As part of rehab, I am trying to paint a house? Its a 1100 sq ft house with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bath. The property is in Philadelphia area. I am trying to just use one color (light grey) for walls and white for ceilings throughout. It will be a rental property post rehab. Any thoughts on how much would it cost to paint? Also any pointers on how much per sq ft should i expect for LVT flooring? Appreciate the help in advance.
You people need to call me for painting and I can get rich.
I've been painting my entire life since my father was a house painter and I worked with him when I was old enough to walk, in Massachusetts. When I went into the Air Force and was stationed in Idaho I started a painting company and had 8 painters working for me while I was a plumber in the Air Force. In 2019 and 2020 I painted 26 homes I sold in Las Vegas and about 4 homes in Las Vegas my son sold and painted 1 house in Meridian Idaho. So, I have a lot of experience.
I was amazed when I called painters in Idaho and they wanted $6500 to $7500 to paint just the walls in 1200 to 1500 sq ft homes. So, I drove from Los Angeles to Idaho and painted a 1600 sq ft 4 bedroom 1-story house two coats of paint including the ceilings with 1 helper in two days. Add $800 for paint, floor covering and essentials plus my laborer for 2 days and my total cost was about $1400.
I painted the 30 1200 to 2700 sq ft homes in Las Vegas with two helpers including ceilings and it never took more than two days to paint a house and that included removing all the electric wall plates, dropping ceiling light fixtures, removing smoke detectors, cleaning windows, installing new blinds, cleaning bathroom fixtures and it never took the 3 of us more than 2 days because I am good at knowing how to get the most from my workers like a Lakers coach knows which players to put on the court because the cost to do a paint job is not as critical as the time it takes because when I go to Las Vegas to manage a job I have to leave Los Angeles and my 20+ employees without my micro-management and "When The Cat Is Away The Mouse Will Play" if you know what I mean.
I am a very difficult person to work for because I am 71-years old, a workaholic, a fast worker and when young workers are slow I fire them within minutes when they are working because I don't like to have to waste my time and stop the work I am doing to constantly check on my workers and I don't like to get emotional and have to keep correcting workers when they work sloppy and slow. I've fired many painters within a few minutes after they start working because many of them look like a drunk on the high end of a ladder and I prefer to avoid having to pay a painter for a day and then have to re-paint everything I paid him for.
I know many people think it is better to look for a painter who can do A to Z, but I've also fired many so-called painting companies that were worse than the worse of my employees. I hired a professional paint company and gave them 50 gallons of paint to paint the exterior of a 6-unit and 14-unit apartment buildings side-by-side. At the end of the day, the boss came to me and told me he needed more paint and I blew up and fired him because they used a paint sprayer and painted only one wall that was 30 feet wide and 36 feet high. I knew right away these clowns did something very bad and when I went to look at their work it looked like they sprayed the paint on the wall with a garden hose with no nozzle on it and the paint looked like stalagmites and icicles pouring down the wall. So, don't think you will get a better job because you hire someone who was recommended.
The most-critical thing even most painters don't know about painting is how much water or thinner needs to be put into the paint to make the paint the perfect viscosity. Most painters think that thicker is better and keeping the paint too thick is the worse thing most painters do. Think about how thin paint is on vehicles. It is so thin it is hard to measure. Thinner is always better than too thick and the paint job always looks better when you have to put two coats of paint and you use two thinner coats than two coats that are too thick because you will get a more-even-looking finish and you can paint about 3 to 4 times faster when paint is not too thick. So, I can paint a room 2 coats in about half the time it will take most painters to paint one coat with paint that is too thick. That is why my 3-man crew (including myself) can paint a 2700 square foot house two coats of paint including the ceilings in two days with two workers. I personally paint the ceilings and have my two workers paint the walls and when I'm finished with the ceilings I help with the walls. Then one of the workers focuses on cleaning, installing the blinds and repairs and replaces plumbing fixtures, electrical problems and everything else that needs to be done.
If you are local and have a few days, why not paint it yourself? It will be a lot less expensive. Be careful cutting in around the ceiling and use drop cloths.
Specialist · Columbus, OH · Member since 2019 · 110 posts · 102 votes
4y
@Babu Ramadoss of course every area will be different, but here in California I just had the ceilings painted of an 815 sq.ft. home for $1000, and painted the interior walls myself for less than $500 in materials and supplies.
