You Want A Painting Estimate Now

You Want A Painting Estimate Now

You want a painting estimate now but are your prepared for what you may hear?

Do you know what type of company you would like to hire?

What? You didn't know every company is different?

Remember the painting industry is not robotic, every painter, every company does things differently and each will have different costs associated with "their way"

Before you send that email or call that painting company you chose from facebook or Google, make sure you know what is important to you and your family for the work you want done. 

This can included

• The time frame
• How much preparation of the surface you want ( it is not standard from company to company) 
• The type of paint you want to use vs your budget, remember you can go from $15 a gallon of paint all the way up to and over $100 PER GALLON
• What will make you thrilled once the project is over, what will you remember about the job
• Have you had issues in the past with other companies

The Time Frame

The time frame is very important, most companies will surely be 4-6 weeks out with scheduling, please plan your projects ahead of time when possible, there is always a chance a project can be done ahead of that time frame when time and schedule permits. But if your time frame is less than a week, you will have an issue securing a highly sought after professional painting company or painter.

Let them know right away on the phone, a good company will ask this BEFORE coming out so they can avoid wasting anyone's time for a time frame they could never meet.

Preparation

No two companies will prepare your walls the same and it doesn't mean any one company is right or wrong, some companies do high end work where every inch of the surface is perfect and budget is not an issue for that client while other companies give you a general patching , hitting small dings and dent, maybe not all of them will be done but the majority and than there will be companies in between. 

Without explaining what you want your project is ripe for missed expectations and trouble, the experience will be miserable if you think your getting one job but receive another.

Don't be afraid to have an open and honest discussion with the contractor you're going to select because it is certainly a relationship. With any type of relationship if there is no communication there will be issues.

Paints Used

Paint prices vary so greatly, you can get a lower grade paint for a quick color change for an apartment for $15 or less in some cases or you can go all out and spend over $100 for a custom hand made paint from Benjamin Moore. Somewhere between those two options are many, many other choices depending on the performance you wish for your home or business.

Here are some questions to ask yourself

• Will you wash your walls?
• If so will you scrub them?
• Do you have children and pets?
• What type of sheen (shine) or lack of do you wish?
• What colors are you choosing?
• How often do you repaint
• Do you want a zero voc paint?
• Do you or anyone in your home have asthma or allergies?

The Vision

When your project is over a good company should know and meet what your vision is for your project.

We all have a vision, whether you got it from Houzz, Google, saw a friends home, a picture on Facebook or simply came up with it on your own, that is a vision and we want to know what that looks like so we can meet and exceed it.

A picture, drawing, link or video is a great way to share this vision, having a working relationship with any contractor will surely make your painting project a great one

Cost or Price?

Cost or Price?

What is your decision going to be based on the cost of the project or the price? You may say what's the difference but there sure is one and it will cost you in the end.

What if I said that lower price that looks all shiny and bright could cost you double the more expensive project by the time the years play out?

Imagine this, you're getting a price on the exterior of your home and you do the get three estimates thing and all your bids come back and you have a price of $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000

Naturally, you look at that high one and think wow, they are overcharging me and you decide to take that low price, they said they are using the same materials and everything is "apples to apples".

So your project cost you $10,000 to start but guess what they didn't prime that bare wood correctly and it peeled off after the year warranty they gave you. (If they even stand behind their warranty)

So you had to hire another company to come out and touch up a few things and that took two days and cost you $1250.00 so now your project cost you 11,250.00

A year later you learn they used a cheaper exterior paint and your paint is fading and chalking so now you must get it power washed and one side that hits the sun repainted. Cost $3750. Your project now cost you $15,000.

A few months later the caulk they used is failing badly, you call the manufacturer but it wasn't applied correctly so there is no warranty and you need to pay someone else to come out again and redo the work. Cost 1 day $600 Now you're at 15,600

Now the big one, you learn on the high areas they only applied one coat of paint and never primed the bare wood and you have rot underneath the gutters. 

Now you must bring in a carpenter, possibly a gutter person and have all of this replaced and painted. Your cost of this work had now crept over that initial bid you thought was overcharging you. It turns out the cost of the project was correct and they had included all of the top of the line products and the prep that was really needed.

So the moral of the story is to not just throw away that initial price, it's cost may be the lowest one after all

How many coats of paint and why?

How many coats of paint and why? 

That question gets asked a ton when I am doing a painting estimate.  It seems that one coat should be sufficient – after all, it’s paint, same color same can from the same store however it isn't quite that simple

  Let’s look at several factors that can affect how many coats of paint are necessary for a perfect paint job.

Painting with the same color of paint

If the walls in a room are currently painted white and you paint them with white again, one coat should be sufficient. However, if the “new” paint is of low quality or has a sheen of any kind it will be difficult to match that same sheen as existing, while it may "cover" your finish would not be uniform

Assuming the walls are clean and not faded a single coat using the same sheen and good quality paint should be sufficient,.

