How we estimate
Every number the estimator shows comes from the tables on this page, applied to your answers. The AI writes the explanation; it never touches the maths.
Four principles
- Deterministic. Same answers, same range, every time. The estimate is computed in your browser from rate tables version 2026.09. The explanation and the follow-up answers are assembled by a rule-based writing engine from your answers, these tables and our guides. There is no language model, no server and nothing that can drift.
- Ranges, not fake precision. Painting prices move with prep and access, which nobody can know without seeing the surfaces. We show a low and a high and round to the nearest $50.
- Private by design. Nothing you enter leaves your browser. The whole tool, maths and words, ships with the page.
- Toronto specific. The tables reflect a professional, insured Toronto crew, and the area factor nudges for downtown parking and access or GTA suburbs.
- No invented statistics. Nothing here is an "average Toronto price". These are working assumptions we publish so you can check any quote against them.
Interior rate table
Labour and standard prep (filling nail holes, light sanding, caulking, floor and furniture protection), two finish coats, per unit of painted surface. Paint is priced separately below. All prices CAD before 13% HST.
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Walls | $1.40 to $2.20 per sq ft of wall area |
| Ceilings | $1.30 to $2 per sq ft of ceiling area |
| Trim, baseboard, casing, crown | $2 to $3.50 per linear ft |
| Doors (both faces, frame and casing) | $150 to $250 per door |
| Windows (casing and sill) | $60 to $110 per window |
| Closet interiors | $120 to $220 per closet |
| Staircase (spindles, stringers, rails) | $600 to $1200 per staircase |
| Minimum booking | $450 |
How answers become surface area
- Wall area = floor area x 2.65 (a typical 12 by 12 room at 8 ft ceilings), scaled for taller ceilings, less 12% for doors and windows.
- Ceiling area = floor area.
- Trim = 0.35 linear ft of baseboard and casing per sq ft of floor.
- When you count rooms instead of measuring: small 100 sq ft, medium 150 sq ft, large 220 sq ft, open plan 400 sq ft, with 1.5 doors and 1.2 windows per room.
Interior multipliers
Ceiling height (applied to walls and ceilings)
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| 8 ft (standard) | x 1.00 |
| 9 ft | x 1.10 |
| 10 ft | x 1.22 |
| Over 10 ft, vaulted or stairwell | x 1.40 |
Condition (shown as its own prep line)
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Good: clean, a few nail holes | x 1.00 |
| Fair: some patching, scuffs, small cracks | x 1.10 |
| Poor: cracks, water stains, heavy patching | x 1.25 |
| Wallpaper to remove or damaged plaster | x 1.45 |
Colour change (a drastic change budgets a third coat)
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Same or similar colour | x 1.00 |
| Noticeable change, similar depth | x 1.08 |
| Dark to light or light to dark (extra coat) | x 1.18 |
| Mostly same, one or two accent walls | x 1.06 |
Occupancy
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Empty or nearly empty | x 1.00 |
| Furnished, crew moves and covers furniture | x 1.08 |
| Lived in with kids, pets or work from home | x 1.12 |
Property type
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Detached house | x 1.00 |
| Semi or townhouse | x 1.00 |
| Condo or apartment (elevator booking, building hours) | x 1.06 |
| Basement apartment | x 1.00 |
Exterior rate table
Per square foot of exterior wall area, two coats of exterior acrylic over a washed, scraped and spot-primed surface.
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | $1.75 to $2.75 per sq ft |
| Aluminum siding | $2 to $3 per sq ft |
| Wood or cedar siding | $2.50 to $4 per sq ft |
| Stucco | $2.25 to $3.50 per sq ft |
| Brick (masonry paint or stain) | $3 to $4.50 per sq ft |
| Fibre cement board | $2 to $3 per sq ft |
| Soffit, fascia and eaves trim | $3 to $5 per linear ft |
| Window trim | $60 to $120 per window |
| Front door | $250 to $450 per door |
| Garage door | $300 to $550 per single garage door |
| Porch or deck | $500 to $1500 per porch or deck (stain or paint) |
| Fence | $6 to $12 per linear ft, both sides |
How the footprint becomes wall area
- Perimeter = 4 x the square root of the footprint x 1.1 (real houses are not perfect squares).
