Painting bids that pay for prep, not just paint
Every painter loses money on the same thing: prep hours that got 'thrown in.' Bid Buddy makes prep a line item so you get paid for the scraping, sanding, patching, and masking that make the finish look good.
Your estimate
Your bid is calculated as total cost ÷ (1 − margin) for a true margin.
Total job cost
$23,000.00
Recommended bid
$28,750.00
Profit
$5,750.00
Margin
20%
Ask the estimator
Describe the job — I'll build your line items.
Tell me about the job
Try "I'm bidding a 1,500 sqft roof tear-off and re-shingle" or "Set my margin to 25%".
Turn this estimate into a signed job.
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Surface prep
Scrape, sand, patch, caulk, prime. On repaints this is often more hours than the finish coats.
Coats & coverage
Dark-to-light, bare drywall, and rough stucco eat paint. Price by actual coverage, not the can label.
Height & access
Ladders, scaffolding, cut lines above 10 ft — all slower and more insurance risk.
Paint grade
Contractor-grade vs premium can be 3× the material cost. Let the customer pick, then price it.
Markup & margin for painting
Solo painters usually target 25–35% markup; small crews need 40–50% to cover a helper, truck, insurance, and a real margin. Bid Buddy calculates the true bid so the margin you type is the margin you keep.
Line items to include in every painting bid
- Surface prep (per hour or per room)
- Masking & drop cloths
- Primer
- Paint (by gallon, by coat)
- Labor — cut & roll
- Trim & doors
- Cleanup & touch-up
Frequently asked questions
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