High end painters are very few and far in between today sadly. This has not always been the case but today it is because of many reasons being bundled together as one big confusing mess! Skill is down in entire US and getting worse. Blue collar has become somewhat of a joke or why the heck would you want to be a painter from the white collar point of view. 90% of our competition claims they are also high end painting company's but charge half or even 70% less. Average citizen today do not know quality of paint if it sat down on their face.
Imagine your car and it's beautiful finish of maybe a wopping sq ft which cost minimum for a standard job $80 per sq ft. Doing the math would cost minimum $3600 to paint 40 sq ft. Also I must point out that people take way better care of their cars paint washing it constantly yearly, which also extends the the life of paint notably. A automotive quality paint job will last 3x the standard or below. One important tip if you are building a new custom home invest some money into a real high end painter and that investment of beauty will last with you the rest of your days.
That goes for generals claiming custom high end which most of them do. I see these because when they are in the last months of finishes they call me a real high end painting company to ask for a bid on correcting all the work, then they see the price and fall over. Good luck and call us if your in Southern California or Paris and you are really looking for high end. Im a paint contractor 36 years i learned as an apprentice 6 years in a residential union paint co. we even had paint classes each wk to attend .
Split coated trim on remodels before finish oil applied , wallpapered , upholstered padded walls etc. and these prices people are talking about that are cheap they cant afford quality which is ok . But if they knew the difference in quality with hours spent they would take back there comments. Or should.you really need to have a job scope of detailed plans for accuracy of comments . Most folks dont understand overhead ---vehicles , wcomp , liability, shop lights.
How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Car A Different Color Sprayers , spray tips, , gathering equipment .protecting customers personal items or fixtures etc. . How about 6 digits paint job labor 13,000 s.f. 35 wks of work or so ,not ripping noone off .finishes differ this one had sandblasted faux barnwood.
Mixed with automotive paints, blimish free prepped wood with oil base paint . House cleaned everyday after work .ready for next day. Its all in what you can afford and clientel .some customers look deeper, before cheaper there are always someone cheaper but be carefull . Painters are mostly good, but there are a lot of bad apples out there. They contract to use one grade of paint and use a cheaper one instead, don't paint as many coats as they agree to, often use young inexperienced "kids" to do a lot of work, etc., etc.
You can't easily hire the good painters because they are being honest and doing the job right and often too busy with long waits. A low bid is often a sign that they are barely legitimate. In California the biggest problem is unlicensed contractors and subs.
The general contractors hire them when they think no one will notice. In short - it is a difficult profession tainted by a lot of criminals. Given that new housing here is almost non-existent , many people are remodeling and that is where these people prey on homeowners. The GC's use them routinely when they think they can get away with it.
So the professional painters posting above are very true about the real costs of doing business. Painting is just as difficult as any trade and people have high standards these days. Unfortunately it is next to impossible for the consumers like ourselves to weed out the toads from the frogs. There was a man that I painted for last year . I painted his entire home plus a couple closets for about $11,000.
He bought all of the paint himself and used Benjamin Moore Aura, Regal, Advance and Ceiling Paint. He said that he spent almost $4,000 in paint. I painted one coat on the ceilings, one coat on some walls, two coats on others and three coats on areas that were being painted Moroccan Spice and Orange Burst. I cleaned his walls, trim and doors with warm water/ simple green mixture and a sponge. I taped all of his walls to have sharp cleans lines from painting trim.
I also hired a couple subs that I ended up having to let go in the beginning of the project and then had my fiancee help me when she was able to. It took us a month and week to finish his home. I think he got his money's worth, and I got paid well for his project. Now, I am scheduled to paint the exterior of his home this coming week. A more complete paint job, which includes multiple coats of paint and basic wax, will probably cost $1000 or so for a similar car. If you want a truck painted with high-quality, manufacturer-exclusive paint and a ceramic coating, don't be surprised if the price tag reaches $5000 or higher.
Many car painting services will offer to wax or seal your car's paint job at the conclusion of the project. A regular wax finish won't run you too much, but will probably add another $100 to $200 to the final price tag. If you want the auto body service to use a ceramic coating or other, more specialized finishes, you can expect to pay even more.
Suppose you recently received your car back from the body shop after repairs. Is it okay to go through the car wash with new paint? Yes, an aftermarket paint job or repair can stand up to an automatic car wash just like the original OEM paint job can. The clearcoat paint finish requires time to fully cure - usually thirty days or more. During that time, it is unwise to drive through an automatic car wash or to apply any type of wax coating that would prevent the paint from "breathing" while it cures. With this approach our 350sf living room recently cost $2100 and two bedrooms and a bathroom totaling just under 400sf cost $1600.
We had trim, doors, walls, and ceiling all painted with 8 colors used between the 4 rooms . The next painting contractor he hired had a license, but had no respect for his work. He hired kids (18-22) to do the work and they clearly were not good. I complained and he finally put some people on the job who had painted a few houses before. Finally after 90% or the work was done, the painter came to me and said he needed more money because he underestimated the job.
His people worked about another week and then they walked off the job - saying it was complete. At this point the interior had been painted 3 times and the exterior twice or more. I got angry and asked the GC to bring in someone to finish the mess and they charged me about $12K for 2 people over hour days. It turns out this guy never had a contract at all - and felt free to charge the GC anything he wanted and pass it on to me.
