How much to charge to paint a house
Enter the room measurements, the coats and your rate. We work out the gallons and build the quote with the labor.
QUOTE
Painting
- Labor8 h × $25.00/h$200.00
- Paint2 gallons$80.00
- Subtotal$280.00
- Overhead (10%)$28.00
- Profit (15%)$46.20
TOTAL$354.20
Example numbers: replace them with yours.
Is your rate right?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes what employers pay per hour in this trade. A wage is not a rate: your rate also has to cover your overhead and your profit.
National average (May 2025): $26.64 an hour; median: $23.75 an hour.
See this trade’s wage in every state
If you have helpers, work out their overtime at Cuenta Horas: overtime calculator
How it is worked out
The gallons come from the Maestro Calc paint calculator: the room’s walls less doors and windows, 350 square feet per gallon per coat, and whole cans. You enter the price of the gallon.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge by the hour or by the square foot?
Both work. By the hour is simpler when you do not know how long it will take; by the square foot is easier to explain to the client. The calculator takes either, and you type your own price, because only you know your costs and your market.
How is the paint worked out?
The four walls are measured, the doors (20 sq ft) and windows (15 sq ft) are subtracted, and the rest is divided by 350 sq ft per gallon, the low end of the 350 to 400 range in a manufacturer’s data sheet. That is multiplied by the coats and rounded up to whole gallon cans.
What overhead and profit percentages should I use?
The ones your business needs. Add to the labor and the material what you spend on vehicle, insurance, tools and office time, and what you want to earn. There is no percentage that is right for everyone, so the calculator does not make one up: the starting numbers are only an example.