How to bid a painting job is less a matter of a price-per-square-foot rule of thumb and more a matter of a written scope, a complete cost, and a formula that matches the word you meant — markup or margin. A vague scope is how a two-story exterior turns into unpriced rot repair, extra colors, or a second color on the trim after the number is already out.
This article is for small painting and related home-service businesses that bid work and pay a crew. It is educational. The figures are labeled teaching examples. They are not typical results, not recommended targets, and not a promise that your income, profit, or cash will change. It is not a substitute for a licensed estimator, CPA, or attorney in your trade or state.
Write the scope and the exclusions first
Before you talk about a price, write what will be painted, how it will be prepared, and what will not be in the number. A useful painting scope names surfaces (siding, trim, soffit, fascia, shutters, doors, railings), the prep (wash, scrape, sand, caulk, prime bare wood), the number of finish coats, and the access method (ladders, or a lift on the tall elevations). It also names the assumptions that, if wrong, would change the cost: the existing coating is sound enough to accept new paint after the stated prep, work is during weekday hours, and colors are decided before materials are ordered.
Exclusions deserve their own short list, not a footnote the customer may miss. Common exclusions on an exterior job include rot or substrate repair beyond a stated allowance, interior rooms, decks and floors, previously failing areas beyond a measured patch, color changes after materials are bought, and work required by a homeowners association after the bid is accepted. If you will repair a limited amount of rotted trim, write the allowance in dollars or lineal feet and say what happens when the allowance is used up: a written change, not a silent extra.
The same discipline applies to interiors: rooms, ceilings, trim, number of colors, furniture moving, and whether the customer or the crew handles it. A remodeling painter can use the same structure; for a broader cost-to-price walk-through, see how to price a remodeling job.
Measure the work, then estimate hours
Square footage is a starting point, not a bid. Two houses with the same wall area can take very different prep time if one has peeling paint, dense trim, or limited access. Walk the job if you can. Note height, conditions, colors, and anything that changes production: occupied rooms, pets, landscaping that has to be protected, or a color change that needs a primer the existing color would not have required.
Convert that observation into hours by role, not a single lump of "labor." A crew lead and a helper do not cost the same, and they should not be averaged into a wage-only number. Record estimated hours for washing, masking, scraping and sanding, priming, each finish coat, and cleanup. If a lift is needed, include travel, rental days, and the time to set it up, not only the days the sprayer is running.
Build a complete job cost
Direct costs exist because this job exists: burdened labor, paint and prep materials, waste, a sprayer or lift rental, masking and disposal, and travel if you actually cost it that way. Use a burdened labor rate, not only the wage on a paycheck. Payroll taxes, workers' compensation, benefits, and paid time that is not on that job still have to be funded, and the weekly cost should be divided by productive hours. The teaching example used across MarginMaster converts a US$28 crew-lead wage to a US$41.29 burdened rate per productive hour, and a US$20 helper wage to US$29.41. Those figures are not recommended rates.
Overhead exists because the company exists: insurance, vehicles, unpaid quoting time, shop or office cost. Give the job a fair share — for example, by spreading annual overhead over productive labor dollars — instead of hoping a markup will cover a pot you never counted. A consistent method for labor, materials, other direct costs, and overhead is described in the contractor job costing template guide.
Waste belongs on the sheet. Paint coverage on a data sheet is not the same as paint purchased after extra colors, deep colors, or a second coat on repaired areas. If you usually buy a little extra, put that extra on the estimate.
Convert that cost with markup or margin
Markup and margin are not interchangeable. A 25% markup on cost is not a 25% margin on price.
- If the target is a margin: Price = Cost / (1 − target margin)
- If the target is a markup: Price = Cost × (1 + target markup)
- Margin dollars = Price − Cost
The formulas, and a US$10,000 teaching example, are in markup vs. margin for contractors. You can also use the free markup vs. margin calculator. Look at margin dollars, not only the percentage, and decide in your own judgment whether those dollars are enough for the risk, the schedule, and the cash lag. This article will not assign a "right" margin for exterior or interior painting.
Example: a two-story exterior (illustrative only)
Suppose a complete cost — burdened labor, materials, rentals and other direct costs, and an overhead share — comes to US$12,500, and the job is priced to a 25% margin. The price is US$16,667 (US$12,500 / 0.75), and margin dollars are US$4,167. These numbers are a teaching example, not a typical house and not a recommended target.
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Burdened labor (crew hours at burdened rates) | US$6,200 |
| Paint, primer, caulk, tape, and waste | US$2,850 |
| Equipment rental (lift and sprayer) | US$950 |
| Other direct costs (masking, disposal, travel) | US$400 |
| Overhead share | US$2,100 |
| Complete cost | US$12,500 |
| Price at a 25% margin (12,500 / 0.75) | US$16,667 |
| Margin dollars | US$4,167 |
| Same cost at a 25% markup (12,500 × 1.25) | US$15,625 |
If someone asked for "25 percent" and you added 25% to cost instead of dividing for a 25% margin, the bid would be US$15,625, about US$1,042 lower, with US$3,125 of margin dollars instead of US$4,167. The work would be the same. The dollars left after cost would not.
A 10% discount on the US$16,667 price would bring it to about US$15,000. The US$12,500 cost would not fall with the price. Margin dollars would drop to about US$2,500 — a large cut in planned margin dollars on the same two-story exterior. Check the remaining dollars before you agree to a cut.
Put the price on a quote
A number in a calculator is not yet a bid. Put the price on a page with the scope, inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, the payment terms you actually use, and a path for change orders. If colors, access, or rot allowances can change the cost, say so in writing. Have an attorney review language before you rely on it. If a general contractor's form becomes the controlling document, know what in your quote survived.
Payment timing belongs next to the price. Paint and rentals often leave the bank before a progress bill is approved. Sold is the agreement. Billed is the invoice. Cash is the deposit. Margin is what is left after cost. Map those dates before you treat US$4,167 as money you can spend.
Want the templates behind this method?
The MarginMaster course includes job-costing, quote, crew, and cash-flow spreadsheets, plus lessons on markup versus margin. US$59, one-time, with instant access after payment. We do not send a confirmation email, and we do not promise income or margin results.
What this article will not do
- It will not tell you the "right" margin, or a standard price per square foot, for exterior or interior painting.
- It will not promise that a calculated price is what a homeowner or general contractor will pay, or that field hours will match the estimate.
- It is not a production-rate catalog, and it is not accounting, tax, payroll, or legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I bid a painting job if I usually price by the square foot?
A square-foot figure can be a starting point, but the bid still needs a written scope, a complete cost (burdened labor, materials, waste, rentals, overhead share), and a price from markup or margin. Two houses with the same wall area can take very different prep time. Use the unit rate only if it still covers the job you actually walked.
What should be excluded from an exterior painting bid?
Write exclusions in the quote, not only in your notes. Common items include rot or substrate repair beyond a stated allowance, interiors, decks, color changes after materials are purchased, and work required after acceptance by a third party. If you include a limited repair allowance, say what happens when it is used up.
Is a 25% margin the right target for a painting job?
No target in this article is a recommended margin. The 25% margin on a US$12,500 cost, producing a US$16,667 price, is a teaching example so the arithmetic is visible. Choose a target in your own judgment, then use the correct formula and look at margin dollars.
Where can I check markup versus margin before I send the bid?
Use the free markup vs. margin calculator, or the formulas in the markup vs. margin article. Then attach the price to a quote with scope and exclusions, and record the cost on a job costing sheet so you can compare estimate and actual later.