Painting production rates: find your own

A rate chart is a guess with a decimal point. The rate that prices your jobs is the one your own crew hits. Below: what painters report, then a calculator for working out yours.

What painters report

Surface	Reported rate	Source
Walls, brush + roll, one painter	≈ 200 sq ft/hr	PaintTalk, “new work, straight shot”
Walls, brush + roll	150–175 typical, up to 200–225 experienced	PaintTalk replies
Walls, trim-heavy room	125–130 sq ft/hr	PaintTalk, a room with 6 windows and lots of trim
Walls, 2 coats, worked example	85 sq ft/hr (area ÷ hours, both coats)	PaintScout docs
Ceiling / baseboard, worked example	60 sq ft/hr · 25 lin ft/hr	PaintScout docs

The spread isn't sloppy data. Some numbers count one coat and some count both. Trim, ceiling height and furniture swing everything. PaintScout's 85 sq ft/hr and the forum's 200 can describe the same painter.

Find your rate

Example inputs PaintScout's worked case: 425 sq ft of walls, two coats, 5 hours. Replace with a job you've finished.

Area painted (sq ft) Coats Hours on this surface Painters

Getting a number you can trust

Use the units you quote in: sq ft for walls and ceilings, linear ft for trim, a count for doors and windows (Behr Pro, quoting Estimate Rocket).
Time it more than once, across people and jobs. A single run proves nothing (Behr Pro, quoting PaintScout).
It's not a race. Timing your fastest day locks you into it forever.
Prep goes in a separate line. Setup, cleanup and bad substrate aren't paint speed.

Sources

More for painters

Pricing jobs every week? See Sheenbid

Sheenbid: web app for solo painters. $39/mo, 14 days free, no card.