PAINTJOBCALC / METHODOLOGY

Good numbers start with clear assumptions.

PaintJobCalc is a set of free tools from Painters Log for painting contractors. You can calculate without an account. The tools work out quantities, costs, and prices from assumptions you choose.

What the starting values mean

Coverage, production, preparation, material prices, and margins are editable examples. They are not local price quotes or verified industry averages. Replace them with your coating's technical data and your crew's completed-job history.

How we build an estimate

1. Measure the scope. Use actual paintable square feet, linear feet for trim, and item counts where appropriate. Floor area does not substitute for wall area.
2. Separate materials from labor. Finish paint depends on surface, coats, coverage, and waste. Preparation changes labor hours without automatically increasing finish-paint gallons.
3. Work in painter-hours. Application rates are per painter, per coat. Preparation is added once. Dividing total hours by crew size is only a starting point for scheduling.
4. Add overhead and margin. Job estimators use wage cost plus payroll burden, then add overhead and apply a margin to selling price. The hourly-rate tool instead calculates a charge-out rate with overhead and a cushion already included.
5. Review the scope before quoting. Consider primer, protection, repairs, access, travel, drying, rentals, and taxes. A result includes only the costs you entered.

Calibrate with completed jobs

Choose completed jobs with similar scope. Divide surface area multiplied by the number of coats by application painter-hours to get a per-coat production rate. Track preparation and setup separately. Compare estimated hours and materials with actuals to make your next estimate more useful.

Sources and limits

The workflow draws on measurement, costing, and estimating practices described by the Painting Contractors Association. PaintJobCalc's numeric examples are not PCA production tables. For coverage, use the documentation for the actual product you will apply.

• PCA — Take Control of Your Estimates
• PCA — Estimation Using Production Rates
• Benjamin Moore — Paint Calculator

Privacy and your inputs

Calculations run in your browser. Inputs are kept in this tab's session storage so you can continue after refreshing or switching languages; Reset removes them. The calculator does not send your figures to a server. Copy uses your clipboard only when you press the button. Painters Log links identify the referring tool and language, without including your figures.

The connection to Painters Log

These tools help with one part of the work. Painters Log connects estimates, jobs, and invoices. Links open the Painters Log website; they do not automatically transfer your calculation or create an account.