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When you go to get your house painted, no matter if it’s just the inside or the outside or the whole shebang, the first thing any painter or painting company will say something along the lines of “When can we have someone come over to give you an estimate?” Almost no painter will give you a price to paint your house, your business, or anything else (think fences, decks garage floors, etc.) without first working up an estimate.

How Do We Generate an Estimate

An estimate in the most basic sense is the price you will be charged by the painting professionals in question to paint your project. It might be your home’s interior or the exterior, or some or all of both. It should list the cost of the materials needed and the details of what they are. It should also give an indication of the labor cost. You might see an hourly breakdown of how much time it will take for each part and the hourly rate for that work, or just one lump sum. Add together the materials and the labor and you should have a bottom-line total for your project. Some companies will consider the estimate the same as a quote and will commit to the price, others may only use it as a starting point and you might expect it to go up from there. It is important to know that sometimes unexpected damage or complications may not arise until the painters get to work with preparing the surfaces for painting. This is when they may discover problems such as drywall needing repairs, or wood that has rotted away from the inside. These kinds of things will generally cost you more, and sometimes even require another subcontractor to come out and do the repairs before painting can begin. This is why it’s usually called an estimate and not a quote.

What Do We Need to Measure?

Before they can give you an estimate a painter will need to take a look at your walls, or whatever surfaces you want to have painted. They will be looking for such things as damage that needs to be repaired, stains, or intense colors that might need an extra coat of paint to completely cover, and they will measure your walls. In order to determine how much time is needed for your project, they will need to know how many square feet will need to be painted. This helps them determine how much paint will be needed. They also look at the height of the walls in order to determine if they will need a ladder, a lift, or scaffolding in order to reach everything. 
Also taken into account will be doors and windows and other obstructions that aren’t painted at all or need to have the trim painted around them. That crown molding looks great, but if it needs to be painted another color, it’s going to cost more.

How Much Paint Is Needed?

Every paint is different and some of them will cover more square feet than others. In general the more expensive the paint, the thicker it will be, and the fewer square feet it will cover. You can generally assume that it will take one gallon of paint to cover 200-300 square feet. However, this might not be enough to cover a particularly dark color with off-white paint. The number of coats required will also be taken into account. Additionally, if the wall has never been painted or there are stains or a radical color change, then primer will be required. A wall must always be primed before applying the final colored coat of paint. There will also be differences with how far a paint goes depending on how it is applied. Sprayed-on paint must be thinner in order to get pumped through the sprayer, so you will need more coats of that paint than you would if it was brushed or rolled on. These kinds of things are all taken into account when determining how much paint will be required.

Different colors can also play a role in the cost of the paint. If everything is being painted one color, then you can get the cheapest price on larger containers of paint. If, on the other hand, you have a different color scheme in each room with the trim being painted a different color or finish, then you may need to acquire a lot of different small containers of paint, which will be more expensive.

Additionally, there may be costs associated with masking tape, drop cloths, brushes, and other supplies that will be consumed in the process of painting home or office, or your home office.

How Much Labor Is Required?

Extra time is required to set up scaffolding, extra cost may be needed to rent a lift. If ladders need to be repositioned frequently this may also require extra time. Each coat of paint or primer will take a certain amount of time. That time will be multiplied by the number of coats applied. If repairs or cleaning are required that will take some time. All this need s to be determined before an accurate estimate can be generated.

The Estimate

Once the materials and labor are calculated those can be put into the estimate and totaled up. This is the estimate. Most painting companies will try to make an estimate as close to the actual cost as possible, but sometimes things come up that aren’t apparent when the estimation was done. 

What Can Cause a Deviation From the Estimate?

Things like damage to the walls behind the paint may not be visible until the walls are cleaned and prepared for painting. More commonly on exteriors, there could issues with soffits or trim pieces that have deteriorated or been damaged by water or the sun, or both. These problems may not be apparent upon a quick look but become clear upon closer inspection. Usually, these can be fixed fairly quickly and with only minimal extra cost. Don’t be surprised if something like this comes up. Also, be aware that on occasion a major problem might be discovered during the preparation phase of the job. If there is serious damage from rotting or termites or something that commonly happens behind the walls this may be discovered during prep. If this happens the crew will likely stop what they are doing and consult with the project manager who will talk to the home or business owner to determine how best to proceed. A good painter will not want to just paint over a serious problem, at least not without letting the property owner know what the problem is first. Many painters can and will handle small repairs to drywall or soffits, but a carpenter may be needed to handle more serious issues.

Use Excellent Painters

In our experience, Excellent Painters in Denver are the perfect company to help you get your home or business painted. They will send out an estimator who will give you as accurate of an estimate as possible and then send in only the best, most trustworthy, and reliable painters to do the job.