When it's time to charge your customer, use a paint bill generator to easily add your services as items to your bill. It may seem like a lot of work before the job starts, but knowing how to estimate a paint job accurately to account for all the costs can make the difference between reaching the breakeven point and making a significant profit. You'll only need to buy new paint and primer for most new jobs after you've purchased the materials for your first interior painting job. Here's how to estimate the amount of paint you need and how to accurately measure your paint site for interior and exterior painting jobs. After all, you should be compensated for your time, not just for the paint and materials you purchased.
To properly quote a painting job that generates profits, describe all the work you'll be doing before, during, and after the painting job. The way you calculate the estimate of your painting job ensures that you'll get cash flow that isn't automatically allocated to necessary expenses and that can be used for company improvements. For example, some historic districts have strict color guidelines, while other areas may require paints that are low in volatile organic compounds for environmental reasons. If you are also going to paint the garage door, the moldings, the ceiling and the eaves, be sure to measure them during your visit to the site.
This infographic highlights some of the specific work decisions and issues that could affect the actual cost of painting and wall finishing, if appropriate to your job. For example, painting stucco can require almost twice as much paint as vinyl, since textured surfaces have more area to cover. Once you know your customer's square footage and how many gallons of paint and primer they need, add these painting costs to your estimation of the total cost. Overhead expenses are easy to overlook, but they're crucial to the ongoing health of your painting business.
Knowing how to estimate a painting job and sending detailed quotes will help you get jobs and set clear expectations for your clients. This estimate example refers to BASIC work performed under easy-to-maintain conditions by qualified professionals, using popular, in-stock products, materials, and supplies available at home improvement stores.
