Price list Painting
How much to charge to paint trim and baseboard
Start from your own shop rate, not a national average. The True Rate kit's Price Book puts this task at 0.4–0.75 hours per 10 LF (0.5 h starter) plus $3 of supplies. At a $90 shop rate (the kit's worked example) that's a flat price of $50 per 10 LF, or $40–$75 across the typical range, before trip and minimum charges.
- Typical time
- 0.4–0.75 hours per 10 LF
- Kit starter
- 0.5 h per 10 LF
- Supplies
- $3 per 10 LF
- At $90/hr
- $50 per 10 LF
This task, priced
An estimate from the numbers above, not a quote. Materials and fixtures the customer picks (the faucet, the fan, the door) are billed separately, at your materials markup.
What gets left off this estimate
From the kit's "Did you forget?" list, the lines that apply to this job, and where the kit bills each one:
- Floor and furniture protection, dust control. Custom line, or raise the contingency.
- Consumables (caulk, screws, blades, tape, anchors). Make sure Supplies isn't $0 on tasks that use them.
- "While you're here…" extras. Don't do them free. Text a change order first (Get Paid Texts, #1).
Before you send the number
- Inspect trim for loose boards or warped sections; these can increase prep time.
- If you find extensive damage to the trim, stop and re-quote rather than extending the job.
Starting points, not a price list to copy
These numbers are the True Rate kit's starter hours and supplies for a solo tradesperson with a few years in, on an ordinary house. They are not industry data, a survey of what others charge, or a promise of how long the job takes you. Edit the hours for your market and your own speed: an old house, a seized nut or a fussy customer changes the job.
The $90 shop rate is only the kit's worked example ($2,870 a month overhead, $60,000 pay goal, 62% of hours billable, 20% margin). Your rate comes from your costs.
Does that include a trip charge or minimum?
No. The flat price is the task alone. In the kit's Price This Job sheet, a ticket with only this task adds a $35 trip charge, a 15% small-job buffer (the whole job is under 4 hours) and a 5% contingency, then brings it up to the $195 minimum job charge. At $90 an hour that's $195 for this task on its own. Those are the kit's starter settings; set your own.
Where do these hours come from?
They're the True Rate kit's starter hours for a solo tradesperson with a few years in, working on an ordinary house: tools out, work, clean up. Drive time isn't in them. They're not industry data or a survey of your market. Old houses and tight spaces take longer; log your real times and edit them.
Price the whole ticket, not one task
The True Rate kit is a spreadsheet that does this for all 80 jobs from your own rate, then adds materials, trip and minimum charges on one Price This Job sheet and shows the margin before you send the number. One-time $39, Google Sheets or Excel.