You people need to call me for painting and I can get rich.
I've been painting my entire life since my father was a house painter and I worked with him when I was old enough to walk, in Massachusetts. When I went into the Air Force and was stationed in Idaho I started a painting company and had 8 painters working for me while I was a plumber in the Air Force. In 2019 and 2020 I painted 26 homes I sold in Las Vegas and about 4 homes in Las Vegas my son sold and painted 1 house in Meridian Idaho. So, I have a lot of experience.
I was amazed when I called painters in Idaho and they wanted $6500 to $7500 to paint just the walls in 1200 to 1500 sq ft homes. So, I drove from Los Angeles to Idaho and painted a 1600 sq ft 4 bedroom 1-story house two coats of paint including the ceilings with 1 helper in two days. Add $800 for paint, floor covering and essentials plus my laborer for 2 days and my total cost was about $1400.
I painted the 30 1200 to 2700 sq ft homes in Las Vegas with two helpers including ceilings and it never took more than two days to paint a house and that included removing all the electric wall plates, dropping ceiling light fixtures, removing smoke detectors, cleaning windows, installing new blinds, cleaning bathroom fixtures and it never took the 3 of us more than 2 days because I am good at knowing how to get the most from my workers like a Lakers coach knows which players to put on the court because the cost to do a paint job is not as critical as the time it takes because when I go to Las Vegas to manage a job I have to leave Los Angeles and my 20+ employees without my micro-management and "When The Cat Is Away The Mouse Will Play" if you know what I mean.
I am a very difficult person to work for because I am 71-years old, a workaholic, a fast worker and when young workers are slow I fire them within minutes when they are working because I don't like to have to waste my time and stop the work I am doing to constantly check on my workers and I don't like to get emotional and have to keep correcting workers when they work sloppy and slow. I've fired many painters within a few minutes after they start working because many of them look like a drunk on the high end of a ladder and I prefer to avoid having to pay a painter for a day and then have to re-paint everything I paid him for.
I know many people think it is better to look for a painter who can do A to Z, but I've also fired many so-called painting companies that were worse than the worse of my employees. I hired a professional paint company and gave them 50 gallons of paint to paint the exterior of a 6-unit and 14-unit apartment buildings side-by-side. At the end of the day, the boss came to me and told me he needed more paint and I blew up and fired him because they used a paint sprayer and painted only one wall that was 30 feet wide and 36 feet high. I knew right away these clowns did something very bad and when I went to look at their work it looked like they sprayed the paint on the wall with a garden hose with no nozzle on it and the paint looked like stalagmites and icicles pouring down the wall. So, don't think you will get a better job because you hire someone who was recommended.
The most-critical thing even most painters don't know about painting is how much water or thinner needs to be put into the paint to make the paint the perfect viscosity. Most painters think that thicker is better and keeping the paint too thick is the worse thing most painters do. Think about how thin paint is on vehicles. It is so thin it is hard to measure. Thinner is always better than too thick and the paint job always looks better when you have to put two coats of paint and you use two thinner coats than two coats that are too thick because you will get a more-even-looking finish and you can paint about 3 to 4 times faster when paint is not too thick. So, I can paint a room 2 coats in about half the time it will take most painters to paint one coat with paint that is too thick. That is why my 3-man crew (including myself) can paint a 2700 square foot house two coats of paint including the ceilings in two days with two workers. I personally paint the ceilings and have my two workers paint the walls and when I'm finished with the ceilings I help with the walls. Then one of the workers focuses on cleaning, installing the blinds and repairs and replaces plumbing fixtures, electrical problems and everything else that needs to be done.
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
4y
It is not that easy to produce a great looking paint job. Everyone seems to think it's easy - 'just do it yourself'....
A DIY'er is not going to prep correctly, very little sanding or caulk if any and done incorrectly. Do they know they have to prime the trim which is always an enamel of some sort? Probably not.....
In my long career, I have seen a few attempts at homeowner painting....never have I seen even one come out with the quality of a professional paint job.
If you absolutely do not have the $$ to pay a real painter, well then I guess you have to DIY....but you will regret it...
