The Perfectly Painted House

A Foolproof Guide For Choosing Exterior Paint Colors

Bonnie Rosser krims

The best way to assess a contractor’s estimate is to approximate one yourself . Whether you do your own work or not, you should estimate the amount of time and materials needed. Use these simple guidelines:

Calculating The Size Of your House
Calculating The Size Of your House

Step 1: Calculate the size of the house

1. Measure the width of the house.Run a tape measure along the base
2. Measure the height of the house.To measure the height of a two- story house, pick a point about half way up, measure to that point, then double the result.
3. Calculate the square footage of the house.You don’t need to make deductions for doors, as there are only a few. Use common sense to deduct footage for windows. Make adjustments for large surfaces on the house not to be painted.

Step 2: Estimate Time.

Aside from the actual painting, you need to include time for daily setup, cleanup, breaks, meals, runs to store for materials, and weather interruptions.

House bodyfor a painter to roll and brush smooth siding(e.g., clapboard) on a house:
for a painter to roll and brush a medium- textured stucco wall:
for a painter to roll and brush shingles:		100-150 square feet(30.5-45.7 m)/hour
200 square feet (61 m)/hour
80-125 square feet (24.4-38.1 m)/hour
Windows
calculated by the number of panes, or lights, of glass		ordinary sash window:(1 light over 1 light):
ordinary sash window:(6 light over 1 light):
ordinary sash window:(12 light):		20 minutes
40 minutes
60 minutes
Doors
standard sizes		plain:
paneled:
louvered:		15 minutes
45 minutes
45 minutes
Miscellaneouslouvered shutters,
2 feet by 4 feet (.6 m by 1.2 m)
(both sides):
simple wrought-railing:
decorated wrought-iron railing:
simple wooden railing:
wide eaves:		45 minutes
20 linear feet (6.1 m)/hour
100 linear feet (3 m )/hour
15 linear feet (4.6 m)/hour
50 linear feet (15.2 m)/hour

Step 3: Estimate materials.

Calculating The Size Of your House
Calculating The Size Of your House

Paint coverage depends on the porosity of the surface it is deposited on. obviously, unpainted plaster is more porous than primed wood. The following figures are for a surface of average porosity.


acrylic(latex) paint(square yards/ square meter)
primer/ undercoat: 55(46 sq. m)
Paint finish coat : 82(69 sq.m)
masonry paint(smooth surface): 65(54 sq.m)
masonry paint(rough surface): 22(18 sq.m)
wood stain : 110 (92 sq.m)



oil- based(alkyd) paint(square yards/ square meter)
primer :110992 sq.m)
Undercoat :82(69 sq.m)
Paint finish coat :92(76 sq.m)
oil :65954 sq.m)
wood preservative :55( 46 sq.m)
varnish :87 (73 sq. m)
wood stain :120 (100 sq. m)

Continue reading on Budgeting the Painting Contract

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