Question 1

How do I estimate a paint job from blueprints?

Accepted Answer

Take off the surfaces first, then price them. Upload the PDF, set the scale, and measure wall runs, ceilings, trim and openings room by room, one layer per room or unit. MetreMate gives you the square feet, linear feet and counts off the plans, then you apply your coats, coverage and production rates to build your bid.

Question 2

How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?

Accepted Answer

Typically 350 to 400 sq ft per gallon per coat on smooth primed surfaces, and less on texture or bare drywall. Check the can for your product. For 1,600 sq ft of wall, two coats at 350 sq ft per gallon is 1,600 x 2 / 350 = 9.1 gallons, so buy 10. MetreMate gives you the square feet, then you apply the coverage.

Question 3

How do I get wall square footage from a floor plan?

Accepted Answer

Multiply wall length by wall height. Run Measure along each wall on the floor plan to get linear feet, then take the ceiling height from the sections or the finish schedule. For example, 200 LF of wall at 8 ft high is 200 x 8 = 1,600 sq ft. Keep rooms on separate layers so a 9 ft room never gets priced at 8 ft.

Question 4

Should I deduct doors and windows?

Accepted Answer

That is your call, and painting contractors do it different ways. Some deduct every opening, some deduct only large ones like sliders and garage doors, and some deduct nothing and let the extra cover cutting in. Whatever your rule, count the openings. MetreMate gives you door and window counts off the plan, then you apply your rule the same way on every bid.

Question 5

Can I measure exterior elevations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Open the elevation sheet, set its scale, and trace each wall face with Area for square feet. Measure fascia and trim in linear feet and count doors and windows. For accuracy, calibrate off a known dimension on that sheet, because elevations are often at a different scale than the floor plan, and a PDF shrunk to 11 x 17 no longer matches its printed scale.

Question 6

Is it free to try?

Accepted Answer

Yes. There is a free plan, and you do not need a credit card to start. MetreMate runs in any modern browser on a Windows or Mac computer, so there is nothing to install. Upload a PDF of a real job, take off a few rooms, and compare the numbers with your last bid. A 7-day trial of the paid plans is also available.

Wall and ceiling square footage for paint bids

The slow way, or the smart way

Everything you can measure off the plan

Lengths in linear feet

Areas in sq ft

Perimeters

Counts

How painting contractors use MetreMate

Wall square footage from linear feet

Ceilings and trim

Doors, windows and gallons

More than measuring

Auto Scale

Manual Scaling

Auto Snap

Layers Manager

Print & Share

Project Organizer

Questions painting contractors ask

MetreMate works for every trade

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