Over the years I have been asked a number of times why there is such a wide range of prices when obtaining bids for painting. There are a number of reasons, but most boil down to the quality of the paint job you are buying. Just as there are various levels of quality in basic transportation from an economy car to a Rolls Royce, so too there are various levels of quality in paining.
Most homeowners think that the cost difference is in the quality of the paint. The truth is that there are a lot of good quality paints available, and they all run fairly close in cost. Painters tend to find a brand that they are comfertable working with and then stick with that brand unless the customer specifies something different.
Some painters want to make money on the back end, so choose a brand with a high retail price and a deep discount to the trade. There are at least two major brands that do business in that way in this area, and they do a lot of business with painting contractors. The customer pays the higher price for “better quality paint,” while the painter picks up additional profit not shown on his bid. The paint is good, but probably not any better then what is available at a fair price elsewhere.
Some customers want to “save some money” so they buy the paint themselves. If they buy one of the brands that has a deep discount to the trade, they end up paying as much or more then if they had let the painter provide the paint.
There are a few really cheap brands of paint, but they cost more in the long run because they will not cover as well nor last as long. You end up paying for more paint and labor to get proper coverage, and you get to repaint more frequently. There paints might be justified for painting the insides of closets where less than perfect coverage is not noticeable and where there is no sunlight to fade the color.
The paint is usually not the major factor in the price of a good paint job. A typical one story, three bedroom house needs about 20 gallons of paint for an exterior paint job. A difference of $5-7 a gallon is only a difference of $100-140 for the paint. Paints with 25 years to lifetime warranties are available in the mid 20’s a gallon. Why pay $35-40 a gallon retail, especially when the painter pays $26 to $30 a gallon for the same paint? That kind of price difference can become a major factor in the price of the job, and a major part of the painter’s profit.
The major cost factor in a paint job is the amount and type of prep work needed to achieve the level of quality desired. The actual application of the paint to the walls is the least important cost factor in most paint jobs.
If you are painting a barn and just need a coat of color on the exterior, you might be justified in the “squirt and squirt” approach where the building is squirted off with a hose or a pressured washer, then squirted with an airless sprayer to apply the paint. Done with reasonable care the job will look acceptable from a distance and will last for years.
The next step would be to pressure wash the building, then scrape off any loose paint and spot prime before applying the color. This is probably the most common approach for low price paint jobs.
Occasionally, especially when repairs have been made, you might have to apply a sealer followed by the primer (or two coats of primer) prior to the color.
Re-cauking, repairing cracks, repairing stucco, fixing loose nails, filling nail holes, fixing or replacing dry rotted boards, re-glazing windows and a myriad of similiar items take time. How many of these items are done has a major impact on the final cost of the job. These items also determine the life expectancy of the job.
If a building has more than one color, some areas may be sprayed, while others may need to be brushed or rolled. Masking and cutting between colors adds to the labor cost.
Occasionally a home will have oil-based paint on the trim with acrylic on the walls. This can produce a great looking finish, but is much more labor intensive than applying acrylic to everything. Some of the new acrylic trim paints look like oil, and last as long. Oil based paints are being phased out, and will not be widely available in a few years.
Plants, bushes, and trees can really get in the way of painting. It is often necessary to have the plants trimmed back before the painting can begin.
Interior work can have similiar variables. Kitchen and bathroom walls will need to be washed, other walls will need to be brushed or vacumed. Stains need to be sealed, cracks and holes filled, and trim caulked.
On new construction, spraying the interior is the method of choice. Spraying is usually a poor choice for repainting a furnished room. The additional work needed to completely protect the contents othen takes longer than the time saved rolling. The time/cost needed to undo a mistake with a sprayer can be greater then the profit on the job.
Rooms with wall-to-wall carpeting present a problem along the baseboards. It is possible to paint using an edging tool, but some carpet tuffs will probably flip back and stick in the paint. The alternative is to pull the carpet back, paint, then reinstall the carpet. The choice will depend on the type of carpet and the use of the room.
The number and placement of windows and doors affects the time required to paint a wall. If the trim is a different color, the time needed goes up with tighter cutting requirements. Some cutting will require masking, while other places are fine with hand cutting. This applies to both interior and exterior work.
These are some of the more important factors that can affect the cost of a paint job. The best way an owner or property manager can assure that that bids are “apples to apples” is to specify the quality level desired, including the major prep items. A “squirt and squirt” job may be fine for a barn but is not acceptable on a $400,000 home. On the other hand, a high end 3 coat hand paint job may not be economically viable on a Section 8 rental.
It is not unusual to have bids to paint a building range from a low, say, of $1500 to a high of, perhaps, $3500. Obviously the people making the bids have different criteria in mind as they work up their bids. Clear communication as to the level of work desired will narrow the range of the bids and result in a more realistic approach to the job.
I hope this information has helped you understand a bit of what goes into a paint job, and some of the factors that affect the price of the work. If you have any questions feel free to give me a call.
When Quality is the job, Call Bob!
Bob Powelson - Firefinger Maintenance
| Bob does painting, minor plumbing, minor electrical, and light carpentry. He specializes in doing the smaller jobs that are too small for a general contractor.For a quality job, call Bob! 335-6342. Email here. |
