Painting
Fence Painting Cost Calculator
Prices painting a fence, where the area is both sides and new timber has to wait.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus materials and the call-out. Area is length times height, doubled if both sides are being done, and that first decision halves or doubles the job. Pickets with gaps add edge area that a sprayer reaches and a brush does not, which is why application method changes both the hours and the material used. Preparation is washing and, on an older fence, removing weathered fibre and mildew so the coating can bond.
What moves the number
- One side or both, which is the largest single variable.
- Application method, since spraying is fast and uses more material.
- Timber condition and whether it needs cleaning and brightening.
- Overspray protection, especially on a boundary.
Where this one goes wrong
New pressure treated timber is usually too wet to coat, and applying paint or stain too soon means it sits on the surface and peels within a season. Drying can take months depending on climate, and a water bead test tells you more than a calendar date. Overspray is the other real risk on a boundary fence: hypochlorite or paint carried onto a neighbour's car, plants or washing is a claim rather than an inconvenience, so masking, wind awareness and a word with the neighbour beforehand are worth the few minutes.
Before you quote
- Test whether new timber is dry enough before coating.
- Settle whether both sides are included before quoting.
- Mask and manage overspray, including on the neighbour's side.
Questions
About this calculator
How soon can a new fence be painted?
Often not for months. New pressure treated timber holds too much moisture to accept a coating, and applying it early means it sits on the surface and peels. A water bead test on the boards is a better guide than a fixed waiting period.
Does the price include both sides?
Only if stated, and it roughly doubles the area and the cost. Many jobs coat only the owner's side, which is a legitimate choice that should be explicit in the quote. The neighbour's side also raises access and permission questions worth settling first.
Spray or brush a fence?
Spraying is far faster and reaches picket edges and gaps a brush misses, using more material and needing careful masking. Brushing works the coating into weathered timber for better penetration. Many jobs spray then back-brush, which gets the speed and the penetration.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 32 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $68.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $520.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 32 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $68 |
| Parts and materials | $520 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $2,791 |
| Labour | $2,176 |
| Before tax | $2,791 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $2,791: $2,176 of labour, $520 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $34 | $1,703 |
| $51 | $2,247 |
| $68 example above | $2,791 |
| $102 | $3,879 |
| $136 | $4,967 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 32 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $68.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $520.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.