Painting Job Costing Calculator
Know your costs per job, not per gallon. Price painting work with real numbers.
👷 Labor
How many people on this painting job
Typical: 25-35%. Covers FICA, workers comp, unemployment insurance, PTO.
🔧 Materials
Total cost of parts, supplies, and materials for this painting job.
Markup covers your time sourcing, picking up, and storing materials. Typical: 10-25%.
🏢 Overhead
Your monthly fixed costs spread across this painting job.
Rent, insurance, marketing, phone, software, vehicle payments, tools. Anything you pay whether or not you're on a job.
🚛 Travel & Setup
Time before and after the actual painting work. Most contractors forget this.
Applied at your average hourly pay rate. Includes all workers.
💰 Desired Profit Margin
The percentage of the final price you keep as profit.
What to Charge
$0
Total job price
Adjust the inputs on the left to see your numbers update in real time.
📤 Share This Tool
Know someone who could use this? Send it their way.
📊 Want the full picture?
Get a free business audit in under 5 minutes
We'll show you exactly where your business is leaking revenue and what to fix first. No sales pitch. Just the numbers.
Get Your Free Growth Report →Free. Takes 5 minutes. See where you stack up against top contractors.
How to Cost Painting Jobs
Painting contractors lose money on prep time. The actual painting is fast and predictable. But scraping, caulking, masking, and moving furniture can double the hours on a job if you did not walk it carefully.
This calculator captures the full cost: crew labor with burden, paint and supplies with markup, prep and setup time, and overhead. It shows you the minimum you can charge and still make money.
Use it to check your estimates before you send them. Especially on exterior jobs where prep hours are hard to predict.
Typical Painting Costs
Interior painting runs $400 to $1,200 in hard costs for a typical 3 to 4 room job. That is 2 painters for 1 to 2 days, $150 to $400 in paint and supplies. Exterior projects cost $800 to $3,000+ depending on prep work, surface condition, and home size. Commercial repaints scale with square footage and access equipment.
Target Margins for Painting
Painting contractors should target 35% to 45% on residential and 25% to 35% on commercial. Repaint and maintenance work hits 40% to 50% because prep is lighter. If you are below 30% on residential, you are undercharging or spending too much time on prep without billing for it.
Tips for Painting Job Costing
- Estimate prep time separately from paint time. Walk the job and note every surface that needs scraping, caulking, or priming. That is where bids go wrong.
- Paint costs are predictable. One gallon covers 350 to 400 sq ft. The variable is how many coats and how much cutting in.
- Setup and cleanup time is 1 to 2 hours per day per crew. If you are on a 3 day job, that is 3 to 6 hours of non painting labor to account for.
- Track your cost per square foot by job type. After 20 jobs you will have a reliable baseline that makes estimating faster and more accurate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a painter charge per square foot?
Interior painting typically costs $1.50 to $3.50 per sq ft and is charged at $2.50 to $6.00 per sq ft depending on the region, paint quality, and prep needs. Exterior painting costs $2.00 to $5.00 per sq ft in hard costs and is charged at $3.50 to $8.00 per sq ft. Calculate your actual cost per square foot across 15 to 20 completed jobs, then add your target margin.
What is a good profit margin for painting contractors?
Residential painting should target 35% to 45% margins. Commercial repaints run 25% to 35%. Maintenance and touch up work can hit 40% to 50% because prep time is minimal. If you are below 30% on residential, you are likely undercharging for prep time or not billing setup and cleanup hours.
How do you calculate labor cost for a painting job?
Multiply each painter hourly pay by hours on the job, then add labor burden (workers comp, payroll taxes, benefits) at 18% to 25%. A 2 person crew at $22/hr with 20% burden costs $52.80/hr total. Estimate prep and paint time separately. Prep (scraping, caulking, masking) often takes 30% to 60% of total hours on older homes.
How much should a painter charge per room?
Most painters charge $200 to $600 per room for interior repaints, depending on room size, ceiling height, and prep work needed. A standard 12x12 room with 8 ft ceilings costs $150 to $300 in labor and materials (2 to 4 hours with a 2 person crew, 1 to 2 gallons of paint). Add your target margin of 35% to 45% on top of costs.
How do you calculate overhead for a painting business?
Add monthly fixed costs: vehicle payments, insurance, equipment (sprayers, ladders, scaffolding), marketing, and office expenses. Most painting companies carry $3,000 to $10,000/month in overhead. Divide by monthly job count. A company running 10 jobs per month with $6,000 overhead needs to recover $600 per job in overhead costs.
Knowing Your Numbers Is Step One
This calculator shows you one piece. The Growth Report shows you the full picture: where you're leaking revenue, what to fix first, and how contractors like you are growing past the ceiling.