Free Painting Estimate Calculator

Plug in your job specs and get a priced estimate using 2026 per-square-foot rates. Use it to bid faster and stop leaving money on the table.

Job details

Wall area (square feet)

Measure wall height × total wall length. A 12×12 room with 9 ft walls ≈ 432 sq ft of wall.

Coats of paint

Ceilings (square feet, 0 if none)

Trim & doors (linear feet, 0 if none)

Baseboards + crown + door frames. Count ~30–40 ft per average room.

Paint grade

Labor rate (per square foot of wall)

2026 range: $0.75 (touch-up) to $2.00+ (metro, prep-heavy). Covers prep + application.

Markup / overhead (%)

Covers insurance, drive time, profit. 30–45% is normal for small crews.

Your estimate

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Materials$0
Labor$0
Subtotal$0
Markup$0
Total$0

Estimate only. Always walk the job. Adjust labor for heavy prep, heights, or lead paint. Coverage assumes ~350 sq ft/gallon per coat.

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How to price a painting job in 2026

Painters usually price one of two ways: per square foot of wall or per room. Per-square-foot is more accurate for bidding. Here's the math the calculator above runs:

1. Measure the surface

Walls: (perimeter × wall height) minus doors/windows. A 10×12 room with 9 ft ceilings = (44 × 9) = 396 sq ft of wall.
Ceilings: length × width. 10×12 = 120 sq ft.
Trim: baseboard + crown + door/window casing, measured in linear feet.

2. Estimate materials

One gallon covers ~350 sq ft per coat. Two coats on 1,200 sq ft of wall = ~6.9 gallons. At $62/gal that's ~$427 in paint. Add primer for bare drywall or dark-to-light changes.

3. Estimate labor

Labor runs $0.75–$2.00 per sq ft of wall depending on region and prep. Most crews land near $1.00–$1.25 for standard interiors. Multiply wall sq ft by your rate.

4. Add markup

Charge 30–45% on top of materials + labor for overhead, insurance, and profit. A job costing you $2,000 in time and materials should invoice around $2,700–$2,900.

Why a permanent record matters

When a client says "you never said trim was included," a timestamped estimate with line items and an e-signed contract ends it. Clovr keeps every estimate, change order, and signature forever — that's the audit trail that protects your margin.