Painting
Wall Painting Cost Calculator
Prices wall painting, where the surface condition decides the hours.
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, over wall area net of openings. Application on open wall is the fastest part of painting, so the cost concentrates in what happens first: washing where surfaces are soiled, filling and sanding, spot priming repairs and stains, and cutting in at ceilings, trim and corners. On a sound wall that is modest; on a damaged or heavily repaired wall it dominates.
What moves the number
- Wall condition and how much filling and sanding is needed.
- Whether existing texture has to be matched on repairs.
- Cutting-in length relative to open area.
- Whether a sheen change is involved, which affects preparation.
Where this one goes wrong
Moving from a higher sheen to a lower one, or painting over a glossy surface, needs the existing finish dulled or a bonding primer, because paint does not adhere reliably to gloss. Skipping that produces a finish that scuffs and peels at contact points. Stains are the other item: water, smoke, marker and tannin bleed through ordinary paint however many coats are applied, and they need a stain-blocking primer rather than more topcoat. Identifying stains before quoting avoids a third coat that still does not cover.
Before you quote
- Dull or prime glossy surfaces before coating.
- Use a stain-blocking primer on water, smoke and tannin stains.
- Match existing texture on patches before painting.
Questions
About this calculator
Can you paint over gloss paint?
Not reliably without preparation. Paint does not adhere well to a glossy surface, so it needs dulling by sanding or a bonding primer first. Skipping that gives a finish that looks fine and then scuffs and peels wherever it is touched.
Why does a stain keep showing through?
Because water, smoke, marker and tannin bleed through ordinary paint regardless of how many coats go on. They need a stain-blocking primer, which seals the stain rather than covering it. Adding a third topcoat to a bleeding stain is wasted effort.
Does wall texture need matching on repairs?
Yes, or the patch shows through the paint. Orange peel, knockdown and skip trowel finishes each need the right technique, and a flat patch on a textured wall is visible under side lighting however well it was feathered and painted.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
Put this calculator on your site
Free to embed. Paste this where you want it to appear. It stays up to date automatically because it loads from BDEVY.
Please keep the attribution line. It is the only thing we ask in return.
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.