FREE PAINTING CONTRACTOR TOOL

Interior Painting Cost Calculator

Build an interior painting estimate from your surfaces, production rates, job costs, and target margin.

Set up your calculation

Wall square feet

Actual paintable surface area in square feet. Measure length × height; deduct openings where appropriate. (ft²)

Include ceiling

Ceiling square feet

(ft²)

Trim linear feet

(linear ft)

Coats

Prep level

Light ×0.85, standard ×1, heavy ×1.35. Adjusts preparation hours; gallons stay the same.

Make the numbers yours

Labor cost per painter-hour

Wage plus payroll burden. Overhead and profit are added separately below. ($ / hr)

Paint cost per gallon

($ / gal)

Job overhead allocation

Allocate insurance, vehicle, office, and other overhead. Zero excludes these costs. (USD)

Target margin after overhead

The share of your selling price remaining after the costs you enter. (%)

Advanced assumptions

Editable starting values. Match production rates to your process and check the products you will use.

Coverage per gallon

Per-coat product coverage. Check its technical data sheet and adjust for the surface. (ft² / gal)

Application production rate

Per painter, per coat. Excludes prep. Editable starting value: use your job history. (ft² / hr)

Base prep + setup hours

Include protection, repairs, and cleanup. The prep factor applies once. (painter-hours)

Waste + touch-up allowance

Extra finish paint for losses and touch-ups. (%)

Other materials + equipment

Add primer, tape, caulk, rentals, and supplies. (USD)

Labor-hours allowance

The high end uses this percentage of extra labor hours at the same target margin. (%)

Paintable trim width

Total developed width of painted faces. Converts linear feet to surface area. (inches)

Trim production rate

Linear feet per painter, per coat. Preparation is separate. (linear ft / hr)

USD · square feet · US gallons

Your inputs stay in this browser tab, including when switching languages. Reset clears them.

YOUR RESULTLive calculation

Base bid → with labor allowance

$1,275 – $1,467

Based on your inputs and assumptions

Paintable surface: 446.67 ft²
Finish paint · total: 4 gal
Painter-hours · base: 9.6 hr
Finish paint · walls / ceiling / trim: 3 / 0 / 1 gal
Labor cost: $624.00
Materials + equipment: $205.00
Allocated overhead: $0.00
Total job cost: $829.00
Profit after overhead · base: $446.38

Show the calculation

Wall/ceiling application: 150 ft² per painter-hour per coat. Trim: 80 linear ft per painter-hour per coat. 2 coats.
Trim area = 80 linear ft × 4 inches ÷ 12. Prep/setup = 2 hours × 1.
Each surface finish is rounded to whole gallons separately, with 10% waste at 350 ft²/gal and a shared budget price of $45.00/gal.
Price = entered costs ÷ (1 − 35% margin).
High end adds 20% more labor hours; it is a scenario, not a market-price forecast.

Cost-based planning estimate in USD. Check scope and your production history before quoting. Sales tax is excluded. Overhead is currently $0; add your allocation to include it.

FROM ESTIMATE TO ACTUAL

Put your numbers to work.

Bring estimates, jobs, and invoices together with Painters Log.

See Painters Log

Your result$1,275 – $1,467View breakdown

KNOW THE MATH

A number you can explain.

Price = (labor + finish paint + other materials + overhead) ÷ (1 − target margin). Application time is per coat; preparation is added once.

Our methodology & assumptions

WORKED STARTING EXAMPLE

$1,275 – $1,467

Paintable surface: 446.67 ft²
Finish paint · total: 4 gal
Painter-hours · base: 9.6 hr
Finish paint · walls / ceiling / trim: 3 / 0 / 1 gal
Labor cost: $624.00
Materials + equipment: $205.00
Allocated overhead: $0.00
Total job cost: $829.00
Profit after overhead · base: $446.38

Wall/ceiling application: 150 ft² per painter-hour per coat. Trim: 80 linear ft per painter-hour per coat. 2 coats.
Trim area = 80 linear ft × 4 inches ÷ 12. Prep/setup = 2 hours × 1.
Each surface finish is rounded to whole gallons separately, with 10% waste at 350 ft²/gal and a shared budget price of $45.00/gal.
Price = entered costs ÷ (1 − 35% margin).
High end adds 20% more labor hours; it is a scenario, not a market-price forecast.

Before you quote

How is trim measured?

Enter trim in linear feet. Paintable width converts it to surface area for materials. Labor uses a separate linear-feet-per-hour rate for each coat, so trim is never treated as wall square footage.

Can walls, ceilings, and trim use different paint?

Gallons are rounded separately for each surface finish. This quick budget uses one entered coverage rate and price per gallon across them. If products or colors differ substantially, use the coverage tool for each and reconcile the material budget before bidding.

What does the price range mean?

The first price uses your base labor hours. The second adds your chosen labor-hours allowance at the same margin. It is a sensitivity check based on your costs; local market pricing is not being predicted.

Estimating framework: Painting Contractors Association. This tool's starting values are editable examples, not rates published by PCA.

Interior Painting Cost Calculator

Set up your calculation

Make the numbers yours

A number you can explain.

Before you quote

Another tool for the job.

Markup & profit

Paint coverage

Exterior painting