Choosing the right speed step for a surface
Every surface you measure has a speed step between 1 and 8. The step drives the hours calculation, which drives the price. Picking the right step is a skill worth developing — these notes help.
The 8 steps and when to use each
- 1 – Intricate. Heritage cornices, detailed mouldings, fine cutting between colours. Think restoration work. Very slow going.
- 2 – Detailed. Panelled doors, French windows, multi-coloured reveals, balustrade spindles. Lots of angles, lots of cutting in.
- 3 – Careful. Average complexity — bathrooms with tile cuts, kitchens with cabinetry cut-ins, stairs, skirting.
- 4 – Steady. Typical bedroom or living room walls with normal access and standard prep. Your default for most internal walls.
- 5 – Efficient. Open hallways, large ceilings with clear access, exterior walls between windows.
- 6 – Open. Warehouse walls, big exterior faces, clear-span ceilings. Good ladder/scaffold access.
- 7 – Spray. Production spraying of repetitive surfaces — eaves, fences, multiple identical walls.
- 8 – New-build spray. Full new-build spray. Empty shell, no furniture, no masking dramas. Maximum throughput.
Cues that nudge you up or down
Slower (lower step) if: heavy cutting in, restricted access, high detail, colour change between surfaces, poor prior preparation.
Faster (higher step) if: open access, roller-friendly geometry, same colour as adjacent, repetitive elements.
Spray auto-sets step 6
If you switch a surface to spray, Surfacely automatically sets the step to 6 (Open) and prep to Moderate — industry-standard settings for spray work. Override either if the specific job is different.
Why it matters: the difference between a Steady (4) wall at 15 m²/hr and an Efficient (5) wall at 20 m²/hr might be 25% in hours on a repaint. Choosing carefully is the difference between hitting your margin and missing it.
After a job ends, check actual hours against quoted hours. If a specific surface type is consistently off, adjust your step default for that surface in Pricing & rates → Advanced pricing → Surfaces. Calibrate once, benefit forever.