Bidding Interior Paint Jobs

[Roadog]

Every business is different and every painter has different overhead cost and production rates. If you plan on being in business long, you need to know your production rates and how much you need a sq. ft./hr. to make a living. Plus a profit. So saying that for your hall, most painters on average should be able to cut and roll 250 sq. ft. an hr. (unless your slopping it with an 18 incher) So if you need $50 an hr. to live on and your business expenses then do the multiplication/division. Add materials, and any other niceties you need.
  Without knowing YOUR numbers though, You wont be around long or you will just short change yourself and that isnt good for the trade or you.

[JohnAddison]

Rollers are Paramount for large areas of interior painting; However, you'll also need small brushes. Buy an angled trim brush.
House Painter Perth.

 

[VancouverPainter]

Many contractors simply know how long it will take to paint the room and multiply the hours by a numerical factor.   They also will account for the time to estimate, discuss the project, driving time, set up and clean up time, paint store time, etc.. to get a real idea of how many hours this project will take.    It might take you 4 hours to paint a large room, prep, etc.. one man.  But, add in all the other hours to go bid the small job, paint store run, etc.. you might find it is an 8 hour project instead of 4 hours.

You will want to calc your hours by hourly rate.  The hourly rate should compose several factors including wages, payroll insurance and taxes (employer and employee side), insurance, company profit and overhead.   Add it all up and make sure you are comfortable with the bid and submit it. Don't forget to add in the cost of material and supplies.   

This is a very basic approach that works well on repaints.   Than, you can get more sophisticated and do some division to arrive at a square foot price.    Next time you have a very similar paint project you can measure square footage and multiply by your factor.

[tapont71]

I used to bid my jobs based on sq footage but as time progressed and became an efficient painter have realized that it worked better for me to bid per room. I usually just figure out my hourly rate plus materials and misc. items. Now this is only because I know how long it will take me to get the job done. As mentioned in this forum, in order to do that you must know what it takes you to do the job.  I've lost alot of money not bidding right.  But hey, live and learn.

[commonuseriizlizaite]

Hello everyone,The information has been really helpful.

[michaelsaam]

I have came up with my own formula as well as probably everyone else.  Square Footage is most important.  Every home is different.  Then thing i learned is I have to see every Job to come up with a firm price i dont do prices over the phone.  SOme times i lose business but the price is gonna change when i see you anyways just because i can never visualize the damage or work without a visual inspection.  Plus the client has nothing to lose because i give free estimates.  I do normally get 9 out of every 10 jobs so the guy who said your are wrong if you are gettin all the jobs i disagree hey buddy did 150 repaints the past two years cant complain.  work full time with a 5 man crew.  My business name is Mikes Painting in Fayetteville, NC.. How orginal.  I do square footage, materials, labor and just figure out what i want as a profit and that is my price really about a whole 15 min ordeal unless we are doing other kinds of construction.  www.mikespaintingonline.com

[Pro-Line Custom Coatings]

Hey Everyone...Noob here.
Anyway, been reading through the forums here and have found lots of great information, so thanks to everyone who has contributed thus far.  I am getting ready to present my first quote, and am using Benjamin Moores quote software to help guide me a little....any experience with this software?  I input everything...Labor, Expenses, Overhead, etc...and the quote seemed a little high, but any input would be appreciated.  Here is what the job entails:

Small Bathroom:  approx. 8x8
Remove Wallpaper
Patch/Sand any defects
Prime Walls
2 Finish Coats
Paint Ceiling
Sand Prime and Paint Baseboard

I figured on one day to strip and prep walls and baseboard
and half day to paint and clean up so approximately 13 hours for my guy and roughly3 hours for me
Quote came out to 658.00

any insight would be helpful!  Thanks in advance!

[iowapainter]

I currently bid work based on time and materials. 35-40 per hour plus materials. I have a $150 minimum charge. If I take the time and show up I think it is fair to be compensated. Just take that figure and take it times the number of guys, hours and you will never get shorted. You may not get all the work, but you will find that if you don't waver on price you will get better work. Where I live the going rate is about $40 per man/hour

[Coveralls]

While painting it is a good idea to protect yourself with Disposable Coveralls url removed. Coveralls will help protect you while painting.

While we appreciate the advice, the url is illegal in this context and has little to do with the topic. Please PM me if you disagree.

[nobel]

Right on Michael I believe some of these guys are under valuing their skills.
they do well and a conceivable price. not hard to pay.

[chrisn]

do you paint?

[govind suryawanshi]

hi all,
                 i m very new to this post n business.........and d info that u provided is valuable.......thanks........

[MGrif]

Hello all

  I'm new to this forum, but not to painting.  I've been an employee in the painting business for over 14 years.  I live in the Midwest and, for the most part, i work on Apartment rental repaints that only require one coat with little prep (they supply the paint, we supply everything else).  I make $10.50/hr and, while i feel fortunate to still have a job, i sometimes feel i'm getting the very short end of the stick and I'm afraid that this is not going to be a viable option for much longer. 

...but enough grumbling.  I've found the information here as to bidding and pricing to be an eye opener.  If i were to get a small business loan secured, i think i could begin to make quite a bit more than i'm making now for about the same amount of work.

[rochele20]

The first thing to do is establish your bottom line or break even price then add profit.

[brock]

I work at Angie's List. We always recommend getting three bids when hiring an interior painter. However, don't always be drawn in by a low bid. Understand your expectations through a detailed estimate, and make sure you have strong communication with your service provider before you decide to hire. This can be as essential as getting a good bid.