National Painting Cost Estimator - 36th Edition - Construction estimates, bids and invoices

Sep 12, 2026

National Painting Cost Estimator, 36th Edition, provides a practical system for compiling and printing professional construction estimates, bids, and invoices from a web browser through National Estimator Cloud. It includes 10 Craftsman cost databases and supports turning an estimate into a bid and a bid into a contract. The manual organizes painting cost guidance into structured sections covering general painting costs and preparation costs, enabling consistent cost estimating for diverse project components.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages51

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction - How to Use This Book

Part I - General Painting Costs

Baseboard

Beams

Bookcases and shelves

Cabinets

Ceilings

Closets

Corbels

Cutting-in

Decks

Doors

Fascia

Fence

Fireplaces

Firewood boxes

Floors

Garage door backs

Gutters & downspouts

High time difficulty factors

Mail box structures

Masonry

Molding

Overhangs

Pass-through shelves

Plant-on trim

Plaster or stucco

Pot shelves

Railings

Registers, HVAC

Roof jacks

Roofing

Sheet metal

Shutters or blinds

Siding

Stairs

Touchup, brush as required

Trellis or lattice

Valances for light fixtures

Walls

Window screen frames

Window seats

Window sills

Windows

Window conversion factors

Wine racks

Part II - Preparation Costs

Acid wash gutters & downspouts

Airblast, compressed air

Burn off paint

Caulk

Cut cracks

Fill wood floors

Putty, application

Sand

Sandblast

® 2026 $118.00 NATIONAL PAINTING COST ESTIMATOR Edited by Dennis Gleason, CPE 36th Edition This manual is also available as a Web app, National Estimator Cloud, that makes it easy to compile and print estimates, bids and invoices for nearly any type of construction project. Generate professional estimates from your internet browser. Includes 10 Craftsman cost databases. It’s never been easier. No disk and no download needed! Turn your estimate into a bid. Turn your bid into a contract. ConstructionContractWriter.com ® Craftsman Book Company 6058 Corte del Cedro, Carlsbad, CA 92011 The author thanks the following individuals and organizations for furnishing materials and information used in the preparation of various portions of this book. Howard Shahan, American Design Painting & Drywall, Poway, CA American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE), Wheaton, MD Benjamin Moore Paints, San Diego, CA Gordon H. Brevcort, Brevcort Consulting Associates, Ridgewood, NJ Luis Anguiano, CSI Paint, Napa, CA Scott Williams, CSI Paint, San Francisco, and Napa, CA John San Marcos, Devoe Coatings, San Diego Marine Hardware, San Diego, CA Ken Hogben, Dunn-Edwards Paints & Wallcovering, San Francisco, CA Randy Martin, Dunn-Edwards Paints & Wallcovering, La Mesa, CA Bob Langbein, East Bay Paint Center, Albany, CA Hugh Champeny, Kelly-Moore Paint Company, San Carlos, CA Eli Dominguez, Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Pleasant Hill, CA Dennis Cripe, R. W. Little Co, Inc., Sandblasting, San Diego, CA Chris Rago, Mark’s Paint Mart, Oakland, CA Bruce McMullan, McMullan & Son Painting, San Diego, CA Joe Garrigan, Mr. Paints, San Diego, CA PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh Paints, Torrance, CA Carlos Jeronimo, PPG Paints, Santa Clara, CA Keith Braswell, Rent-X, Pleasant Hill, CA Richardson Engineering Services, Inc. , Mesa, AZ Rust-Oleum Protective Coatings, Los Angeles, CA Squires-Belt Material Co., San Diego, CA Steel Structures Painting Council, Pittsburgh, PA John Meyer, U.S. Government, Department of the Navy, Public Works, San Diego, CA Miguel Govea, Vista Paint Centers, San Diego, CA Jerry Rittgarn, Waco-Arise Scaffolding & Equipment, San Diego, CA Mark Janson, Warehouse Paint, Auburn, CA ©2025 Craftsman Book Company ISBN 978-1-57218-411-4 ISSN 1092-6852 Published October 2025 for the year 2026 Introduction - How to Use This Book........ 5 Part I -General Painting Costs Baseboard .................................................... 43 Beams .......................................................... 45 Bookcases and shelves ............................... 48 Cabinets ....................................................... 52 Ceilings......................................................... 57 Closets ......................................................... 88 Corbels ......................................................... 92 Cutting-in ...................................................... 92 Decks ........................................................... 94 Doors ............................................................ 95 Fascia ......................................................... 118 Fence ......................................................... 123 Fireplaces ................................................... 127 Firewood boxes .......................................... 128 Floors ......................................................... 129 Garage door backs..................................... 137 Gutters & downspouts................................ 138 High time difficulty factors .......................... 139 Mail box structures ..................................... 140 Masonry...................................................... 140 Molding ....................................................... 153 Overhangs .................................................. 159 Pass-through shelves..............

FAQs

What is National Painting Cost Estimator used for?

It helps generate professional estimates for construction painting work, and supports producing bids and contracts from those estimates.

How does National Estimator Cloud work?

National Estimator Cloud lets users compile and print estimates directly from an internet browser without needing a disk or download.

What kinds of costs does the manual cover?

It separates content into Part I for general painting costs and Part II for preparation costs, with detailed entries for many building components.

Sep 12, 2026

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