askthehandyman.net - Estimate for painting by the square foot

Hello Keith,

Thank you for your question! You asked for an opinion on the cost of a job.

Here was your question: "How much per square foot paint. I all ways get
asked that question?

I figure the cost at 3 hours labor per 100 square feet for an average sized
room. That includes setup, masking and taping and cleanup. At $50 per hour
that would be $1.50 per square foot. (Hourly rate x 3 / 100 = Cost per
Square foot).

It becomes obvious that the larger the space to be painted, the lower your
estimate would be on a per square foot basis. I would suggest you look at
several of the jobs that you have done in the past, estimate what the
painted square footage was and divide the square footage by the amount that
you charged. If you think that you charged a fair price on that particular
job it would give you a basis for estimating your next job.

Each painting job will be different. A small bathroom can take much longer
to paint than a standard living room due to the greater amount of prep
needed in a bathroom.

For a thorough explanation pricing check out Estimating & Bidding for
Builders & Remodelers at
http://shop.handyman-quickstart.com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=20

Hope this is of some help,

Thanks for asking,