- Wall area = perimeter x 9.5 ft per storey x storeys, less 18% for openings.
- Trim = 1.4 linear ft per ft of perimeter.
- Footprint presets: small 700 sq ft, medium 1,000 sq ft, large 1,500 sq ft, very large 2,200 sq ft.
Exterior multipliers
Storeys
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| One storey | x 1.00 |
| Two storeys | x 1.15 |
| Three storeys | x 1.35 |
Condition
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Good: sound paint, a wash and light sand | x 1.00 |
| Some peeling or chalking to scrape and prime | x 1.20 |
| Heavy peeling, bare wood or repairs | x 1.45 |
Access
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Open lot, ladders reach everything | x 1.00 |
| Tight side yards or fences (typical Toronto semi) | x 1.10 |
| Needs scaffolding or a lift | x 1.25 |
Season
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| May to September | x 1.00 |
| April or October (weather permitting) | x 0.95 |
Cabinet refinishing
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Per door or drawer front (sprayed, both sides, includes materials) | $95 to $160 |
| Boxes and face frames, whole kitchen | $600 to $1200 |
| Small kitchen or bathroom (about 18 fronts) | 18 fronts |
| Medium kitchen (about 28 fronts) | 28 fronts |
| Large kitchen (about 40 fronts) | 40 fronts |
| Very large or with island and pantry (about 55 fronts) | 55 fronts |
Material
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Painted or stained wood, MDF | x 1.00 |
| Laminate or thermofoil (bonding primer) | x 1.15 |
| Oak with open grain to fill | x 1.12 |
Finish
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Brush and roll finish | x 0.90 |
| Sprayed finish (smoothest) | x 1.00 |
Colour change
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Similar depth of colour | x 1.00 |
| Dark to white or white to dark | x 1.12 |
Paint and materials
Retail price per 3.78 L can. Coverage 350 sq ft per coat per can inside and 300 outside. Sundries (tape, plastic, filler, caulk, rollers) add 8% of the paint cost.
| Grade | Price |
|---|---|
| Contractor grade (Behr Premium Plus, Dulux Diamond) | $45 to $65 per can |
| Premium (Benjamin Moore Regal, Sherwin-Williams Emerald) | $70 to $95 per can |
| Designer (Benjamin Moore Aura, Farrow and Ball) | $110 to $140 per can |
| Primer | $35 to $55 per can |
Location and timing
| Postal code area | Factor |
|---|---|
| Downtown and central Toronto (M4, M5, M6) | x 1.06 |
| Rest of Toronto (M1, M2, M3, M8, M9) | x 1.00 |
| GTA outside Toronto (L postal codes) | x 0.97 |
| Answer | Factor |
|---|---|
| Within two weeks | x 1.10 |
| Within one to two months | x 1.00 |
| Flexible, happy to wait for a gap | x 0.95 |
Schedule assumptions
A painter finishes about 900 sq ft of wall and ceiling per day inside (two coats) and 600 outside, or about 12 cabinet fronts. The typical crew is 2.
The confidence indicator
High means you gave measurements and a condition. Each answer that falls back to a typical value (room counts instead of square footage, a footprint preset, an unknown siding) lowers it one step. Low is still a useful ballpark, but expect a site visit to move the number.
What is never in the estimate
- Wallpaper removal beyond the condition factor, popcorn ceiling removal, plaster restoration, rotten wood, masonry repair, eavestroughs, lead paint abatement.
- HST (shown separately on the card).
- Anything a painter could only price after seeing it.
From estimate to quote
The estimator gets you a realistic range so you can budget and sanity-check quotes. For an exact price, a painter has to walk the job. All Painting is the Toronto contractor we recommend; the result card links straight to their contact page.
Change log
- v2026.09: first public tables.