Painting labour calculator
Interior repaint, walls and ceilings. Production is per coat, so double the area for two coats.
Paint
Interior repaint, walls and ceilings. Production is per coat, so double the area for two coats.
Default 160 sq ft an hour per coat, or $0.45 a foot if you sell painting by the foot. Price excludes sales tax.
$1,310
$0.71 / sq ftPrice excludes sales tax.
How this calculator prices a job
Interior repaint labour prices off production rate more than anything else. Cut-in, ceiling height and how much furniture is still in the room move that rate further than any decision about paint.
The formula
hours = quantity ÷ production rate base = hours × labour rate (or quantity × per-unit rate) burden = base × burden % cost = base + burden price = cost ÷ (1 − margin)
Assumptions and defaults
| Production | 160 sq ft/hr per coat |
| Per-unit rate | $0.45 per sq ft |
| Labour rate | $65/hr default |
| Payroll burden | 22% of base labour |
| Crew | 3 people, eight-hour days |
| Target margin | 30% |
Pro tips
The rate is per coat. A two-coat job over 1,850 sq ft is 3,700 sq ft of production — double the quantity or halve the rate, but do one of them.
Occupied houses run 20 to 30 per cent slower than empty ones. Price the furniture moving, or stop bidding occupied work at empty-house rates.
Burden is not optional. Payroll taxes, workers' comp, liability and paid time run 20 to 35 per cent on top of the wage you quote — a crew at $65 an hour costs you nearer $80 before a single overhead dollar.
Margin divides, it does not multiply. A 30 per cent margin on $1,000 of cost is $1,429, not $1,300 — the second number is a 30 per cent markup and only a 23 per cent margin.
Common questions
How much should I charge for painting labour?
Work it from production: area × coats ÷ your sq ft per hour = hours. Add burden, then the margin you need. Selling by the foot instead, $0.45 a square foot is a common labour-only rate.
What production rate should painters use?
160 sq ft an hour per coat is fair on open walls. Cut-heavy rooms drop to 100; spraying an empty house can beat 300.
How do I price labour to hit a target margin?
Divide, never multiply: price = cost ÷ (1 − margin). An all-in labour cost of $2,000 at a 30 per cent margin is $2,857. Multiplying by 1.30 gives $2,600, which is only a 23 per cent margin.
What is payroll burden?
Everything you pay on top of the wage: payroll taxes, workers' comp, liability insurance, holiday and any benefits. Twenty-two per cent is a reasonable starting point for a small crew — check yours against last year's numbers and change the field.
Does this include materials?
No. This tool prices labour only, so the number stays honest when material prices move. Work the quantities out in the material calculator and add them as their own line.