For waterproofing and coating contractors
Waterproofing and coatings estimating services
Dampproofing, water repellents, epoxy linings and steel coatings measured by structure and by system, with steel surface area worked out member by member.
- Area by structure and system
- Steel area by section
- 24 to 48 hours
In short
What waterproofing and coatings estimating covers
Waterproofing and coatings estimating is the takeoff and pricing of the membranes and coatings that protect concrete, masonry and steel: dampproofing and waterproofing below grade, water repellents on exposed walls, epoxy linings on concrete, and high-performance coatings on structural steel. Surfaces are measured in square feet by structure and by coating system, with steel area calculated from each section's size and length. MassBid Estimation prepares waterproofing and coating takeoffs and estimates for waterproofing, coating and painting contractors and general contractors, typically in 24 to 48 hours.
- Scope
- Dampproofing, waterproofing, water repellents, epoxy concrete coatings, structural steel and deck coatings
- CSI section
- 07 10 00 dampproofing and waterproofing, 07 19 00 water repellents, 09 96 00 high-performance coatings
- You send
- Plans, sections, structural framing plans, the coating schedule, specs and addenda
- You get
- A priced workbook by coating system and structure, with drawing references on every line
- Turnaround
- 24 to 48 hours on most projects
- Checked by
- A separate QA team, twice on every job
- Coverage
- All 50 states, priced to the project's ZIP code
- Quote
- Free, usually back in about 20 minutes
Tuesday · 9:40 AM
The coating schedule has nine systems. The drawings show concrete and steel, not which system goes where.
Coating work is specified by system: an epoxy lining here, a water repellent there, two coats of epoxy with a polyurethane finish on the steel. The drawings do not shade those systems in. They have to be assigned, surface by surface, from the schedule and the exposure of each structure.
Then the surfaces have to be measured. Concrete walls are length times height. Steel is harder: a beam's paintable area depends on its section, and a framing plan gives only its length.
Four ways a waterproofing or coatings bid loses money
01 · The steel
Steel coating priced by the ton
Light sections have far more surface per ton than heavy ones. A price per ton underprices small beams and deck.
What changes
Each section's surface area is calculated from its size and length, and deck is measured by area.
02 · The systems
One coating price for every surface
A water repellent, an immersion-grade epoxy and a steel topcoat differ several times over in material and labor.
What changes
Each surface is assigned its system from the coating schedule and priced on its own line.
03 · The structures
Tanks and below-grade walls measured in plan
Interior tank walls, both faces of a wall and floors are easy to miss when a structure is measured from one drawing.
What changes
Each structure is taken off from plans and sections, interior and exterior faces separately.
04 · The extras
Touch-up, piping and equipment forgotten
Shop primer touch-up, exposed piping, conduit and equipment are in the specification, not on a drawing.
What changes
They are carried as stated allowances so they are visible and adjustable.
Then and now
What has changed in waterproofing and coatings estimating
Coatings used to be priced by the gallon and the day. Four things have changed the takeoff.
Systems are specified by exposure
Specifications define coating systems by service condition, and each structure has to be matched to one.
Inspection and film thickness
Dry-film thickness and surface preparation are inspected, so coats and coverage have to be estimated honestly.
Material prices
Epoxy and urethane prices have risen and moved, so area by system has to stand apart from the price.
Infrastructure work
Treatment plants and public works carry large coating packages bid on their own, with alternates.
A real coatings estimate
Sample waterproofing and coatings estimate pages
Pages from one finished estimate: a wastewater treatment plant in California. This job was delivered as a priced workbook, so the samples are estimate sheets, not marked-up drawings. Client and project names are removed; the quantities and costs are as delivered. Click any page to enlarge.
Dampproofing and repellent
Dampproofing and water repellent, structure by structure
Protects you fromStructures lumped into one area.
Steel coating
Structural steel coating, with area by steel section
Protects you fromSteel coating priced by the ton.
