A complete wall painting estimator — combines paint, primer, putty, and labour into one total cost for your project. Enter your own coverage rates and prices, since they vary by product, brand, and location.
Use the Paint Quantity Calculator or Wall Area Calculator to work this out first if needed.
Paint
Primer
Putty
How to Use This Calculator
Enter your paintable area.
Fill in coverage, coats, and price for paint, primer, and putty — these vary by product, so use your own supplier's figures.
Set a wastage % and your labour rate, then click "Calculate" for the full cost breakdown.
How the Estimate Is Built
Paint (L) = area × coats ÷ coverage, then increased by the wastage %.
Primer (L) = area × primer coats ÷ primer coverage, plus wastage.
Putty (kg) = area × consumption ÷ 10, plus wastage.
Material cost = each quantity × its price, added together.
Labour cost = area × labour rate. Wastage is not applied to labour.
Total cost = material + labour, and cost per sq.ft = total ÷ area.
Quantities are worked out on exact decimals and are not rounded up to pack sizes, so your actual purchase will usually cost slightly more than the material figure shown.
Worked Example: 650 sq.ft With the Default Inputs
The form opens with 650 sq.ft, two coats of paint at 100 sq.ft/L and ₹350/L, one coat of primer at 120 sq.ft/L and ₹150/L, putty at 1.5 kg per 10 sq.ft and ₹25/kg, 10% wastage and labour at ₹12/sq.ft. These are sample numbers only; replace them with your own quotes.
Item
Working
Quantity
Cost
Paint
650 × 2 ÷ 100 × 1.1
14.3 L
₹5,005
Primer
650 × 1 ÷ 120 × 1.1
5.96 L
₹894
Putty
650 × 1.5 ÷ 10 × 1.1
107.25 kg
₹2,681
Labour Cost
650 × 12
—
₹7,800
Total Cost
Material ₹8,580 + labour ₹7,800
₹16,380
That works out to ₹25.20 per sq.ft. Notice that labour is nearly half of the total, and putty, though cheap per kilogram, costs more than primer because so much of it is used.
Adjusting for Fresh Painting vs Repainting
New plaster usually needs the full system of primer, putty and two or more coats of paint. A repaint on sound walls in good condition may need no putty at all and only touch-up priming. The putty and primer fields cannot be left at zero, so to leave an item out of the estimate, set its price to 0. In the example above, removing putty and primer cost brings the total down to ₹12,805, or ₹19.70 per sq.ft.
Run interior and exterior walls as separate estimates. Exterior emulsions, primers and labour are priced differently, and exterior work may need scaffolding, which is not part of this calculation.
Costs This Estimate Leaves Out
Enamel or wood finish on doors, windows and grills, which is measured and priced separately.
Waterproofing or damp treatment, crack repair and replastering.
Sundries such as sandpaper, masking tape, drop sheets, rollers and brushes.
GST on a contractor's invoice, if they are registered and the material and labour are billed together. Ask whether the quote is inclusive or exclusive of tax.
Frequently Asked Questions
Total Cost = Material Cost (paint + primer + putty, each with wastage added) + Labour Cost (area × your labour rate per sq.ft).
Coverage varies with paint type, surface, application method, and manufacturer, and prices vary by brand and location — there's no single correct default, so entering your own figures gives a far more reliable estimate.
Leave the consumption at any positive number and set the putty price to ₹0. The putty quantity will still appear, but it will add nothing to the material or total cost. The same approach works for primer.
A painter's rate is often for labour only, or for labour plus a basic paint. This tool adds paint, primer, putty and labour together, so its cost per sq.ft covers the complete job. Compare like with like by asking what the quoted rate includes.
Include it if the ceiling is being painted with the same products. If the ceiling uses a cheaper ceiling paint or a different number of coats, run it as a separate estimate and add the two totals.