2009 National Painting Cost Estimator
Complete Guide to Estimating Painting Costs
for Residential, Commercial or Industrial Jobs

A complete guide to estimating painting costs for just about any type of residential, commercial, or industrial painting, whether by brush, spray, or roller. Shows typical costs and bid prices for fast, medium, and slow work, including material costs per gallon; square feet covered per gallon; square feet covered per manhour; labor, material, overhead, and taxes per 100 square feet; and how much to add for profit.

Includes a CD-ROM with an electronic version of the book with National Estimator, a stand-alone Windows estimating program, plus an interactive multimedia video that shows how to use the disk to compile construction cost estimates. Revised annually

Cost Estimates and Bid Prices for Surface Prep and Painting on Any Job - Brush, Roll or Spray

This is the most complete, authoritative and reliable unit cost guide ever made available to paint estimators. No matter what types of work you estimate, no matter what your costs are, this book will help you produce consistently reliable painting estimates in dollars and cents.

The most accurate paint estimates are always custom-made for a particular job. That's because no single material cost, no man hour estimate, no pricing system fits all work and all bidders. Your estimates have to be based on your actual productivity rate, your material costs, labor costs, overhead percentage and profit expectations.

Here you have accurate estimates for coating any common surface with any type of paint, whether application is by brush, spray, roller or mitt:

• Manhours per 100 square feet or 100 linear feet whether the job is new construction or custom repaint.
• Material coverage rates that apply whether the job is new construction or custom repainting.
• Material costs that reflect the discount you expect to receive.
• The labor cost per 100 square feet or linear feet, no matter what hourly wage you pay and no matter what your overhead percentage.
• The profit margin to include (based on your own profit goals).

This book isn't a substitute for judgment. It's not a simple way to do in minutes what an experienced paint estimator might not be able to do in hours. But this book is the best guide you'll ever find if you have to estimate any type of painting, whether residential, industrial, commercial or institutional.

Dennis D. Gleason brings 15 years of painting business experience to this manual, having worked as a painter, field superintendent, estimator, contract administrator, project manager and director of marketing. After earning the title Certified Professional Estimator from the ASPE (American Society of Professional Estimators), he taught estimating for the Associated Builders & Contractors and lectured at San Diego State University, where he earned his degree.

Free Estimating Disk Enclosed

Inside the back cover of this book you'll find National Estimator, a CD-ROM with all the cost estimates in the book plus an easy-to-use estimating program for Windows™. National Estimator works just like a book. Page through the entire book one screen at a time or use the electronic index to search (in seconds) for what you need. Then select the cost estimates you want and copy them to your estimate with the touch of a key. It's quick and easy (costs are extended and columns totaled automatically). And you can change any price or quantity, including subtotals, and add the markup of your choice.

Monthly price updates on the Web are FREE and automatic all during 2009

Job Cost Wizard

• Turns estimates into invoices and exports to QuickBooks Pro.
• Export entire estimates or invoices to track job costs for each item or category in your estimate. Then compare estimated and actual costs for each part of any job. Handles progressive billing (invoices for each phase of the job) with QuickBooks Pro. Requires Win 98 or higher.

Included with National Estimator CD-ROM:

• Job Cost Wizard – turns estimates into invoices and exports both in QuickBooks
• Free Online Technical Support – for the National Estimator Software
• Free Monthly National Estimator Updates – Updates to the 2009 costbooks and zip code modification factors are updated monthly. Monthly price updates on the Web are free and automatic all during 2009. You'll be prompted when it's time to collect the next update. A connection to the Web is required.