Epoxy on concrete
Epoxy coating on concrete walls and tank interiors
Protects you fromTank interiors nobody measured.
Every estimate is built to the client's own specification, so yours may be laid out differently. To see a past project in your own trade, ask for an example. Examples are finished work for other projects, not an estimate of yours; for pricing on your own job, send the drawings for a free quote.
A real coatings estimate
Waterproofing and coatings cost breakdown for a treatment plant
Section totals from one finished estimate: the coating and waterproofing package for a wastewater treatment plant in California.
Trade cost came to $1,362,902 and the suggested bid to $1,707,034. Water repellent on 45,102 square feet of concrete and masonry was the largest section, at $11.00 per square foot of material and labor with waste. Epoxy on concrete was priced the same, and steel coating at $8.86. A bid alternate for one canopy's steel was priced separately at $52,021.
Figures are from the delivered estimate, labor plus material, rounded to the dollar. Unit prices are per square foot of quantity including 10% waste. They are specific to that project and are not a price guide.
Real jobs, not a price list. Each figure comes from one project, priced for its own ZIP code and that client's wages, overhead and profit. Prices change by region and over time. Yours will be priced for your location.
| Item | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Water repellent on concrete and CMU walls | 45,102 SF | $545,730 |
| Structural steel and metal deck coating | $392,923 | |
| Epoxy coating on concrete | 28,949 SF | $350,278 |
| Shop primer touch-up and other coatings | $36,446 | |
| Architectural painting | 3,979 SF | $20,532 |
| Piping, conduit and equipment, allowance | $11,786 | |
| Dampproofing at manholes and hand holes | 3,506 SF | $5,206 |
| Coating and waterproofing trade cost | $1,362,902 |
Building somewhere else? See figures from jobs in Texas, California, Florida and other service areas.
Full sample
Read a full sample, page by page
Waterproofing and coatings, from a finished job: a wastewater treatment plant in California. Open it full screen, scroll through all 7 pages and zoom in on any line.
This is one real job, shown as an example. It was built to that client's own specification: their wage rates, labor style, type of pricing, and overhead and profit. Prices also change by region and over time, so yours will be priced for your location.
Want a current sample in your own trade or specialty, or have a question? Use the contact form, email [email protected] or call (832) 356-4237.
Who it is for
Estimating for waterproofing, coating and general contractors
Waterproofing contractors
Below-grade and wall areas by system, taken from plans and sections.
Thermal and moisture protectionIndustrial coating contractors
Steel and concrete areas by coating system and structure, with alternates separate.
Painting estimatingSealant contractors
Joints and penetrations that go with the membrane or coating.
Firestopping and sealantsGeneral contractors
An independent number to check a coatings quote on public and industrial work.
Industrial estimating
Scopes we take off
- Below-grade waterproofing
- Dampproofing
- Water repellents
- Fluid-applied membranes
- Sheet membranes
- Epoxy concrete coatings
- Tank linings
- Structural steel coatings
- Metal deck coatings
- Traffic and deck coatings
- Shop primer touch-up
- Pipe and equipment coating
Pricing data
Where the prices come from
Quantities are priced from our own pricing database, built with local vendors across the United States. The estimator enters the project's ZIP code and gets current material prices for that market.
Material prices change from region to region and from month to month, so a price book or a national average is out of date before the bid goes in.
Priced by ZIP code
Current local material prices for the place the job is built, not a national average.
Updated by vendors
Local vendors update their prices in the database as they change.
Labor as you bid it
Union, open shop, or Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage rates with fringes.
How it works
From drawings to a finished coatings estimate
Send the drawings
Plans, sections, structural framing plans, the coating schedule, the waterproofing and coating specifications and addenda.
Free quote
We review the set and reply with a quote and a delivery date, usually within about 20 minutes.
Assign, measure, price and two QA reviews
Each surface is assigned its system from the schedule and measured by structure; steel area is calculated per section. A separate QA team checks the areas and assignments, then the priced estimate.
