What to include in a painting estimate
Two painting estimates for the same house can differ a lot, and the customer usually cannot tell why. Spell it out:
- Your business details: name, phone, email and license number if your area requires one.
- Customer name and address.
- Exactly which areas: rooms, or sides of the house for exterior work.
- Which surfaces: walls, ceilings, trim, doors, cabinets, siding, deck.
- Number of coats and the paint: brand, product line and sheen. “Two coats of premium eggshell” is very different from “one coat”.
- Prep work: patching, sanding, caulking, priming, pressure washing.
- Protection and clean-up: covering floors and furniture, and who moves furniture.
- Timeline, with a weather note for exterior jobs.
- Deposit and total.
How to price painting jobs
Painters usually price in one of three ways. The tool works with all of them:
- Per room: simple for homeowners. Use it for standard bedrooms and living areas.
- Per square foot or linear foot: more accurate for big or unusual spaces. Enter the square footage as the quantity and your rate as the price.
- Hourly plus materials: good for small jobs and heavy prep where the time is hard to predict.
Measuring walls and working out paint
Wall area is roughly the room's perimeter times the wall height, minus large doors and windows. A 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls has about 48 × 8 = 384 sq ft of wall. Check the coverage printed on the can (many paints cover roughly 250 to 400 sq ft per gallon per coat) and multiply by the number of coats to estimate gallons.
Most underpriced painting jobs lose money on prep, not on painting. Look closely at the surfaces and price patching, sanding and priming as their own lines. The price list in the tool above uses example US prices. Replace them with your own.
Example: two-bedroom interior repaint
| Item | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Paint a standard room (walls only) | 2 | $900.00 |
| Paint trim and baseboards (per linear ft) | 120 | $300.00 |
| Drywall patch and repair | 3 | $375.00 |
| Paint and supplies | 1 | $180.00 |
| Total | $1,755.00 | |
| Deposit to book (30%) | $526.50 |
These numbers are only an example. Real prices depend on the surfaces, the paint, the prep and your area.
Estimate vs. quote vs. invoice
An estimate works when the surface condition might change the price, for example old exterior siding. A quote fixes the price for named areas, coats and paint. An invoice is the bill when the job is done. The tool above switches between all three without retyping.
Tips to win more painting jobs
- Offer paint options, such as a standard and a premium product, so the customer chooses a level rather than a painter.
- Name the prep you will do. It is what separates a careful painter from a cheap one.
- Include a start date or time window. Availability often wins the job.
- Mention your workmanship warranty, for example against peeling.
- Follow up after two or three days with photos of similar past work.
Frequently asked questions
Is this painting estimate template free?
Yes. Make and download as many estimates as you like. Free PDFs include a small line at the bottom saying they were made with QuoteToolbelt.
Do I need to sign up?
No. Your business details are saved in your own browser on this device only, and nothing is uploaded.
How do I price painting by the square foot in the tool?
Pick a per-square-foot line from the price list, such as "Interior wall painting (per sq ft)", then enter the square footage as the quantity. The tool multiplies it by your rate.
Should paint be a separate line on the estimate?
Many painters list paint and supplies separately so the customer can see the cost of better products. Others include paint in a per-room price. Either works; just be clear which you are doing.
How long should a painting estimate be valid?
30 days is common. For exterior work, mention that the start date depends on the weather.