Average Cost For Commercial Painting

I will be painting the exterior of a commercial building. Curious what the going rate is per sq ft? Not much prep other than the typical pressure washing.

Also, cost for additional trim work.

Thanks!!!

Sorry, I don't know of any average costs for any paint job. Every job is different, from the substrate to production times, to materials, its all different. And if you are trying to bid just by using sq ft or someone else's rates, you're liable to lose your ass.

thanks for the reply.. but there has to be a formula to charge on a sq ft basis just to blow paint...

where is it? How high is it? what is the substrate, or what is the material you will be coveing? what material will you be using? You just want a labor rate?

Yeah, I agree there is a formula for it, but only you know what that number is that will work for you.

For example, bare concrete, 20 ft high, using a sprayer, off a motorized lift, will take you A hours. Your hourly rate is B.
So A X B equals a total labor price. Divide that by sq ft, and there is your per sq ft price formula.

BUT

Another example, bare concrete, 20 ft high, using a sprayer, off ladders/planks. This will take you a lot more time. So now your manhours will be C, times your hourly rate of B, divided by the sq ft, and you just got a different per sq ft price.

Now change the substrate to corrugated steel, or wood, or whatever, and everything changes again.

So, if you don't know what your A or C are, then any formula won't work for you. You use someone else's formula/numbers, you might make money, or you might not. Its a crap shoot at best. I think it's called the WAG method by some.

It is a large concrete wharehouse. No prep work. Has a base coat from previous paint job. 100ft wide x 200 long x 20ft high. Job is in Orange County Ca. 12,000 sq ft of surface.

thanks

So take the manhours it will take you to complete the project, times it by your hourly rate, and divide it by 12,000 sq ft, and there is your sq ft price. (For labor only)

Can you post a pic of the project?

12,000Sf I would say 100sf per hour per man to quote a slower rate and to complete for one man would be 120 hours x 2 coats 240 hours.
$65 per hour.
Labor with profit mixed in would be $15,600

The figure materials
12,000 SF using Sherwin williams Conflex 60 sf gallon 400 gallons for two coats. About 12,000 dollars and add $2,400 for 20% markup..

Total $30,000

On this with my men I would make after taxes, wc, ins: $13,200 for about 8 Days. Ofcoarse this is what I want to make on this type of job and would get it at this price after I sold it. I am sure super duper painters here would charge several bucks a sf, but thats what they need I guess. Tweak it how you want.