How to Estimate Interior Paint Jobs

The best method for estimating interior paint jobs is time-based estimation! Did you know painting contractors with millions of dollars in revenue swear by this method? This step-by-step guide will leave you confident that your painting business is quoting the right price (paint bid) for any room, bedroom, or interior estimate-every time!
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0:00 - How to estimate a bedroom using time-based rates
0:23 - What is time-based estimation?
0:43 - Benefits of time-based estimation
1:19 - Variables to consider for your painting estimate
1:59 - Step 1: Measure the space and count the number of items
2:30 - Step 2: Calculate the number of painting hours for each surface
5:05 - Step 3: Account for any additional hours
5:30 - Step 4: Calculate the price of the painting project
#paintingestimation #paintingcontractor #interiorpainting

[@paintscout]

Want to learn more about how PaintScout can help you build estimates in minutes and win jobs faster? Book a Demo with one of our experts today: ow.ly/7eKN50MPQgx

[@iverstim]

Let’s factor furniture moving, laying tarps/ plastic / rosin paper/ tape, removing plate covers/ blinds/ drapes/ hardware/ wall hangers/ screws/ nails/ etc. Then you have drywall repairs, caulking, sanding, priming or spot priming, stain kill, etc. And once all this is done, you can do the easy part (painting).

[@paintscout]

For sure! We account for additional hours for all that in Step 3 at 5:05. Although you could estimate this first, if you wanted to, as well. Thanks for your comment.

[@ajsbrushworksllc8348]

I absolutely love paint scout. Fantastic platform and the customer service is tops!! Stacy is my favorite paint scouter to talk to! 😍

[@paintscout]

Wow thanks for the kind words, AJ! We love having you as a customer ☺

[@oneorgangrinder]

Keep em' coming

[@paintscout]

on it!

[@ThePainterwhodid]

Nice video..y’all should do more like this

[@paintscout]

Thanks! More videos are coming soon - stay tuned!

[@jgg204]

Is there a loss factor applied for when both painter helpers come to the job hung over?

[@paintscout]

😅

[@patfitzgerald9287]

The hangover variable is often overlooked in videos like this but seasoned tradespeople understand it's an important factor to consider. Your company should not absorb the cost of hangover delays, so this needs to be lumped into your overhead percentages in your standard pricing structure. Good catch.

[@user-qc9pe8de1i]

What about the time it takes for the paint to dry. Sure you can paint the basebords in 1.5 hr . Most paint recommendations say apply second coat in an hour. That would put total time at 3 hours.

[@johnhunter7386]

I was following along pretty well until at the 4:20 point of the video i saw the painter cutting around the outlet cover with his brush. Lol! A pro would remove all outlet covers during the painting process

[@paintscout]

We see both!

[@richardmckrell4899]

I usually leave cable covers on and paint them the wall color.

[@Twinkie-fc3vt]

Hello Paintscout, is this estimate taking into consideration the cost of one or two employees to complete the job? Having difficulty figuring that out.

[@paintscout]

We’re using time-based rates here (2:25), so the average amount of time it takes your team to complete a task (sqft/hr, lnft/hr, or hrs/item). The price is coming from your hourly rate (5:38), which includes your *average* labor costs. We have a great, detailed video that covers everything here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYa8ipd5o8iKo80

[@pablobarahona9340]

What do i do with the cost of gas, taxes , paper, tapes, pastics, brushes, use of my tools ?

[@paintscout]

Hi! When including sundry costs, we often see two common approaches: 1. As a Line Item. This approach ensures pricing transparency by displaying the cost directly on your estimate & recording the sundries on your work order! 2. Include sundries in your average material spend, which can then be factored into your hourly rate calculation. For a step-by-step guide on determining a sustainable and profitable hourly rate, check out this article: help.paintscout.com/en/articles/8137653-how-to-calculate-your-hourly-rate Hope that helps! Thanks for the question.

[@artisancarpet]

what do you mean apply 2 coats? is that applying 1, wait til dry then 2nd?

[@paintscout]

Yes!

[@MB1BUMPER]

Did you figure in the masking time when you stated your crew can paint a ceiling in an hour?

[@paintscout]

Hours calculated for the ceiling (or any surface) are for application only. You’ll still want to add in prep-time separately (5:05). In this video, we add 1 hour of prep in at 5:53, so that's where we are accounting for masking time.

[@DAMON409]

no masking

[@gianthills]

1 hour prep?? No way. More like 15 minutes to half hour.

[@patfitzgerald9287]

​@@gianthillsnever figure anything under an hour in prep time.

[@stevenmorris2293]

Everything takes an hour

[@ravedutan2586]

if you estimate do you have software that it shows like , walls, millwork, molding, baseboard

[@paintscout]

Hey, thanks for the question! When using PaintScout estimating software, there is a "substrate view" which organizes the estimate by substrate, showing the breakdown of each substrate you will be working on and the cost of each. Does that answer your question?

[@ravedutan2586]

@@paintscout where can buy that?

[@paintscout]

@@ravedutan2586 You can book a demo here: ow.ly/7eKN50MPQgx - Tasha will explain everything about getting started with PaintScout!

[@patfitzgerald9287]

​@@paintscoutGot a new link for booking that demo?

[@paintscout]

@@patfitzgerald9287 Sure do! calendly.com/natasha-paintscout/paintscout-demo

[@mattscott882]

Do you add any taxes??

[@paintscout]

It will depend on the location and business. Some states charge tax only on materials, while others require no tax on services at all. You can customize your tax rates in your PaintScout account settings; then, if tax is added, it’s calculated on the subtotal. Hope that helps!