Again, I got angry and told the GC that this too was illegal and refused to pay 50% of the bill. I was being generous since I don't think they really worked half of what they said they did. If you looked at their billing, you could estimate they were charging well in excess of $100 an hour. If someone's painting your home for the same price that teenagers could do it for on summer break there's an issue.
5 star paint jobs can be as expensive as 6 dollars per square foot of floor space. That's just a simple measurement and wouldn't suggest it for contractors doing any bids. I wont be the cheapest but I sure won't be the most expensive.
What you will see in my work for the few extra dollars is the exceptional and detailed oriented prep of the surfaces to be painted as well as the protection of your home and items in it. Ask plenty of questions from your contractors and you will benefit. I get so many jobs and it starts with, you were not the cheapest but we felt 100% confident & our comfortability after talking to you was all we needed. 85% of my work is my regular repeat client base & all their friends, families, neighbors, & just plain old word of mouth & reputation. After reading this whole post, I'm feeling much better. I live south of Boston in a 300 year old, 3400 sf house and recently had the entire interior repainted.
I was feeling a little ripped off but not anymore. Yes, I paid $14,500 , but judging by other comments, this was a fair price for the amount of work that had to be done. I am not Ms. Moneybags, but you have to protect your investment. Two or three painters were here for two weeks, painting everything including woodwork, lots of window trim.
The painter I use now charges $35/hour--he is very particular so the hours add up. I've "experienced" many trades that act corruptly. Painting is easier to fake because by the time they are finished and you see the end product, they are long gone. Short of being unlicensed, there are no ways to get them to make it right. If you have an life at all you can't totally micromanage them. And I've yet to meet a GC that will admit that they cut corners using unlicensed ringers like that to make more profit.
They play ignorant that the sub did not have a license or did bad work. Perhaps I just am a bad judge of character too. It's hard these days to get three bids - because even if you could find 3 painters to give you a quote, you have no idea of how they will perform.
I will never hire a GC or sub again unless I stand over them 24/7. Given the enormous amount of money I lost from everyone - not just painters - I am not about to hire anyone for a very long time. I am preparing complaints for the contractors board for 4 of the GC's and subs, but I suspect it will be a waste of time. But they have no way to show you who is a crook and who is legit.
Personal referrals vary - and they can do good work for someone and bad for you. And I can attest to the fact that even hiring GC's with good reputations is no guarantee of good work. However, paint does more than just give your car a distinctive look; it protects the body of your vehicle from wear and tear and helps prevent corrosive damage. Therefore, you should paint your car every five years at minimum, especially if you aren't waxing it regularly. If your car's paint gets scratched or damaged from a minor accident or inclement weather, consider getting a partial paint job to take care of the trouble spots.
Naturally, the quality of the paint job you are seeking will affect the asking price, sometimes dramatically. For example, when contracting a professional paint service, you can expect the best of the best in terms of quality of the paint as well as the painters themselves. The finished project should look nothing short of amazing.
On the flip side, if you get a bargain-priced paint service, you should expect bargain-level results. Prices for paintwork of this type can range from around $1,000 to $2,000. It is possible to spend up to $3,500 on a paint job that includes bodywork, such as dent/rust/damage repair. It is possible to spend up to $8,000 or more on a multi-coat, high-quality paint job, depending on the vehicle and color.
A professional automotive paint job will cost you at least $300. If you wanted to paint your smart car, that would be the cheapest price. If you want to paint your house yourself, you can certainly buy decent quality paint materials for $300, but hiring a professional is not an option. A paint job is usually cheaper than a wrap on a car. It will cost about the same to paint a car wrap with multiple coats of high-quality paint. The cost of painting your car is significantly higher than that of wrapping it to achieve the same look if you want a matte finish or a color-shifting paint.
I just finished a remodel that cost me so much that I am embarrassed to admit the price. A good deal of the problems were that I used general contractors for the whole remodel and some of the painters they used were sleazy at best. One of the painters was an employee of the GC and he knew nothing about painting. They had no work for this guy at that time in his real specialty so they used him at $65/hr and 18% overhead.
This "painter" took other employees of the GC and had them assist and they knew even less about painting than I do - and I am seriously bad at painting. They think anyone can take a brush, roller and sprayer can paint - and it's not true. I fired that GC because of a lot of bad work including the painting - but his billing was so bad that it would have cost me a fortune to sue him and prove anything. We're building a new home in northern New Jersey. We were quoted nearly $30,000 for the entire interior (walls, ceilings, moldings, etc.) of a 3,500 square foot home.
The cost to paint the exterior trim, entry doors and garage doors will be approximately $12,000. A professional paint job typically costs between $300 and upwards of $10,000. In the upper end of that price range, we find metal flake, multi-colored, and custom paint jobs, so unless you're planning on showing your car, you shouldn't spend that much on paint. A scratched paint job is usually replaced by removing the clear coat that protects it. Rust, which can further damage your car's paint.
Your vehicle's paint job and its scratches can be protected by having them repaired right away. I am in the Houston area and for a 3000 sq ft home depending on how many different colors, sheens, oil or water base, etc. you would expect a base ballpark for complete paint of $13k - $15k + material. That is about a two week job depending on size of crew. For top quality reputable company the average labor rate is from $900 - $1200 per day. We used Certa Pro in 2010 when we were back in NJ; we had the interior painted just under 3000sf; basement I did myself since I just finished remodeling it.
