> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.paintscout.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.paintscout.com/support/estimating/areas-and-rates/how-to-adjust-painting-and-prep-hours.md).

# Adjust Painting & Prep Hours

PaintScout calculates painting hours automatically from production rates, but you can manually adjust both painting and prep hours on any substrate when the automatic calculations need fine-tuning.

## How do you adjust painting and prep hours?

1. Click the substrate you want to adjust.
2. Make your adjustments in the provided fields:

   <figure><img src="/files/rXk5sCmDMQy3zn6hBHGe" alt="Screenshot showing the painting hours and prep hours adjustment fields on a substrate"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

## Things to Note

* The system doesn't automatically calculate prep time; you must add and adjust prep time manually.
* If the variables used in your rate calculation don't involve hours (e.g., sqft/hr, item/hr, etc.), painting hours will not be automatically calculated. In such cases, you'll need to input the hours manually.

&#x20;&#x20;

## Related articles

<table data-card-size="large" data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Adjust Surface Dimensions</strong></td><td>Override area dimensions on individual surfaces by editing length, width, height or switching to direct sqft/lnft input.</td><td><a href="/pages/Hnv1ATdYbTMgk23LVred">/pages/Hnv1ATdYbTMgk23LVred</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Adjust Number of Coats</strong></td><td>Adjust the number of paint coats for individual surfaces using the coats dropdown after configuring rates in account settings.</td><td><a href="/pages/09trKoQeidfabEPLUmUW">/pages/09trKoQeidfabEPLUmUW</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Prep Hours</strong></td><td>Manually add prep hours to substrates in estimates with automatic cost calculation based on your internal hourly rate.</td><td><a href="/pages/weJP9nfq3zVgJ4XDrysi">/pages/weJP9nfq3zVgJ4XDrysi</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Calculate Your Hourly Rate</strong></td><td>Calculate your all-in hourly rate for painting estimates by combining labor wages, materials, overhead costs, and profit margin with step-by-step examples.</td><td><a href="/pages/n8G2CcKvY6B1U4gf1iAW">/pages/n8G2CcKvY6B1U4gf1iAW</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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