Painting dark over light

Accurately estimating the number of coats you’ll need if you’re going from one color to another can be tricky. Theoretically, when painting a dark color over a light color, a single coat is all you need. But this isn’t always the case. (If ever) 

Some paint shades – for example, pastels, and even some heavier colors like deep red – are what we call low-hide colors. This means they don’t hide previous paint colors, as well as other shades do even when the previous colors are of a lighter tint. Two coats of paint are often necessary when using low-hide colors.

Also, custom-mixed colors and lower-grade paints won’t cover as well as factory-mixed paints, regardless of what shade you’re trying to hide.

Painting light over dark

Obviously when painting a light color, say a creamy yellow, over something like a rich mahogany, a single coat isn’t going to do the job. You might paint four coats, and still, that creamy yellow looks polluted. In this case, you can save time and money by applying a tinted primer before the new paint.

There are many types of primer, but all of them are engineered to neutrally block a current color and provide a surface that will allow the new paint to fully attach and cover. Before selecting a primer, talk with a professional painter or an experienced paint store staff member.

What it costs to paint a bedroom in Easton,Pa

What it costs to paint a bedroom in Easton,PA

One question we get asked every day is what does it cost to paint a bedroom

Some people are shocked at the price and some understand the costs that a small company incurs on a daily basis to stay in business

Using a professional painting company comes along with many great things, a trained staff, professional painters, liability  insurance  and workman’s compensation paid on workers, crews, vehicles so if something would happen you and your family (and home) are covered. The same can not be said hiring a company who uses uninsured sub-contractors. You’re on your own there and hopefully if something would happen the insurance is in place on the company and their subcontractors

Here are some fees that are in the cost to paint a room from a professional company:

•                   Workman Compensation and liability insurance
•                                      Taxes, payroll taxes, social security unemployment  etc
•                    Costs such as vehicles and marketing
•                    Training for painters
•                      Health Insurance and benefit packages if applicable

So what does it cost to paint a bedroom let’s get to the answer?

To paint a typical 10x12 bedroom pictured above  with two coats of quality paint from Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore you will have these typical costs

 The average cost would be about $350

Add the ceilings and add $150-$200

Add the baseboard for about $125

So a typical room this size is around $350-$600 Depending on what is getting done, height of walls, any patching other than small dings, dents and nail holes. The timeframe is also important; if you need it done right away a good company is ging to be booked out 4-6 weeks, so to move you up in the schedule will come with a premium.

Do you need the absolute best materials and quality? Well then that is a premium

If price is the absolute most important thing and you need the cheapest price possible, than timing and quality will certainly be where the savings will come from, it would be scheduled when crews are free , a rainy day where scheduled exterior work cannot be done.  You may get trainees on site learning the trade or the average painter while the top craftsman are on the other jobs where the top quality was requested and paid for.

Most jobs can be done under any budget “if” that is known and spoken about at the estimate.

What we find sometimes is that is not shared, someone looking for the bottom dollar price never shares that, gets a bunch of estimates and solely picks the lowest price regardless of who they preferred while if they would of shared this with the painting company they likes most likely the project could have been adjusted to make that happen

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PAINT MY HOME?

People often call and simply ask what does it cost to paint my house?

This generally is very hard to clearly answer as there are many variables such as their expectations, the current condition, access, timing of the project and so much more. However nothing is more frustrating then showing up at an estimate when they are simply trying to establish a budget or looking for the lowest possible price for it. To alleviate this we have begun to gather as much info BEFORE we even show up on the estimate the dreaded pre qualyfying phone call.

By asking many questions and determining budget we can many times save wasted time or trips. Think about it, wouldn’t it be great for me to show up already knowing what you hope or expect to spend on a project knowing there is a good chance we can offer that? Or would you rather have someone show up, spend 30-45 minutes showing them around and probably 2-3 times over with other contractors also only to have sticker shock when they send that proposal over and then have no options.

By knowing your estimated budget does not mean you will pay more with reputable companies, for us knowing your price points will help us tailor a prescribed solution to your project rather then waste time knowing your looking for a Ford and were offering a Ferrari. So here are a few sample prices to show you what you may expect to pay. Of course every job and company is different but it is a starting point. With our company I know our numbers very well, our employees are just that and are insured and we carry workman’s compensation. Training is available and scheduled for all painters which means you get skilled craftsmen along with an apprentice or two learning the trade. Prices below are examples of residential painting, commercial prices are generally lower because of the known conditions and scope of work is generally within blueprints = no guessing
If you woudl like a consultation on your project please visit www.ryanamatopainting.com or call 484-821-7112