I've watched a lot of painting contractors lose money on jobs they thought were straightforward. The estimate looked fine on paper — until they actually got into the prep work, realized the trim was going to take twice as long, or underestimated how much primer that old stucco would drink up.
Estimating paint jobs isn't rocket science, but it does require a system. Winging it — "that looks like a $3,000 job" — works until it doesn't. Here's how to build estimates that actually hold up.
Step 1: Measure everything
This sounds obvious, but the number of painters who eyeball square footage is staggering. Get actual measurements.
For interior work, measure each wall (length × height), then subtract windows and doors. A standard door opening is about 21 square feet; a standard window is about 15 square feet. Add ceiling square footage if that's part of the scope.
For exterior work, measure each side of the house. Don't forget soffits, fascia, and trim — those eat up time even though they're small areas. Multiply the total wall area by 1.1 to account for waste and overlap.
A typical 2,000-square-foot home has roughly 3,000-3,500 square feet of paintable exterior surface and about 4,500-5,500 square feet of interior wall space (depending on ceiling height and layout).
Step 2: Calculate material costs
A gallon of quality interior paint covers about 350-400 square feet with one coat. Most jobs need two coats, so figure 175-200 square feet per gallon in practice.
Here's what materials typically cost in 2026:
| Material | Cost Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Interior paint (contractor grade) | $30-45/gallon | Sherwin-Williams ProMar, Behr Pro, etc. |
| Interior paint (premium) | $50-75/gallon | Duration, Emerald, Regal Select |
| Exterior paint (quality) | $45-70/gallon | 100% acrylic is the standard |
| Primer | $25-40/gallon | Always prime over stains, new drywall, or drastic color changes |
| Caulk, tape, drop cloths, sandpaper | $50-150/job | Consumables add up — track them |
For a 2,500 sq ft interior job (two coats), you'd need about 13-14 gallons of paint. At $40/gallon for contractor-grade, that's $520-560 in paint alone. Add primer for problem areas, caulk, and supplies, and materials run $650-800.
Mark up materials 15-25%. You're buying it, transporting it, and standing behind the color match. That markup is earned.
Step 3: Estimate labor hours
This is where most estimates go wrong. People underestimate prep time every single time.
Here's a realistic breakdown of production rates for an experienced painter:
| Task | Rate |
|---|---|
| Prep (patching, sanding, caulking, masking) | 100-200 sq ft/hour |
| Priming | 200-300 sq ft/hour |
| Rolling walls (per coat) | 200-300 sq ft/hour |
| Cutting in / edging | 80-120 linear ft/hour |
| Trim and doors | 1-2 doors/hour, 50-80 linear ft trim/hour |
| Exterior (brush and roll on siding) | 100-150 sq ft/hour |
| Exterior (spray) | 500-800 sq ft/hour |
For that 2,500 sq ft interior job: figure 12-15 hours of prep, 8-10 hours of priming (partial), 16-20 hours of rolling two coats, 8-12 hours of cutting in, and 6-10 hours on trim. Total: 50-67 hours.
With a two-person crew, that's about 4-5 days on site. Which feels about right for a full interior repaint of a mid-size house.
Step 4: Set your labor rate
Your labor rate has to cover the painter's wage, payroll taxes, workers' comp, and your overhead.
If you're paying a painter $22/hour, your actual cost with taxes and comp is closer to $30/hour. Add your overhead allocation (truck, insurance, office costs) and you're at $45-55/hour in true cost per worker.
Charge $55-85/hour per painter depending on your market. In major metros, $75-95 is normal. In rural areas, $45-60 is more realistic. Check what other painters in your area charge — if you're way below the average, you're leaving money behind.
Step 5: Put the estimate together
Let's run the numbers on a full interior repaint of a 2,500 sq ft home:
- Materials: $750 (with 20% markup = $900)
- Labor: 58 hours × $65/hour = $3,770
- Profit margin (15%): $700
- Total estimate: $5,370
That works out to about $2.15 per square foot, which falls right in the typical range of $1.50-3.50/sq ft for interior painting.
For exterior painting, expect $1.75-4.00/sq ft depending on the surface type, condition, number of stories, and whether you're spraying or rolling.
Pricing per square foot benchmarks
Use these as sanity checks against your calculated estimate:
| Job Type | Price per Sq Ft | Average Home Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Interior walls only | $1.50-2.50 | $3,500-6,000 |
| Interior walls + trim + ceilings | $2.50-3.50 | $5,500-9,000 |
| Exterior (1-story) | $1.75-3.00 | $3,000-6,000 |
| Exterior (2-story) | $2.50-4.00 | $5,000-10,000 |
| Cabinet painting (kitchen) | $75-150/door | $3,000-7,000 |
Things that blow up painting estimates
Lead paint. Anything built before 1978 might have it. If you're not EPA RRP certified, you can't legally disturb lead paint. Certification, containment, and proper disposal add $500-2,000+ to a job. Know before you quote.
Wallpaper removal. Budget 2-4 hours per room depending on how well it was installed. Some wallpaper comes off in sheets. Some comes off in postage-stamp-sized pieces over the course of a miserable afternoon. Price it separately.
Extensive repairs. Small nail holes are part of normal prep. But large drywall patches, water damage, rotted wood trim, or peeling exterior paint that needs full scraping — these are separate line items. Don't bury them in the paint price or you'll eat the cost.
High ceilings and stairwells. Anything over 9 feet means scaffolding or extension equipment and slower production rates. Add a 25-40% difficulty multiplier for two-story foyers and stairwells.
Presenting the estimate
Break it down for the customer. Don't just hand them a number — show them what they're getting. List prep work, number of coats, paint brand and finish, what's included and what's not.
A detailed estimate builds trust and gives you cover when the customer asks "why is it more than the other guy?" The other guy probably forgot to include prep, or he's using the cheapest paint on the shelf, or he's about to learn an expensive lesson about underpricing.
If you want to speed up the math, our pricing calculator lets you plug in square footage, material costs, and labor hours to get a job price in seconds. It's built for trade businesses and handles the overhead and margin calculations automatically.
Price your next painting job in 60 seconds
Use our free pricing calculator to build accurate estimates with built-in overhead and profit margins.
Try the pricing calculator →If you're also figuring out how to price other trade work, the formula is basically the same: materials + labor + overhead + profit. The specific numbers change, but the framework doesn't. Master it once and you can estimate anything.