One of the most frequent inquiries we receive is with regards to how we price our services. For the purpose of this post we’ll discuss the price of painting (interior and/or exterior), as this is the bulk of our work.
Anybody can stop by Lowe’s or Sherwin Williams and calculate the cost of materials, approximately, as you can easily verify the price of a gallon of paint for whichever brand you, as a customer, may select.
So, what we will focus on is how we (and I phrase this as a collective “we” comprising all professional painters – and I mean actual professionals) price a job based on the labor.
We, as professional painters, typically have honed our craft over the course of many years, becoming increasingly more skilled and precise, contingent upon how long we have been in business.
I, myself, have been painting since my early teen years, thanks to the opportunity to work with my father, who had a successful, lucrative business for many years over the course of my childhood. As an adult I continued in the profession because a.) I am very good at it, and I say this not be boastful, but as a statement of fact, and b.) because I sincerely enjoy meeting and working with new clients, who, more often than not, become recurrent clients who are very dear to me. Suffice-it-to-say I have close to two decades of experience and do consider myself a true professional.
When I look at a job, I’m not just looking at slapping paint on a wall and calling it good. If you, as a customer, want quick and easy, that is entirely your prerogative. I love quick and easy where its needed, but when it comes to the aesthetics and quality of YOUR home (or business), I will remain unyielding and uncompromising.
I believe the untold truth about painting is that its NOT easy work, I don’t care how many joyful, effervescent commercials they come up with that make it seem like your ideal Saturday morning. It isn’t easy. It’s meticulous, uncomfortable, and time-consuming. That said, it is also entirely worth it when you see what a dramatic transformation it yields for your home, and also how thoroughly happy you are as a customer when you see it come to fruition.
When I quote a job I am looking at the current condition of the surfaces I will be working on, any repairs that will be required (patching, drywall repair, etc.), how much detail there is (sizes, shapes, intricacy of molding, height, etc.), current color of walls and which color we will be painting – many people don’t realize that color transitions require extra work, especially certain color families – they will require more coats and more time if you don’t want any fading or the old color showing through in some areas.
This is how I calculate my prices; I don’t have an hourly rate, and I don’t charge by square footage. I have relatively standard prices for various sized rooms, and those prices may fluctuate slightly based on the facets, including but not limited to, listed above. I also always guarantee the quality of my work; you’re not going to have paint on your floors/carpets, uneven lines, run marks, smears on your ceiling or molding/trim; everything is going to be uniform and pristine.
I also use quality materials. Not all paint is created equal. If you've worked with both quality paint and cheap paint, you know there is a difference. Quality paint offers more consistent, invariable coverage. Cheap paint often drips, coagulates, spreads unevenly and offers poor coverage. It may seem innocuous to go with the cheaper alternative, but trust me, when you put the two side by side, the betrayal of the substandard material is grossly apparent.
What these other companies/individuals who are charging dirt-cheap prices for this work aren’t telling you is;
1) This isn’t their “livelihood” and they have no reputation to gain or lose by doing a slap poor job. This is a means to an end for many of them. NOTHING against people who want side money – but they make it difficult for those of us who actually care about our work and our clients, and are trying to sustain a small business.
2) They’re not using quality materials. Not only are they getting, and worse using, bottom-of-the-barrel product, but what you aren’t seeing is that they are mixing these materials with water in an attempt to stretch their product for use on several jobs. This may sound like a myth – let me tell you, I have been called to remedy MANY a job that was poorly executed and not all up to the standards of not only professional painters, but the clients who are paying for these services and expecting quality work.
3) The reason that many of us professional painters charge higher rates, in comparison, is that we have substantial overhead costs, which often include not only the pay for our employees, but the cost of insurance. I, myself, own a fully registered and insured LLC. I maintain this insurance not only for my benefit, but for yours, as my client. These “companies” and individuals, who are charging you pennies on the dollar (which may seem enticing,) can’t offer the same semblance of security as one which is actually insured.
The old adage holds true – you get what you pay for.
Additionally, here’s what we offer, as professionals, that others don’t necessarily have the knowledge, ability, or customer service wherewithal to offer;
We work diligently to get you the best price on the best materials. We will research to see which quality brands are offering deals or discounts when you are selecting your paint.
We provide detailed quotes to our clients, which include which materials we recommend for individual projects, how much of that material you will need, and any outlying aspects that may come into play (like the repairs I mentioned previously.)
We provide detailed consultations to our customers – we will meet you at your home and go over every aspect of the work you need done, answer any and all questions you may have, make recommendations/suggestions, etc. I’ve had clients who are unsure about which colors they want or how they’ll look in relation to other areas of the house, furniture, or décor, and I, or my wife, can provide feedback on schematics and pallets to help you navigate the “what-ifs”. We will also advise ways to view your paint samples so that you get a real-world look at what you’re planning to put in your home or business.
Listen, I completely understand and endorse frugality. I’ll pinch a quarter ‘til the eagle screams wherever I feel so inclined. But when it comes to work being done for me, in almost any profession, I understand there is a reason behind the prices. And I would rather pay a little more right now, than have to pay multiple times over to rectify a shoddy job.
My wife gave me some good, relevant examples, and while they don’t necessarily apply to everyone, I believe you’ll concede to the point I am trying to make.
Many women (and men) will visit the nail salon, and we all know we are going to nail salons that are sanitary, offer great customer service, and continuously do a great job at achieving what we request – we are willing to pay, at minimum, approximately $30.00 a visit. I know many women, my wife included, will pay well over that depending one the services rendered. We also know that we have the ability to either do these ourselves (manicures, pedicures, waxing, etc.) or to go a seedy little place that will do it on the cheap, but we are willing to pay somebody substantially more because we know the benefits drastically outweigh the cost. The same can be said of anybody having work done on their vehicles, going to your favorite restaurants, salons/barbers, etc.
In summary, when we, as professional painters, charge you what may seem to you like a lot of money for a particular service, we aren’t making any attempt to extort you and we certainly aren’t getting rich in this line of work. We are, simply put, offering you our reasonable price to ensure that you are receiving the quality and care that you, as our client, deserve, and also covering the cost of owning a small business and taking care of our families, too.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have that were not outlined in this post, so please feel free to email us at professionalpaintpros@gmail.com or to message us here.
Thank you for your time, and patience, in reading this spiel. We hope it is of benefit, and always look forward to welcoming new clients to the Professional Paint Pro’s family.
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