How much is expected to be paid for an office painting by a commercial painter? Is it more cost-effective to paint the whole office building? It is the responsibility of facility managers to maintain the office space to keep the occupants happy properly.
Each unit occupant is responsible for its maintenance and decoration. The message here is that the cost of painting affects everything, whether you are a business owner or a facility manager.
Any pricing we mention here is just for instant reference and indicates our pricing reality currently. This article doesn’t contain our price list.
We always entertain any question in the comments section. When you are ready to hire the services of a commercial painting contractor, we advise that you contact us to get a more accurate estimate. Much information will be collected by professional estimators before they provide you with a quote.
- Is there any need for major repairs?
- What paint color do you prefer?
- Are you making changes to a color? How many coats?
- Are we to paint highlight surfaces?
- Are we to paint the doors and other trim?
- The scope of the work is not affected by other questions, and they can come from any angle.
- Can we do painting during work hours?
- Is the office located in a central place?
- Is there parking for visitors and contractors?
- Is there a loading elevator in the building?
- When do you want the project to start and end?
- Is the space filled or empty?
- Will the painters move your furniture?
- What is your plan for specialized systems furniture?
- Are we working with carpet installers on the office painting?
- What are the security considerations?
Now, let’s discuss how an estimate is generated by a commercial painting contractor in Dallas.
How is an Estimate determined by Commercial Painters?
Painting is a service and not a commodity. Similar to most services, painting has no standard pricing. Each company hire painters of different skill level that have varying qualifications and insurance while also trying to make a profit.
Even though estimated prices do vary, most top painting contractors don’t exceed 20% of each other’s painting price. Does it mean that you will get a quality job from a painter that offer an expensive estimate? Well, in some but not all cases.
A knowledgeable estimator understands the company’s costs and the production rate of the painter. The margins of most painting companies’ profits are small. Offering lower pricing on large painting projects can lead to financial trouble for many contractors.
Understanding the Cost of Commercial Painting
There are several costs associated with commercial painting projects, so you can get a better result. For a better understanding of your commercial painting quote, you first need to understand these costs and how each will affect your overall paint quote.
Paint Costs
This is the most obvious cost as it is certain you need paint to complete your project. You will get the most quality materials possible from professional painting contractors.
Even though there is a premium on high-quality, long-lasting paints, your professional painter is likely to geta manufacturer and another discount that they can give to you.
Note that not all proposals are the same when looking into the quality of paint they proposed. Sometimes, when the proposal doesn’t even disclose the exact product to be used, this is a warning signal.
For example, there are low-level wall paints that cost $10 per gallon and top-quality paints that cost $80 a gallon and more. It is important to choose the best paint product for your property when checking several options.
Cost of Labor
This is the next thing considered by your commercial painter when providing you with a painting quote for your upcoming commercial painting project. A company that uses its workers and not subcontractors will have to consider their hours of labor, insurance, benefits, and taxes.
Regardless of how simple a job may be, paying workers is tougher. Also, when you are with your contractor for an estimate, they may discover defects in your commercial property which may need to be repaired. This and any other extra repair work to be done on your commercial building will be added to the cost.
Business cost
Each company charge for doing business. Reputable painting contractors offer warranties, insurance, and other assurance policy in place to make sure your project is quality enough. Include your painting contractor’s vehicles, as well as the maintenance cost for those vehicles as an important cost in their business.
Also, your painter must consider their own building’s lease, office workers, and other costs. We usually forget about costs for website maintenance, business cards, and advertising when obtaining painting or another service quote from a company, but those costs exist and are somehow added to ensure the company makes a profit.
Other Material Costs
Painting contractors need other materials alongside paint to complete a project. They need to get relevant and proper equipment to do a perfect job. Also, there are incidental items like tape, plastic, patching materials, sandpaper, and so on.
5 Steps for calculating the Commercial Painting Price
- Measure square feet, units, and linear feet carefully.
- Perform preparatory work and clean-up.
- Calculate the hours the project will take based on previous production rates.
- Multiply the hours by the hourly rate of the company.
- Calculate the quantity of paint based on their spreading rates. Include any rental painting equipment gotten for this particular job.
Wages of the painters and payroll contribution, desired net profit, and overhead expenses are all included in the hourly rates.
