Calculate Price Per Square Foot for House Painting
Nothing gives a house a fresh look like a new coat of paint. Whether you're doing the painting yourself or hiring someone to do it for you, knowing how to calculate price per square foot for house painting is a helpful way to estimate costs and compare quotes. Calculating per square foot can also help do-it-yourself painters buy the right amount of paint for the job.
Contents
Steps
- Factor in the price of paint and materials when you calculate for house painting.
- Include materials for preparing, mixing, applying and cleaning up paint in house painting costs.
- Professional house painting costs also include labor.
- Estimate the amount of paint, with a gallon of primer, or base paint, covering 330 square feet and a gallon of other paint providing coverage up to 350 square feet.
- The composition of base paint is different, which is why it covers fewer square feet per gallon.
- Paint costs can range from $15 to $60 per gallon. Designer and specialty paint can increase house painting costs even more.
- Figure the cost per square foot of a professional's flat fee by dividing the cost by the square footage.
- For example, an $800 estimate for 1,500 square feet would be 800 divided by 1,500 which is equal to a 53.3 cent cost per square foot.
- Determine exterior square feet by multiplying the height times the width of each exterior wall.
- Add the square footage of each of the exterior walls together to find the sum total.
exterior Painting
- Calculate for house painting by multiplying the length by width of the room or rooms that you want to paint.
- Add the individual sums together.
- Measure the height and width of each door and each window in a room to be painted.
- Multiply height by width to find the square footage of each door and window.
- Combine the totals for each door and window to calculate for house painting.
- Subtract the door/window total from the room square footage for house painting costs.
- The average window is 16 square feet and the average door is 21 square feet. When a window or door is slightly smaller, multiply the total by .80. If larger, multiply by 1.5.
- Decide if you will also be painting the ceiling.
- Find square footage by multiplying two adjacent sides.
- Ceilings tend to take up to 85% more paint, particularly acoustical and popcorn ceilings.
Spray Painting
- Reduce the cost per square foot by spray painting large paint jobs.
- Small jobs aren't economical when you factor in the cost of a sprayer, which can cost hundreds of dollars.
- Consider the transfer efficiency of spray painting equipment when you calculate for house painting with spraying.
- Spray painting tends to only get a portion of the total paint on the intended surface. The remainder ends up in the sprayer's exhaust filters or on the floor.
- Transfer efficiency is the total paint sprayed divided by the paint that reaches the surface.
- Multiply the cost per foot by the transfer efficiency percentage to reach a more accurate calculation per square foot.
Warnings
- Indoor textured walls require more paint than smooth walls.
- Most experts suggest to use "brand name paints" in order to allow for single-coat coverage.
Related Articles
- Calculate Cost of Travel
- Paint Exterior Walls With a Paint Sprayer
- Calculate Amount of Paint to Paint a Room
Sources and Citations
- http://homeguides.sfgate.com/calculate-price-per-square-foot-house-painting-8718.html
- http://www.csgnetwork.com/roompaintcalc.html