimate tracking and helps share details about estimates and project needs across your team. 

Make business personal. 

Craft detailed estimates that meet customers where they are. Use software that offers good/better/best options to fit any budget and supports customizations and branding. 

And once you schedule each job, boost customer satisfaction with automated pre-job text messages and on-the-way alerts. 

Win more jobs with painter contractor software. 

The days of burying your head in a service catalog or taking an educated guess for your painting estimates are long over. Be more methodical in your pricing and automate time-consuming estimates. 

Service Fusion’s estimating software for painting contractors generates competitive estimates and streamlines all angles of your painting business. Take stock of how your estimate process could be better: 

• Do you accurately scope projects? 

• Are you spending correctly on materials? 

• How much does labor impact your price? 

See what makes our painting contractor software different. Explore the benefits of Service Fusion for painting businesses.