Planning and Estimating

Review plans and specifications to identify surfaces, required coatings and systems, number of coats, and quality standards before bidding.

Specifications often dictate surface prep and film-thickness requirements that drive both labor and material costs.

Verify permit needs; routine repainting rarely needs a permit, but larger permitted construction or lead abatement may.

Calculate rectangular area as length times height (for example, 40 ft x 9 ft = 360 sq ft).

Decide a consistent method for openings: many painters leave small windows and doors in to offset cut-in labor, while deducting large openings.

For a deducted takeoff, subtract opening area from the gross (for example, 400 sq ft wall minus a 21 sq ft door = 379 sq ft).

Gallons per coat equal area divided by spread rate; multiply by the number of coats and round up to whole containers.

Reduce assumed coverage for rough, porous surfaces (for example, 2,000 sq ft at 250 sq ft/gal = 8 gallons per coat).

Add a waste and touch-up factor for tray/roller retention, spillage, and overspray, and keep extra of the same batch for touch-ups.

Estimate labor from production rates: hours equal area divided by rate (for example, 1,200 sq ft at 150 sq ft/hr = 8 hours per coat).

Estimate surface prep separately, since it varies widely with condition and can equal or exceed the painting time.

Account for setup, masking, and cleanup time in addition to the actual coating labor.

Material cost equals quantity times unit price (for example, 18 gallons x $45 = $810), plus sundries like tape, brushes, and masking.

Document assumptions such as number of coats, prep level, and exclusions to define scope and reduce disputes.

Use clear scope documentation to support change orders when work exceeds the original estimate.