If you have a strong hand, good ethics of work and the need to earn extra money, you can paint houses. Besides being a good painter and pay attention to the details, you’ll need to know how much to charge for the work you do. Rates and formulas vary, depending on whether you paint the inside or outside of a house. Your fees include labor, materials, ceiling height and the size of the surface to be painted.

Instructions

1. Determine the square footage of the area to be painted multiplying the measured width of each wall height and include the ceiling. Add those numbers. (Example: If the wall No. 1 is 10 feet (3 m) high by 10 feet wide, the wall No. 2 is 12 feet (3.6.m) by 10 feet, the wall is No. 3 10 wall 10 and No. 4 is 12 by 10, 420 square meters have to paint. Make sure you have all flat surfaces to be painted and estimated more if the ceiling is vaulted.
2. Please note the height of the room. In rooms with high ceilings, measures the top of the room separately, and you should charge more for the areas in which you need a ladder to paint. If a room is 10 by 12, but has 12-foot ceilings, calculated 288 (87.7 m) square feet below the 8-foot (2.4 m) separately from the remaining 176 feet (53.6 m) square, which They are above the line 8 feet.
3. Decide what your standard rate per square foot. Depending on your experience and the rate in the area where you live, charge between $ 1.50 and $ 3.50 per square foot. Base your rate per square foot on the amount of money you want to earn per hour and how quickly you can complete the job. For example, if you want to earn $ 100 per hour and you can paint a room 10 for 12 with 10 foot ceilings in 5 hours, you want to earn at least $ 500 in five hours.
4. Determines the cost of your materials and miscellaneous expenses, these include transportation, ladder or other equipment rental, painting (if you’re paying for it), tape, canvas and brushes. Add the cost of all the items and divide by the number of square feet you are painting. For example, if you are painting 420 square feet and the materials cost $ 210, you can safely add your price to 50 cents per square foot.
5. Based on the examples, if the room is 420 square feet and your rate per hour of work is $ 1.19 and the cost of materials is about 50 cents per square foot, you can charge $ 2.19 per square foot, or $ 709, $ 80 to paint the room.

Tips & Warnings

• You must know in advance the time you usually take to paint a room. You may want to practice in a room in your home. Note that you’re going to paint a room faster if empty and slower if you have to move or work around furniture. Use a similar method to determine what to charge for painting the exterior of a house. Remember that there will be more preparation work and you’ll be on a ladder most of the time.