A painting estimate example, worked from the drawings.

The method in one line

For every surface type:

labor hours = area × coats ÷ production rate per coat
gallons     = area × coats ÷ spread rate × (1 + loss)

Then add prep, sundries, equipment, supervision, overhead and profit. The skill is in splitting surfaces finely enough that each gets the right rate. Walls under 10 ft rolled in an empty space and stairwell walls at 22 ft cut around rails are not the same line item.

Step 1: Read before you measure

The finish schedule tells you where. The painting spec (usually 09 91 00, with 09 96 00 for high-performance coatings) tells you what. Before measuring, write down:

• Systems by finish code: primer and number of finish coats for each substrate (new drywall, existing painted drywall, CMU, hollow metal, wood).
• Sheen and product requirements, including any named manufacturer or MPI-type requirement.
• Gypsum board finish level. Under the Gypsum Association's GA-214 (2026 edition), Level 4 is typical for flat and eggshell finishes; Level 5 (a skim coat) is recommended for gloss, semi-gloss, dark colors and critical lighting. Level 5 is normally the drywall finisher's work. If the drawings call for semi-gloss on long corridors with Level 4, that's a quality risk to raise, not something to absorb.
• What's excluded or by others: factory-finished items, wallcovering, caulking, exposed MEP.

Step 2: Take off surfaces by type

From the finish schedule, floor plans, reflected ceiling plans and elevations:

• Walls by finish code and height band, in square feet: perimeter × height, deducting only large openings. Many estimators don't deduct doors and windows under about 30 to 40 sq ft, treating the cut-in time as offsetting the area. Pick a rule and use it every time.
• Ceilings in square feet from the RCP, split by gypsum, exposed structure and soffits.
• Doors and frames by count from the door schedule, both sides, with the frame type.
• Trim, base and handrails in linear feet if painted.
• Specialty: exposed structure and deck, piping and ductwork if called for, stair stringers and rails, high walls needing lifts.

Step 3: Worked example quantities and labor

A 7,500 sq ft office build-out with new drywall, 9 ft ceilings, 24 doors (illustrative numbers):

Surface	Quantity	Coats	Rate per coat	Labor hrs
Walls, prime (new drywall)	9,600 sq ft	1	225 sq ft/hr	42.7
Walls, eggshell P1	9,600 sq ft	2	200 sq ft/hr	96.0
Gyp ceilings, flat	1,800 sq ft	2	150 sq ft/hr	24.0
Doors + frames, both sides	24 ea	all	1.5 hr/ea	36.0
Prep and protection	11,400 sq ft	—	0.2 hr/100 sq ft	22.8
Total				221.5

Production rates are editable illustrative assumptions for rolled and brushed work. Use your crews' tracked rates. Spraying an empty space is much faster per coat but adds masking time. A height band above about 12 ft, occupied space or night work lowers production.

Step 4: Paint quantity from the data sheet

Spread rates come from the product data sheet at the recommended film thickness. Sherwin-Williams ProMar 200 Zero VOC eggshell, for example, lists 350 to 400 sq ft per gallon at 4 mils wet (1.7 mils dry). New drywall absorbs more, which is why the primer is a separate product with its own rate.

Primer      9,600 × 1 ÷ 300 × 1.05 ≈ 34 gal
Walls P1    9,600 × 2 ÷ 375 × 1.05 ≈ 54 gal
Ceilings    1,800 × 2 ÷ 375 × 1.05 ≈ 11 gal
Doors       24 doors + frames ≈ 0.5 gal each ≈ 12 gal enamel

Use the low end of the data-sheet range on textured, porous or rough surfaces, and add coats for big color changes (or a tinted primer).

Step 5: Price it

Illustrative unit costs:

Item	Calculation	Cost
Labor	221.5 hrs × $55/hr burdened	$12,183
Primer	34 gal × $24	$816
Finish, walls	54 gal × $38	$2,052
Finish, ceilings	11 gal × $30	$330
Enamel, doors	12 gal × $55	$660
Sundries	12% of paint (tape, plastic, caulk, covers, masking)	$463
Equipment	Ladders and baker scaffolds only at 9 ft	$0
Direct cost		$16,504

Then overhead and profit, and this is where painting contractors most often lose money: markup and margin aren't the same thing.

Overhead 15% markup:  16,504 × 1.15 = 18,980
Profit 10% markup:    18,980 × 1.10 = 20,878   → profit is 9.1% of price
Profit 10% margin:    18,980 ÷ 0.90 = 21,089   → profit is 10.0% of price

On a $20,000 job the difference is about $200. On a $2 million year, it's real money. Decide which one your company means by "10%," and build your spreadsheet to match.

Step 6: Sanity check

• Price per square foot of wall: $20,878 ÷ 9,600 ≈ $2.17. Compare with similar completed jobs in your market.
• Hours per 1,000 sq ft of wall (all coats): (42.7 + 96.0) ÷ 9.6 ≈ 14.4.
• Hours per door: 1.5, all coats.
• Gallons: check coats and spread rates by system.

A big difference from history usually means a rate, quantity or scope assumption is off, not that the market changed overnight.

Scope items people forget

• Exposed structure, deck and ductwork in open ceilings.
• Hollow metal frames in masonry walls, and frames shipped only primed.
• Stairwells: high walls, rails, stringers and soffits.
• Touch-up after other trades and the punch list. Many estimators carry a percentage of labor or a fixed number of crew-days.
• Mobilizations. If the GC's schedule has you in five separate times, price five.
• Coatings listed outside 09 91 00: floor sealers, line striping, intumescent fireproofing, epoxy.

Exclusions to state

Typical painting exclusions include painting of equipment, piping and conduit not called for, factory-finished items, wallcovering, caulking by others, Level 5 gypsum finishing, and repairs to substrates damaged by others. State each one that applies, and match them against the bid form.

Where RenderDraw fits

The slowest part of the example above is Step 2. RenderDraw's AI takeoff proposes wall areas, ceiling areas and door counts from drawings, with the source sheet on every row and uncertain items in a review queue. Your systems, production rates and pricing stay yours.