What is the Cost per Square Foot to Paint a Commercial Space?
We need to know that price-per-square-foot applies to walls being painted and not floor space. There is a common belief that estimation should be done using floor measurements.
Even though some customers and general contractors request for this, this doesn’t seem right. Different elements in each space need to be measured and counted.
What is the Cost to paint Average-Sized Offices?
Painting the walls based on the discussed pricing above costs $0.46/sq-ft, including labor and materials. A coat of paint for the room mentioned above will cost $206.
Remember that this figure is for reference purposes only, please refer to the following to get more accurate painting estimations:
- Multiply the measurements by two for an additional cost
- There are different pricing for doors and baseboards
- More labor time is required for furniture moving and wall repairs
- Custom work is when you request special coatings like dry erase whiteboard paint
There are large window walls in some offices that can be reduced from the cost.
What is the Average Square-Feet that a Professional Painter can paint in 1-Hour?
Considering the industry average as well as our own previous experience, it should take a professional painter one hour to paint about 150 sq-ft.
Assuming the wall surface of an office measures 14’ length and 14’ width, and 8’ ceiling height, the paintable surface is 448 sq-ft. It will take the painter three hours to complete the job based on the average discussed above.
How much does Labor Cost per Square Foot?
Painting contractors that focus on commercial painting charge between $50 and $65 per hour. If we take the hourly rate of $60/hour, the above work will cost a bit over $0.40 per hour on labor.
What is the Cost of Paint and Preparatory Supplies per Square Feet?
Aside from the cost of labor, paint, and/or primer and preparation supplies is the other project expenses. There are several and different quality of paints manufactured by different manufacturers.
Based on the substrate’s porosity as well as the quality of paint, about 300 to 450 sq-ft of the surface is covered by a gallon of paint. Prepare about $35/gallon for commercial paints like Ultraspec-500 by Benjamin Moore, and it covers 400 sq-ft of space. An average of $10 goes for prep supplies and sundries per an average-size office.
What is the Cost of Painting Doors and Trim?
The doors and trim are often painted separately from the walls. They are painted with semi-gloss or satin paint which protects the area from wear and tears better than wall paint. Painting the door gives you the chance to save money.
A lot of detailed work is required by trim painting and is costly. Painters don’t often measure the size of doors as many of them are of standard sizes and types. It is more practical to count and price them by the unit.
Baseboards located in offices are usually made of carpet or vinyl. In some cases, wood baseboards are used. You will also find different types of doors in offices, but the majority are painted the same way as residential grade doors.
Here are some sample prices of doors with frames:
- Flush (flat) Doors costs $60 to $70.
- Steel Doors cost $70 to $90.
- French Doors costs $180 to $200
- Raised panel doors $90 to $100
Some doors require more preparatory work than others, especially when they are getting damaged or peeling.
What is the Cost to Paint Boardrooms or Washrooms?
Now that you have basic knowledge of measuring for painting, you can use the same formula to estimate any room. Boardrooms are just larger rooms with a unique purpose.
We’ve had clients that requested that we apply an accent color on a focus wall. About 15% is added by accent color to the price of the room. Other customers request we paint a dry erase wall.
There are special instructions that come with whiteboard paint which is a special type of epoxy. Check if this service is available with your painting contractor. Washrooms are just smaller rooms but can be tough when painting.
Alongside the measurement of the walls, you also need to consider some things that would affect the painting cost. Make sure you ask your painting contractor about them.
- Washing and sometimes repair must be done
- The best and more durable paint is the glossier type
- Painting washrooms during work hours is difficult
- A strong enamel finish is required to paint the stall partitions.
Making sure that your Commercial Property is painted the Right Way
Different painting processes are used by different commercial painters; there are some tools, methods, and materials to complete the job. Ensure the painting company you are choosing is one that delivers customer’s expectations. You must research some things about the painting company before you hire them.
Make sure the commercial painter is very reliable. This can be done by checking its history of services. Also, check and find out if the painting company has the certification.
Do they have a license to paint? Check the painter’s website. Do they offer warranties or protection on service after completion? Check all these factors with the commercial painting contractor that you choose to hire.
You will have enough confidence to book them for your commercial painting project since you know they can deliver quality service as promised.
