Paint walls and ceilings (emulsion): calculator for UK builders
Answer the measurements this calculation needs and JobBosh works out the materials with wastage and pack rounding, the labour hours by role, the plant, the waste and the site needs - then prices them from your own figures, a supplier's quotation or a dated price you record. Free, no account needed to start.
What it works out
- Material: Matt emulsion for walls and ceilings; Decorating sundries (filler, masking tape, sleeves, sandpaper, dust sheets)
- Labour: Preparation and protection; Apply 2 coat(s) of emulsion
- Waste: Decorating waste (packaging, masking, sheets, tins)
The questions it asks
| Question | Unit / choices | Required? | Help |
|---|---|---|---|
| How many rooms? | nr | required | Each room's size is asked next; enter an average if they are alike. |
| Room length (average) | m | required | |
| Room width (average) | m | required | |
| Ceiling height | m | optional - default 2.4 (labelled assumed) | 2.4 m is typical for a modern house; older houses are often 2.6-2.9 m. |
| Paint the ceilings too? | yes / no | optional - default yes (labelled assumed) | |
| Doors and windows to deduct (total area) | m2 | optional - default 4 (labelled assumed) | A door is about 1.6 m2, a window 1-2 m2. The deduction is per room. |
| Coats of finish | nr | optional - default 2 (labelled assumed) | |
| Condition of the surfaces | one of: sound, filling and sanding, heavy prep | optional - default sound (labelled assumed) | |
| Bare plaster needing a mist coat? | yes / no | optional - default no (labelled assumed) | |
| Is the property furnished / occupied? | yes / no | optional - default yes (labelled assumed) |
The norms behind it, with their sources
Coverage, productivity and wastage defaults you can edit; each carries where it comes from and is shown as assumed until your own benchmark replaces it.
| Norm | Value | Source | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emulsion coverage per litre per coat | 12 m2/L | typical manufacturer data-sheet figure for matt emulsion on smooth plaster; check the tin | assumed |
| Mist-coat coverage (thinned emulsion on bare plaster) | 8 m2/L | typical trade practice; thinned 20-30 % water | assumed |
| Trade emulsion tin size | 10 L | common trade tin | assumed |
| Roller application rate per coat | 0.08 hr/m2 | trade practice: ~12 m2 an hour rolled, cutting-in included; edit to your own rate | assumed |
| Light prep per room (wash, fill nail holes, mask) | 0.5 hr/room | trade practice | assumed |
| Filling and sanding per room | 2 hr/room | trade practice | assumed |
| Heavy prep per room (lining paper off, make good) | 5 hr/room | trade practice | assumed |
| Sheeting furniture and floors per occupied room | 0.75 hr/room | trade practice | assumed |
| Packaging, masking, dust sheets, empty tins per room | 0.05 m3/room | trade practice | assumed |
A worked example
Answers used: How many rooms? 2 nr; Room length (average) 4 m; Room width (average) 4 m; Ceiling height 2.4 m; Paint the ceilings too? yes; Doors and windows to deduct (total area) 4 m2; Coats of finish 2 nr; Condition of the surfaces sound; Bare plaster needing a mist coat? no; Is the property furnished / occupied? yes. These are the recipe's own quantities for those answers - the prices are yours, the supplier's or a quotation's, never a figure typed on a web page.
| Kind | Line | Quantity | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|---|
| material | Matt emulsion for walls and ceilings | 17.64 L 2 x tin - 10 L tins | (34.40 m2 walls + 16.00 m2 ceiling) x 2 rooms x 2 coats / 12 m2 per litre, +5 % wastage, rounded up to whole tins |
| material | Decorating sundries (filler, masking tape, sleeves, sandpaper, dust sheets) | 2 item | 1 set per room x 2 |
| labour | Preparation and protection | 2.5 hr | 2 rooms x 0.5 h prep + 2 x 0.75 h protection |
| labour | Apply 2 coat(s) of emulsion | 16.13 hr | 100.80 m2 x 2 coats x 0.08 h/m2 |
| waste | Decorating waste (packaging, masking, sheets, tins) | 0.1 m3 | 2 rooms x 0.05 m3 |
Labour on this example: about 18.63 hours across the roles; at your rates it becomes money.
Site questions this work raises: Protection and cleanliness, Utilities and welfare, Parking and traffic, Waste.
Paintable area 100.80 m2 over 2 room(s); 2 coat(s).
Then what
Price the lines from your crew rates and your material prices (each with its source and date), answer the site questions (parking, skip, welfare, power, water, protection), let JobBosh draft the supplier enquiries you approve, and issue a branded quotation your customer accepts on a secure link. Guest work is kept for 14 days; a free account keeps it for good.