| A painting estimate is based on information that you the home owner give the contractor, and the contractor being able to envision what you are describing as a finished product. Exterior painting estimates are much easier to figure a price than an interior, exteriors are based on cleaning, wood repair, caulking, filling holes and painting with one or two coats. Interiors on the other hand can be more complicated due to multiple colors throughout the home, accent walls, preparation of ceilings, walls and caulking, including trim & doors to be painted. (See our "Possible Increases" page for unforeseen costs) The following is a systematical list that a contractor uses to come up with an estimated price: |
| Product used and quality of work are two of the largest factors involved in coming up with a home or commercial painting price. Other factors would be amount of work and how detailed the contractor is willing to be, amount of labor and how many employees will be involved. |
| Tri-County |
| Tri-County |
Professional
Painting &
Renovation
Painting &
Renovation
| 248-763-8446 info@propaintcontractor.com |
Painting
Painting
| Paint Contractor Pricing Information |
| Tri-County Painting Farmington Hills, MI. 248-763-8446 info@propaintcontractor.com |
| Pittsburgh Paints 40400 Grand River Ave. Novi, MI. 48375 248-478-1300 Our Main Paint Supplier |
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1. Amount of furniture to move.
2. Amount of switch plate and outlet covers to remove and install.
3. How much taping is involved. (varies depending on stained or painted base molding)
4. How many cracks, holes, dents and improper previous repairs to fix. (drying time involved in all
patch work, including feathering in all sanding so patches won't show)
5. What type of sheen will be used. (anything other than flat, repairs will have to be primed or
flashing will occur)
6. What type of paint will be used. (premium paints generally run about $30 per gallon, but can
climb up as high as $70 per gallon)
7. Are ceilings, walls, trim and doors to be painted. (painting ceilings involves more furniture
movement and using more canvas drops than just walls, trim and doors)
8. How many different colors will be used throughout the home. (more paint is purchased for
each room vs same color throughout)
9. How many gallons of paint will be used. (sometimes we guess exactly and sometimes we're
just over or under)
10. How much labor is involved in "cutting in". (every window, doorway, cabinet, ceiling to wall
line and wall to base molding will have to be cut in with a brush)
11. Will any of the colors chosen possibly be more than two coats of paint. (some reds and
yellows could need as many as several coats)
12. Rolling high ceilings vs standard hight ceilings.
13. Rolling walls, especially in higher areas or difficult to reach areas.
14. Cleanup each and every day.
15. Finish cleanup at completion of paint project. (tape removal, sweeping, vacuuming and
removing all paint tools from the home)
2. Amount of switch plate and outlet covers to remove and install.
3. How much taping is involved. (varies depending on stained or painted base molding)
4. How many cracks, holes, dents and improper previous repairs to fix. (drying time involved in all
patch work, including feathering in all sanding so patches won't show)
5. What type of sheen will be used. (anything other than flat, repairs will have to be primed or
flashing will occur)
6. What type of paint will be used. (premium paints generally run about $30 per gallon, but can
climb up as high as $70 per gallon)
7. Are ceilings, walls, trim and doors to be painted. (painting ceilings involves more furniture
movement and using more canvas drops than just walls, trim and doors)
8. How many different colors will be used throughout the home. (more paint is purchased for
each room vs same color throughout)
9. How many gallons of paint will be used. (sometimes we guess exactly and sometimes we're
just over or under)
10. How much labor is involved in "cutting in". (every window, doorway, cabinet, ceiling to wall
line and wall to base molding will have to be cut in with a brush)
11. Will any of the colors chosen possibly be more than two coats of paint. (some reds and
yellows could need as many as several coats)
12. Rolling high ceilings vs standard hight ceilings.
13. Rolling walls, especially in higher areas or difficult to reach areas.
14. Cleanup each and every day.
15. Finish cleanup at completion of paint project. (tape removal, sweeping, vacuuming and
removing all paint tools from the home)
| Contractors should be asking many questions and often asking painting questions that you didn't even think of. Knowledgeable paint contractors will also be able to give advice on color combinations, which walls to accent in different colors, product recommendations and different ways to tackle the job. And a must is a contractor that is able to envision a homeowners description of the end result. |
| And ultimately you the home owner should feel comfortable with the paint contractor. |
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| If a paint contractor says no prep work is needed, or comes to your home and starts painting right away, look for another contractor. I've never seen an exterior or interior painting project that hasn't needed prep work, exteriors especially! Exteriors almost always need paint scraping, caulking, nails that have partially worked their way out and sometimes wood replacement. Interiors always have minor dents, chips, failed caulk on trim work, poor previous drywall repairs and sometimes major drywall cracks or holes. |
| Generally most paint contractors submit "estimate" prices based on set up time for each day (providing they clean up and organize tools at the end of each day), total amount of prep work to give a professional end result, product costs (believe it or not, most contractors try to use the cheapest product available to save money and win bids!), tools and supplies needed for the project at hand, labor rates involved for multiple colors, cut in time from ceilings to wall color change, amount of trim to be cut in and painted or stained, rolling time to properly cover all surfaces and clean up time involved to show that we were never there! View our painting tips pages for further information if you're planning on painting your home yourself, or click on our home page to view our skills and get a feel for who we are. Our labor costs and total estimate price rates are fair and based on real time. Thank you for your time. |
| Professional labor rates and inherent costs, this page is to give home owners a better knowledge of what's entailed in a painting estimate price, from start to finish. Knowing what you're paying for ahead of time can greatly put you the customer at ease, and give you the right questions to ensure that you hire the right painter for you and your project. |