Your business should charge enough to cover the work, payment fees and the profit you want to keep. Start with your costs; use square footage to express the price after those numbers work.
This is not a homeowner cost survey. Every dollar example below is illustrative, not a national average or a suggested market rate.
Price a job with your own costs →
How much should my business charge?
A competitor’s rate leaves out the assumptions behind it. Their equipment, labor cost, drive time, scope and minimum charge may differ from yours. Even the same area and selling price can produce very different results.
| Entered economics | Business A | Business B |
|---|---|---|
| Job cost before processing | $200 | $240 |
| Processing at 3% | $9 | $9 |
| Profit after entered costs | $91 | $51 |
| Actual margin | 30.3% | 17.0% |
Both quoted $0.30 per sq ft. Only one reached a 30% margin. Check the economics behind a square-foot rate before adopting it.
Follow seven steps for the job in front of you
- Estimate labor. Count setup, washing, rinsing and pack-up. Multiply hours by crew size and the cost of each worker’s time, including your own.
- Add direct job costs. Include chemicals, equipment wear, fuel, travel and other expenses specific to this work. Avoid counting fuel twice.
- Allocate overhead. Assign a share of insurance, software, advertising, phone and storage. Use a consistent method that does not duplicate direct expenses.
- Allow for payment fees. Percentage processing fees apply to the customer’s payment. Include that percentage in the revenue formula below.
- Apply target margin. Decide what share of revenue should remain after the costs and fees you entered.
- Respect your minimum. Compare the margin price with your smallest worthwhile service call. The main calculator protects that floor even after a discount.
- Adjust for actual scope. Difficult access or stains may require more time or materials. Revise those inputs and recalculate before agreeing to the price.
Example: turn $200 of costs into a quote
Assume $200 in total job costs, a 3% processing fee and a 30% target margin. These are example inputs, not recommended rates.
At that price, the processing fee is about $8.96 and profit is about $89.55. If your minimum is $350, quote at least $350 for the entered scope. If the customer asks for a 10% discount, the calculator holds the final price at that $350 floor.
Work out your own minimum service charge, then use the job pricing calculator to combine it with job costs.
Agree on the work as well as the price
Specify service, surfaces, area, access, selected stain treatments, exclusions and expected time. Confirm applicable tax and payment terms separately. Use the estimate tool to prepare a scope-and-price customer copy, or copy a blank quote template into your own document.
After the job, compare your estimated hours and materials with actual use. For a repeatable process across jobs, follow the contractor pricing guide.