Estimate review worksheet

Painting estimate checklist before you send the bid

Use this page as a final review step after calculating labor, material quantities, overhead, and margin. It is designed to catch missing scope items before the number becomes a customer proposal.

1. Scope and measurements

Paintable wall and ceiling area measured or verified from drawings Trim, doors, cabinets, rails, exposed steel, or specialty surfaces listed separately Number of coats confirmed for each surface type Door and window deductions handled consistently Customer expectations for color change, sheen, and finish level documented Excluded areas written clearly enough for a customer to understand

2. Labor assumptions

Review the production rate before reviewing the price. A bid can look profitable on paper while the labor hours are too low for the real site conditions. Compare the calculated hours with the actual crew plan, workspace, access, and schedule.

Production rate matches the surface and method Prep, protection, masking, setup, cleanup, and touchups included Crew size is realistic for the space available Night, weekend, occupied-area, or accelerated work accounted for

3. Materials and equipment

Paint gallons are only one part of the material plan. Primer, sundries, plastic, tape, masking paper, rollers, tips, strainers, patching materials, caulk, abrasives, and cleanup supplies can change the final job cost.

Finish paint and primer estimated separately Waste, touchup, and container rounding considered Lifts, ladders, scaffolding, sprayers, or rental equipment included Delivery, mobilization, disposal, and protection materials reviewed

4. Business cost and proposal risk

A complete estimate should recover loaded labor, materials, job-specific costs, overhead, and target profit. It should also explain assumptions so changes can be priced instead of absorbed silently.

Confirm cost structure

Check wage, labor burden, overhead recovery, and margin. If a price only covers payroll and paint, the business may be funding the job instead of profiting from it.

Write change-order triggers

Surface repairs, added coats, color changes, access delays, moisture problems, and extra rooms should be named as possible changes before the project starts.

Match schedule to hours

Divide total man-hours by realistic daily crew capacity. If the deadline does not match the calculated hours, adjust labor plan, premium time, or scope.

Save the post-job result

After the work is complete, compare estimated hours with actual hours. That record improves future production rates and helps explain why bids change over time.