To price a paint job by voice, you walk the space and describe it out loud — room dimensions, surfaces, condition, prep, coats, and your price — and the app turns the recording into a reviewable estimate. Voice Estimate extracts the literal numbers you say and the server computes wall area from them; the language model never does the arithmetic, and the price is always the rate or lump sum you supply. The result is a clean estimate you can review and send before you leave the driveway.
Start with what changes the price
A useful paint estimate separates measurable area from the work that makes one square foot harder than another. Walk the room once, then dictate dimensions, surfaces, condition, prep, coats, finish, access, and any exclusions.
A voice script you can use
“Estimate the 12 by 14 living room with eight-foot walls. Paint all four walls, two coats. Patch six nail holes and one small drywall repair. Exclude the ceiling and trim. Labor is 650 dollars and paint is 180 dollars.”
Voice Estimate extracts the literal dimensions and prices. The server calculates wall area; it does not ask the language model to do arithmetic.
Worked example
12 × 14 ROOM · 8 FT WALLS
416 SQ FT
Gross wall area before openings: 2 × (12 + 14) × 8. Review doors, windows, coverage, coats, and waste before buying.
Common mistakes when dictating a paint estimate
- Dropping the units. “Twelve by fourteen” reads as a room, but a bare “nine” could be a wall length or a ceiling height. Say “feet” whenever a number could be read two ways.
- Leaving the price out. If you don’t speak a labor rate or a lump sum, the draft comes back with scope and wall area but nothing priced — the app won’t invent a number. Say it on-site or type it before sending.
- Not stating the coats. “Two coats” on the recording becomes a written assumption; left unsaid, it’s the first thing argued about on a color change.
- Skipping exclusions. “Exclude the ceiling and trim” is one sentence now and a dispute avoided later. If you’re not painting it, say so.
- Forgetting prep. Patching, sanding, and priming are where paint jobs make or lose money — dictate the patch count and any priming so it lands as its own scope, not a surprise.
- Recording next to the sprayer. Transcription tuned for trade terms still can’t hear through running equipment. Step away for the ten seconds it takes to say the numbers.
What to review before sending
- Exact surfaces included and excluded
- Prep level and responsibility for moving furniture
- Number of coats and color-change assumptions
- Labor and material prices you supplied
- Cleanup, protection, schedule, and estimate validity
FAQ
How do I estimate a paint job by the square foot?
Measure the walls you are painting — length times height for each, added up — and subtract large openings like doors and picture windows. That gross wall area drives materials and labor, but square footage alone does not set the price: prep, coats, height, and access do. With Voice Estimate you say the room dimensions out loud and the server computes the wall area from them; you supply the rate or lump sum.
Should I include primer as a separate line?
List it separately whenever primer is real scope the customer should see — bare drywall, big color changes, stain-blocking spot priming, or a full prime coat. A separate line makes the work visible and protects you if the surface needs more than one coat of primer. If you fold primer into your labor rate, say so in the scope so it is not read as excluded. Either way the price is yours; the app never adds a primer charge you did not state.
How many coats should I quote?
Two coats is the honest default for most repaints and nearly always for a color change; one coat only holds up on a like-color refresh in good condition. Quote the number you will actually apply and say it on the recording — "two coats" — so it lands on the estimate as a stated assumption instead of an argument later. If a deep or drastic color might need a third coat, note it as a possible change order rather than guessing the cost up front.