[@michaelgrabianowski6567]

All of these tips are great but you didn't mention the attitude of the client . After 30 years of painting I have learned how to turn down bids because I have learned that you can't please some people no matter what you do. Learning how to recognize a difficult client is essential to maintaining a decent profit. There is a big difference between just a paint job and a restoration. You have to make sure your contract is air tight and spells out in detail what you will do. Any add on's must be paid at the time of the request taking under the consideration that those add on's will delay your final check.

[@paintscout]

Great points! Thanks for sharing about your experience. Maybe we'll have to cover that in another video!

[@throughsoul]

Just a little ding because at the 4:00 mark in the video it shows the ceiling with popcorn texture. Dude. Don't even get me started, but your calculations should adjust based on the texture of the surface you are painting. And popcorn is almost the worst for so many reasons.

[@paintscout]

Thanks for your comment! Our calculations actually do adjust! You'll notice that for the walls, these painters can paint 100 sqft/hr, while with the ceilings, they're using 75 sqft/hr. End of the day, as long as you're accurate about the time it takes your painters to get the work done, this method will be effective.

[@throughsoul]

@@paintscout Question: Then are there different inputs for ceilings with standard texture and ceilings with popcorn texture? Or is there just one input selection available for ceilings and you set ONE production rate of 75/sq/hr? Because there are also three different common textures for walls, too. Can PaintScout have Walls - Light texture AND Walls - Heavy texture as different estimate options?

[@paintscout]

@@throughsoul Absolutely it can! You can set up as many production rates as you would like with varying rates. We often see this with our users, as their rates might change depending on the texture, size, level of difficulty etc. Hope that helps!

[@fairamir1]

8 hours to paint all that room? I could do it in 3 hours, but I never charge by the hour. I charge by room.

[@paintscout]

Interesting! Do you take into account the size of the room (small bedroom vs. large master suite)? Does your price change if 1 or 2 people are painting the room?

[@anthonycargill8589]

Two coats on everything in 3 hours ?

[@paintscout]

Hey@@anthonycargill8589 👋 I'm curious, how many hours do you estimate it would take you/your team to paint this room?

[@bmxpro273]

What the price you charge per room? $250 labor? No materials

[@anthonycargill8589]

@@paintscout solo would be 8-9 hours , everything in two coats. Solo 4 hours everything one coat for one bedroom. For team , two painters 2 bedrooms 8 hours.

[@richardmckrell4899]

One person to paint all surfaces in a room in one day. Never happen.

[@paintscout]

What do you feel is more reasonable for you or your crew?

[@richardmckrell4899]

@@paintscout I don't work for you.

[@lifeisforlivingfullstop9113]

Why have I just watched this ? 🙊🙈

[@paintscout]

Why not?! 🤣

[@lifeisforlivingfullstop9113]

@@paintscout Because it polluted my mind thats why 😬

[@DAMON409]

easy $150 -200

[@paintscout]

How many hours do you estimate this project would take you/your team?

[@DAMON409]

@@paintscout don't need a team for one room.

[@paintscout]

@@DAMON409 Ok, how many hours wold it take *you* to paint one room?

[@DAMON409]

@@paintscout 3 - 4 hours . Depending on trim and how much prep is needed.

[@spot10026]

How is it going. I booked an office space gig with one company last year and they pay a flat rate for standard size/office studio .they provide paint. flow of work is not as consistent but great for me to get my feet wet. I tried to ramp up my work and called other commercial office space company. I introduced my services as a painter and she said they need painters and were interested. She asked me what my numbers were and I wasn't sure what to tell her ,for not want to price myself out of work. So I asked her what her budget was and what they were paying out. She said her average rooms are 9x9s. And they are paying $90 just for paint (no prep work/nail pops/drywall repair). I tried to work out the math and it seems that a 9x9 is 81sq ft. And they are paying 1.11 per sq footage of room (not walls)- another question in itself - Should I charge on wall square footage or room square footage. Then she proceeded to ask me my numbers for prep work such as nails pops for drywall repair. and said she would follow up to ask me my numbers. Seeing as how they already seem to be on tight budget as they are a small company.I have no estimating system for prep work or just random regular nail holes that are scattered and can't find how to price that for her when she follows up. What do you suggest, I would greatly appreciate the help.

[@paintscout]

Great questions! Understanding how to accurately and fairly price jobs can be one of the toughest parts of running a painting business. There are many different ways that you can price jobs, but we believe the most accurate and reliable method to be Time-Based Estimation - in painting, we’re selling TIME, so we should be pricing that way accordingly. We have tons of resources regarding this type of estimation, which you can find at paintscout.com, or by booking a demo with us and chatting with one of our team members! (ow.ly/7eKN50MPQgx) Time-based estimation can definitely be used to calculate your prices for prep work! You’ll be able to break down how long prep has taken you in the past, and apply it when pricing future jobs (for example, X amount of hours per drywall patch). When you come across jobs that require more prep work than usual, you’ll be able to adjust your price accordingly. In terms of floor sqft vs. wall sqft for painting walls, we believe going based on wall square footage is more helpful. Here’s why: Let’s compare a 1000 sqft warehouse, to a 1000 sqft office building. The office building will most likely have dozens of walls, while the warehouse may only have four walls, and yet, their floor square footage is the same. It would take you MUCH longer and a lot more materials to paint the office building. Hopefully this information will be helpful to you, and please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any further questions!

[@paintscout]

You might also check out our webinar, 'How to Confidently Price Painting Projects': kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZKQaql9fJd4f6c