What should a small painter include in an interior estimate?
An estimate should make the job clear: what you saw, what you will do, what the number covers, and what could change it.
How do I measure the walls?
Work room by room. Record the room dimensions and wall height, then calculate the wall area you plan to paint. Subtract large openings such as doors, windows, and built-ins when they meaningfully change the surface. Keep ceilings, walls, trim, doors, baseboards, and casing separate. They can require different products, prep, coats, and labor. Flag stairwells, vaulted walls, tight access, and anything that needs a second look.
How do I estimate paint and supplies?
Base gallons on paintable area, the selected product's coverage information, the number of coats, and surface condition—not just room count. List primer separately when it is needed. Account for patch and caulk, sanding materials, tape, plastic, paper, rollers, brushes, covers, trays, drop cloths, and cleanup materials. Price the complete material plan, not only paint cans.
What should I include for labor?
Break labor into tasks: setup, protection, furniture moving if you are doing it, prep, cutting in, rolling, trim or door work, coat time, cleanup, and touchups. Estimate the hours, then state the planned crew size so the schedule is understandable. Prep is labor. Treat it as its own part of the job instead of hiding it in a broad paint-time number.
What belongs in prep?
Write down what surfaces need: nail holes, cracks, patches, caulk, sanding, peeling paint, stains, bare drywall, repairs, or texture work. Call out primer needs for stains, repairs, bare areas, major color changes, or other problem surfaces. If trim, casing, baseboards, doors, or textured walls are included, say so plainly. Prep notes prevent an unclear promise.
Why separate inclusions and exclusions?
Scope discipline protects the conversation. Inclusions should identify rooms, surfaces, number of coats, described prep, materials, and cleanup. Exclusions should name work outside this number, such as major drywall repair, hidden damage, wallpaper removal, moving fragile items, or surfaces you will not paint. Document new conditions and price added work separately before proceeding.
How should I think about contingency and markup?
They do different jobs. Contingency is a deliberate allowance for uncertainty identified but not fully verified at the walkthrough. Markup covers the business side of delivering the work beyond direct job costs. Decide how your business handles each, and show them consistently. There is no one percentage that fits every painter, job, market, or risk level.
Should tax appear on the estimate?
If tax applies, state it as a line item or say how it is handled in the total. Tax treatment can depend on where you work and what you sell, so confirm your approach with appropriate local guidance or a qualified advisor. Do not leave the customer guessing whether the total includes it.
How long should the number be valid?
Give the estimate a specific validity period. It sets a point for rechecking material costs, availability, scheduling, and scope assumptions. Put the timeframe in the estimate rather than relying on a verbal understanding.
Why send a customer-ready estimate before leaving?
The walkthrough is when the details are sharp. Review the scope while you are there, then give the customer a clean estimate they can share or print. It shows the work, terms, and total without reconstructing the conversation later. QuoteCraft follows this phone-based flow: calculate paintable wall area, material, labor, markup, contingency, and tax; then share or print the estimate. Drafts remain available offline and can be saved to the cloud when you are signed in.
Capture the number while the job is fresh.