Painting bid template with per-square-foot pricing, prep breakdown, and material costs. Residential interior and exterior rates. Free, no sign-up.
Painting bids are lost at two points: the estimate is vague about what "prep" includes, or it doesn't distinguish materials from labor. Clients who get three bids and see one with a specific prep scope, paint product callout, and separate material and labor lines will almost always call that contractor first — even if the total is the same. The sample below covers a common residential interior paint job: living room, dining room, and three bedrooms.
Bid from
Summit Painting Co.
Prepared for
The Okafor Residence
April 2026
Interior Painting Bid — Main Level + Bedrooms
Interior painting of main level and three bedrooms (approx. 1,800 sq ft of wall surface). Includes all prep, two coats finish paint on walls, one coat ceiling, and trim in semi-gloss. Doors and closet interiors excluded.
Fill nail holes and minor cracks with spackle (sand flush after dry) Spot-prime all patched areas Tape all trim, outlets, windows, and floor edges Light sanding on trim for adhesion Drop cloths on all floors and furniture Note: damaged drywall repair (beyond nail holes) is not included — quoted separately if needed after inspection.
Paint — walls (Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint, client color): $285 Paint — ceilings (flat white, 2 gallons): $80 Paint — trim (semi-gloss white, 1.5 gallons): $75 Primer (spot-prime only): $30 Supplies (tape, drop cloths, brushes, rollers): $55 Materials subtotal: $525
Prep and masking (6 hrs): $480 Walls — 2 coats (14 hrs): $1,120 Ceilings — 1 coat (4 hrs): $320 Trim — 1 coat (5 hrs): $400 Cleanup and touch-up (2 hrs): $160 Labor subtotal: $2,480
Materials: $525 Labor: $2,480 Total: $3,005 50% deposit required to schedule. Balance due on last day of work. Estimated duration: 3 days (crew of 2).
Painting doors, closet interiors, or ceilings above 9 ft (requires scaffold, quoted separately). Exterior painting, wallpaper removal, drywall repair beyond nail holes, painting of garage or utility spaces, and moving furniture (client must clear room before crew arrives).
Build your own version of this bid in BidMaker — it takes under 5 minutes.
Create Your Free AccountFree forever — 3 bids/month, no credit card required
These ranges reflect common pricing in mid-tier U.S. markets. Rates vary by region, crew size, and job complexity.
| Service | Typical Rate |
|---|---|
| Interior walls (per sq ft, 2 coats) | $1.50–$3.50/sq ft |
| Exterior siding (per sq ft, 2 coats) | $1.75–$4.00/sq ft |
| Interior room (including trim, per room) | $400–$900 |
| Exterior full house (labor only, 2,000 sq ft) | $3,500–$7,000 |
| Cabinet painting (per linear foot) | $60–$100/linear ft |
| Deck staining (per sq ft) | $1.00–$2.50/sq ft |
The market rates above are calibrated to mid-tier metros. Use this guide to adjust before quoting in your area.
Major coastal metros (NYC/NJ, SF Bay, Boston, DC, Seattle, LA)
+25% to +45% over the rates above. Labor dominates the gap — paint and supplies are roughly equal across the country, but painter day rates are 40–60% higher in coastal markets. A $3,000 interior repaint in Atlanta is $3,800–$4,200 in suburban Boston for the same scope and product.
Mid-tier metros (Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis, Charlotte)
Use the rates above as-is. These are the markets the table is calibrated against. Adjust ±10% within the metro for higher-end neighborhoods or HOA-controlled communities where exterior color compliance adds touch-up obligations.
Smaller cities and Sun Belt suburbs (Tampa, Nashville, Boise, Indianapolis, Tulsa)
−10% to −20% off the rates above. Lower painter labor cost and competitive pressure from solo operators. A whole-house interior that's $9,500 in Atlanta runs $7,800–$8,500 here. Material premium is the same — don't try to also discount the paint.
Rural areas (1+ hour from a major metro)
−15% on labor, but add a $50–$120 trip fee per project and set a 1-day minimum ($500–$700). Painters with rural routes either price-up to absorb travel time or take only multi-day exterior jobs that justify the drive. Single-room interior bids in rural markets often aren't worth quoting.
High-cost luxury markets (Aspen, Hamptons, Jackson Hole, parts of Malibu, Bel Air)
+50% to +100%. Pricing tracks client expectations and product specifications, not labor cost alone. Specialty finishes (Venetian plaster, lime wash, hand-rubbed lacquer) and high-end product lines (Farrow & Ball, Benjamin Moore Aura) double the materials line. A whole-house interior at $30,000+ is normal in these markets.
Not every painting bid is the same shape. Six common job types and the specifics that matter for each.
Single-room interior repaint
One bedroom, home office, or small living area; trial job for a new client before larger work
Whole-house interior repaint (multi-room)
New homeowner refreshing an existing property, pre-listing prep, or after major renovation
Exterior full-house repaint
10+ year-old siding showing fade or peeling, pre-sale curb appeal, HOA compliance recoat
Cabinet refinishing or painting
Kitchen cabinet refresh in lieu of full replacement; bathroom vanity refresh; built-in painting
Deck staining or sealing
Annual or biannual deck refresh; new deck initial seal; restoration of weathered deck
Commercial office or retail repaint
Lobby, corridor, or full office refresh; tenant-improvement work; retail brand-color repaint
Six mistakes we see often in painting bids that cost jobs or margin. Each one is fixable in the bid itself, not after the fact.
⚠ Vague prep scope ('prep work included')
Fix: 'Prep included' is not a scope — it's an argument waiting to happen. Spell out: nail holes filled and sanded flush, spot-primed, drywall cracks taped if any, trim taped, drop cloths on floors and furniture, light sanding on glossy trim. The more specific your prep description, the harder it is for the client to claim you missed something or for a competitor to lowball you on the same job.