Delivery and revisions
The package typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours. Addenda and revisions are free, with no limit and no time limit, and are handled on priority.
The work is done in-house by more than 20 estimators, typically with 7 to 10 years of industry experience.
What it costs
Waterproofing and coatings estimating prices
- Single project
- From $199. Simple scopes typically run $100 to $250.
- Larger projects
- Typically $200 to $500. Plants and multi-structure projects are quoted individually.
- Monthly plan
- From $1,499 for 10 to 15 projects, for contractors who bid every week.
Every job is quoted individually from the drawings, and the quote is free. See all pricing
After delivery
An editable Excel workbook and free revisions
- Formulas built in
An Excel workbook you can change yourself
The estimate arrives as an editable Excel workbook with the formulas built in. Change a quantity, a rate or a markup and every total follows. Move overhead and profit from 25% to 30% and the whole bid recalculates on the spot.
- No waiting
Adjust your bid at the last minute
If something changes just before the deadline, you do not have to send the estimate back and wait. Open the workbook, change the number and submit. The control stays with you.
- Priority turnaround
Free revisions, with no limit
Addenda, scope changes and pricing updates are all free, however many times you come back, and there is no time limit. Revisions are handled on priority and typically come back within an hour to a few hours.
Questions
Waterproofing and coatings estimating FAQ
It is the takeoff and pricing of membranes and coatings that keep water out of or inside a structure. Surfaces are measured by structure and by system from the plans and sections, and labor and material prices are applied.
Dampproofing and waterproofing areas, water repellent on exposed walls, epoxy on concrete walls, floors and tank interiors, coating area for each steel section and for metal deck, touch-up, and allowances for piping and equipment.
The surface area per foot of each section is multiplied by its length. A W18x76 beam 480 ft long, for example, was carried at 3,173 square feet. Light sections have more surface per ton than heavy ones, so area is used, not weight.
Dampproofing resists moisture in the soil and is used where there is no water pressure. Waterproofing resists water under pressure and is used below the water table or where water stands. They are different products and prices and are kept on separate lines.
Yes. Each surface is assigned the system in the coating schedule and priced on its own line with the number of coats.
It depends on the product and access. On one treatment plant we estimated, water repellent and epoxy on concrete were each $11.00 per square foot and steel coating $8.86, labor and material, before markups.
Where the client wants them, yes. Some coating packages are delivered as a workbook with drawing references on every line, like the sample on this page.
Yes. This page shows a full sample from a finished job (waterproofing and coatings, for a wastewater treatment plant in California), which you can open full screen and read page by page. It was built to that client's own specification, so the wage rates, pricing and overhead and profit are theirs. Ask us for a current sample in your own trade.
From our own pricing database, built with local vendors across the United States. An estimator enters the project's ZIP code and gets current material prices for that market, and vendors update their prices as they change. Labor is priced as union or open shop, or at Davis-Bacon rates with fringes on government work.
Yes. The estimate is delivered as an editable Excel workbook with the formulas built in. Change any quantity, rate or markup and the whole estimate recalculates. If overhead and profit was set at 25% and you want 30%, change that one cell and every total updates, so you can adjust your number minutes before the bid is due without sending it back to us.
As many as you need. Every revision is free, including addenda, scope changes and pricing updates, however many times you come back, and there is no time limit. Revisions are handled on priority and are typically returned within an hour to a few hours, depending on the size of the change.
Dampproofing and waterproofing are 07 10 00, water repellents 07 19 00, traffic coatings 07 18 00 and high-performance coatings 09 96 00.
A single project starts at $199 and larger projects typically run $200 to $500; the quote is free and usually back in about 20 minutes. Every estimate is built to the client's own specification, with your production rates and format if you send them.
Have a waterproofing or coatings bid due? Send the drawings.
Free quote in about 20 minutes. Waterproofing and coatings takeoffs and estimates typically in 24 to 48 hours, built to your format, with free revisions with no limit. Based in Houston and estimating in all 50 states.