Free painting estimate template
Scope, price and what's not included — written so the painter and the homeowner agree before the truck rolls.
A painting estimate is where the argument gets settled before it starts. The homeowner is not really asking "how much" — they are asking "how much, for exactly what, and what turns it into more". So the estimate has three jobs the invoice never has: name the scope in the painter's own words, put a price or a defensible range next to each part of it, and say out loud what is excluded and what would change the number. Every line you list below can be typed straight onto it, and when the customer accepts, the same document becomes the invoice — nothing is retyped, so nothing can drift between what was promised and what was billed.
What a painting estimate has to say
- The scope, in plain words — which room, which system, which side of the house. "Interior repaint — walls, per sq ft of floor area" is a line; "misc work" is an argument.
- What is NOT included, and what would add to the price — a hidden problem behind the wall, a second trip, disposal, a permit.
- How long the price is good for. Fourteen to thirty days is normal; material prices move.
- Whether the estimate is a fixed price or a range, and what turns a range into a number.
- The deposit, if you take one, and when the balance is due — on completion, or net terms.
- Your license and insurance line, if your state expects it on the paperwork — homeowners look for it on an estimate more than on an invoice.
Lines a painter usually estimates
| Line | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Interior repaint — walls, per sq ft of floor area | $1.50–$3.50 per sq ft |
| Interior room, walls only — 12 x 12 | $300–$700 per room |
| Ceilings, per room | $125–$300 per room |
| Trim, baseboard and doors, per linear ft | $1.50–$4.00 per foot |
| Exterior repaint — single story | $2,500–$6,000 |
| Pressure wash and exterior prep | $250–$600 |
| Drywall repair, caulk and patch before paint | $150–$500 |
| Paint and materials | at cost plus 10–20% |
Painting estimate questions
Should a painting estimate be a fixed price or a range?
Fixed where you can see the whole job, a range where you cannot — and say which it is on the document. A fixed price reads better to a homeowner because it cannot grow while they watch, but promising one on work you have not opened up yet is how a painter eats a surprise. A range with a sentence about what settles it ("$X–$Y depending on what we find behind the panel") is honest and still lets them say yes.
Do I need the customer to sign the estimate?
You need them to accept it in a way you can show later. A signature on paper works; so does a tap on an emailed estimate that records the date and time. What matters is that the scope and the price they agreed to are frozen at that moment. Pocket Business records the acceptance on the estimate itself and turns it into the invoice, so the two can never disagree.
What if the job changes after they accept?
Write a change, do not quietly change the invoice. A one-line addition — what was found, what it adds, that they approved it — is the difference between a paid invoice and a dispute. Send the revised estimate before the extra work, not after.
How long should a painting estimate stay valid?
Long enough for the customer to decide, short enough that your material and labor costs have not moved. Fourteen to thirty days is what most trades use. Put the date on the document; an estimate with no expiry is a price you are still bound to next year.
Can I charge for the estimate itself?
Some trades do, especially where the estimate needs diagnostic time. If you do, say so before you arrive, put it on the estimate as its own line, and say whether it is credited back if they go ahead. Charging for it without saying so first is the fastest route to a bad review.
Painting invoice template · All estimate templates
Write a free painting estimate — no signup, the customer accepts with one tap and it becomes the invoice.