Estimate interior or exterior painting cost including labour.
A painting quote is mostly labour, and the ratio surprises people: paint is typically 15 to 25% of the bill, with the rest going on preparation, masking, cutting in and coats. That is why buying cheaper paint saves very little while making the job take longer — a thin paint needs three coats where a good one needs two, and the extra coat costs more in labour than the paint saved. Gallons are calculated from area times coats divided by the spread rate on the can, always rounded up. Spread rate is the number to check: 350 sq ft per gallon is realistic on primed smooth drywall, but bare drywall, textured surfaces and deep colours all drink far more.
House Painting Cost
Gallons = area x coats / spread rate, rounded up; total = gallons x paint price + area x painter rate
Typically 75-85%. Preparation — filling, sanding, masking, protecting floors — is often more hours than the painting itself, especially on an occupied house.
Usually, because it covers in two coats rather than three and holds its finish longer. The saving is in labour and in not repainting in four years, not in the tin.