⚠ No paint product or sheen specified
Fix: 'Quality interior paint, two coats' is meaningless. Name the product (Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint, Benjamin Moore Regal Select), the sheen per surface (eggshell on walls, semi-gloss on trim, flat on ceilings), and the brand of primer if used. Clients comparing three bids will Google your product. If you're not specific, they assume cheap.
⚠ No furniture or floor-protection clause
Fix: Clients assume you'll protect everything; you assume the room will be cleared. Both are wrong half the time. State exactly what protection you bring (drop cloths, painter's plastic on furniture, tape on baseboards) and exactly what the client must do before you arrive (move furniture from walls, remove wall art, clear closet contents if closets are in scope). Day-one friction over this is the #1 source of paint-job tension.
⚠ Bundling multiple color changes without surcharge
Fix: Each color change adds 30–60 minutes of cleaning equipment, switching trays, and re-masking. Bidding a flat 'whole-house repaint' without specifying the included color count means the client picks 12 colors and you eat 2+ days of unbilled labor. Standard: 2 wall colors + 1 trim color included, $75–$150 per additional color. State it in the bid.
⚠ No weather contingency on exterior bids
Fix: Exterior paint can't be applied in rain or below 50°F (with most products). A rained-out scheduled day still costs you crew time, and rebooking pushes the timeline. State a weather contingency clause: 'Exterior work is weather-permitting. Crew will return on the next acceptable weather window. No reschedule fee, but project completion date may shift accordingly.' This sets expectations before the first rainy week.
⚠ Skipping the deposit
Fix: Painters who 'don't bother' with deposits absorb material cost on every job and get burned 1 in 20 times by clients who delay payment, dispute the work, or ghost. 50% deposit on jobs over $1,000 is industry-standard and clients accept it. The ones who refuse a 50% deposit on a $4,000 paint job were going to be problem clients regardless. Set the deposit policy before you write the bid.
Separate materials from labor in every bid. A client who sees a flat $3,000 doesn't know if they're paying for good paint or cheap paint. Showing $525 materials (with the product name) and $2,480 labor reads as honest and professional.
Name your paint product in the bid. 'Two coats Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint' is a more convincing spec than 'quality interior paint.' Clients can look it up. It shows you're not using the cheapest product on the shelf and gives them confidence in the finish quality.
Define prep scope specifically. 'Prep work included' is not a scope. 'Fill nail holes, spot-prime, tape all trim and windows' is. The more specific your prep description, the harder it is for a client to claim you missed something.
Include a clause about drywall damage beyond minor patches. Cracked plaster, water-stained drywall, and popcorn ceiling removal all materially change the job. Noting in the bid that these are quoted separately if found protects you when you open a wall and discover something unexpected.
Specify what 'client must do' before you arrive. Clearing furniture is the most common friction point on paint jobs. Put it in the bid. Showing up to a room full of furniture costs you 90 minutes and changes your schedule.
Interior painting is typically priced by square footage of wall surface or by room. Common rates: $1.50–$3.50/sq ft for two coats on walls, or $400–$900 per room including trim. Break the bid into materials and labor. Labor typically runs 70–75% of the total on interior jobs. Exterior painting runs higher due to prep complexity and weather risk: $1.75–$4.00/sq ft depending on surface type and condition.
Room or surface list with square footage, prep scope (patching, sanding, masking), paint product and sheen by surface type, number of coats, materials cost, labor cost, what is not included, payment terms, and project duration. The 'not included' section saves more arguments than any other part of the bid. Clients assume ceilings, trim, and closets are included unless you explicitly say otherwise.
Provide the paint and charge a reasonable markup (10–20%). When clients buy their own paint, they often buy the wrong sheen, the wrong quantity, or a cheaper product than the job requires. You end up with coverage problems and they blame you. If you're sourcing the paint, you control the quality and margin. The exception: clients with a strong preference for a specific color or brand can bring the paint if they buy exactly what you specify.
Each color change adds time for cleaning equipment, reloading, and re-masking. If a client wants five different wall colors, note in the bid that each additional color beyond two adds $75–$150 depending on room size. Some painters include the first two colors and charge for each additional. The key is stating this in the bid so the client understands before committing to a 14-color scheme.
50% deposit to schedule, balance on last day of work. For larger jobs ($5,000+), a three-payment structure works: 30% to start, 30% at midpoint, 40% on completion. Never start without a deposit — materials cost is real and scheduling a crew against a phantom job is expensive. A client who refuses a standard 50% deposit for a $3,000 job is a red flag.
Exterior bids need more prep detail: power washing, scraping, caulking gaps, priming bare wood, and dealing with lead paint on older homes (which triggers disclosure requirements in most states). Weather contingencies should be noted — you can't paint in rain or below 50°F, so include a rescheduling clause. Exterior bids also need to specify which surfaces: siding, trim, fascia, soffits, and doors are often quoted separately.
BidMaker has painting templates built in. Describe the job and AI writes a complete bid for you — line items, scope, terms, and all.
Or skip the AI. Start from a template and fill in the numbers yourself. Either way takes under 5 minutes.
Start for freeFree plan: 3 bids/month. No credit card.
Need a proposal template instead?
Bids are great for straightforward price quotes. For longer engagements or new client relationships, a full proposal with scope narrative and terms is more persuasive.
Painting proposal template →Describe the job, and BidMaker writes a complete bid for you in under 2 minutes. Send it as a link or PDF and get notified when your client accepts.
Create Your Free AccountFree forever — 3 bids/month, no credit card required
Evaluating a tool to send these bids? We've written side-by-side comparisons against the software most service businesses consider.
Wage-backed rates and a calculator for painting jobs — use to set the numbers in the bid above.