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Painting cost calculator: price prep, prime and paint

Most painting jobs are won or lost on prep time. Enter your crew hours, paint and supplies, and see what you need to charge per square foot to make the job worth it.

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What goes into the price

Seven costs every painting bid has to cover

Prep and painting hoursMoving furniture, masking, patching, sanding, priming, two coats and cleanup.
Payroll costsEmployer CPP and EI plus 4% vacation pay, roughly 12% on top of wages.
WCBThe 2026 Alberta industry rate for painting and decorating is $3.81 per $100 of payroll; use your own rate from your premium notice.
Paint and suppliesPrimer, paint, caulking, tape, plastic, rollers and brushes.
EquipmentLadders, scaffolding, sprayers and drop cloths.
Your share of overheadVehicle, insurance, phone and office spread over the jobs you finish each month.
Getting paidHomeowner repaints are often paid on completion; builder work usually has a holdback.
Worked example

Example: interior repaint of a 2,200 sq ft house, walls and ceilings

3 painters × 5 days × 8 hours = 120 crew hours at $30/hour. Overhead of $6,000 a month over 6 jobs. Target margin 15%.

Crew labour with CPP, EI, vacation pay and WCB$4,169
Labour contingency (10%)$417
Materials$1,900
Equipment, fuel and disposal$250
Share of overhead$1,000
Cost of waiting to be paid$5
Break-even price$7,741
Price for a 15% margin$9,107
Target price per square foot$4.14

These are example numbers to show how the math works, not market prices. Your wages, rates and overhead will be different, so put in your own. WCB uses the 2026 Alberta industry rate for Painting/Decorating (42111).

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Questions

Painting pricing questions

How do I price painting per square foot?

Add up labour with payroll costs and WCB, paint and supplies, equipment and your overhead share, add your margin, then divide by the square feet painted.

Should I charge for prep separately?

You can list it as its own line on the proposal. For the job check, include all prep hours so the total cost is right.

Does it work for exterior jobs?

Yes. Add scaffolding or lifts under equipment and allow extra contingency for weather.

Is it free?

The job check is free. Proposals, invoices and your logo come with Pro, and new accounts get a 14-day Pro trial with no card needed.

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Check your next painting job before you bid it.

It takes about two minutes. Then turn it into a proposal with your logo and GST number.

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