Investor · Idaho Falls, ID · Member since 2016 · 912 posts · 629 votes
4y
It depends on who you hire. Granted, recently labor costs have gone up, but in Eastern Idaho, I have a guy I use for every paint job, including my personal home, because he charges me a lot less than every other painter because I bring him business. He is a painter by profession so everything he does for me is a side job. And maybe that's why he charges less. He painted a 2600 sq ft home for about $1500 in 2020. I've had him do small jobs as well, such as painting doors for $50. His costs include the paint and any touch ups that may be needed. As mentioned above, when calling around there are some that charge 4-5x that amount.
For reference on flooring, I had the local big box store come out last year for a quote. LVP flooring, 20 mil layer in 1145 sq ft house and remove existing carpet came out to $5,600 ish. Southeastern Virginia
Real Estate Agent · West Chester, PA · Member since 2018 · 63 posts · 46 votes
4y
@Babu Ramadoss
You can give Mark Melendez( (610) 241-2133 ) a shout and mention that I sent you his contact info. Not sure how busy he currently is but clients of mine have used him for multiple jobs. Might not be the cheapest but is efficient and does solid work.
Livermore, CA · Member since 2018 · 38 posts · 24 votes
4y
I bought a condo in Las Vegas this past summer which was appox 900 sq ft. I'm an out of state investor and my property manager got a guy who charged $890 to repaint the whole place.
Investor · Akron, OH · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 4k+ votes
4y
With 59 units and constant ongoing renovations, we're always painting something. The best decision I made in a while was to hire a real professional painter as a w-2 employee. He is super fast and he's so good with caulk he makes old crufty walls and trim look so much better. He also finishes our countertops and cabinets so well it looks like a factory finish. For us it is the way to go over paying to hire an 'apartment grade' paint crew to spray.
Rental Property Investor · Chicago and mainly invests in KS remotely · Member since 2018 · 360 posts · 314 votes
4y
I think 2-3K max. I am rehabbing a home where it's a full interior repaint (skim, mud, texture, paint) with half the walls with 1970s wallpaper, paint all trims and cabinets, refinish countertop, replace tub and tub surround, tile kitchen/bathroom, LVP in the main bedroom, and replace all light fixtures for 9K on a 1100 sqft home. I don't have the cost of the paint alone but I would imagine it's somewhere around 2.5K. Looking at what costs I see on this post makes me feel like my costs are from 2013. Jill said it, you can always get a spray painter, I'm pretty sure my guy spray paints all the big areas and cabinets.
As part of rehab, I am trying to paint a house? Its a 1100 sq ft house with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 bath. The property is in Philadelphia area. I am trying to just use one color (light grey) for walls and white for ceilings throughout. It will be a rental property post rehab. Any thoughts on how much would it cost to paint? Also any pointers on how much per sq ft should i expect for LVT flooring? Appreciate the help in advance.
For a rental, That is two high school kids two days at $12 per hour.
It is not that easy to produce a great looking paint job. Everyone seems to think it's easy - 'just do it yourself'....
A DIY'er is not going to prep correctly, very little sanding or caulk if any and done incorrectly. Do they know they have to prime the trim which is always an enamel of some sort? Probably not.....
In my long career, I have seen a few attempts at homeowner painting....never have I seen even one come out with the quality of a professional paint job.
If you absolutely do not have the $$ to pay a real painter, well then I guess you have to DIY....but you will regret it...
This 100%. Same with drywall both install and mudding. Everyone thinks they can do it, and they certainly can. Just they can't do it right.
Tenants constantly ask if they can paint. Ask if they know how. EVERY SINGLE ONE says yes. And then you end up with narley colors, gloss finishes in bedrooms, and paint slathered all over the corners of ceilings and trim. Both drywall and paint are very easy in theory/concept, but hard to get right if you don't have precise knowledge of the techniques. I personally know enough to know that I don't know enough to properly mud a wall for example. Which helps a ton when hiring someone to do so themselves.
Great idea. I cant wait to scale to that size and will use contractors as you suggested. I tend to assign the rehabs to a Project Manager as I am not able to find guys that can get the job done as promised on schedule.
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
4y
Probably depends a lot on location. It’s easy to pay less than $2500 including paint for 2400sf house in vegas. Figure $100 for paint and you’re at $1/sf as mentioned above. It’s nice to see 4-5 guys fly in at 6am and walk in to a finished house with dry paint by 3-4pm. Makes for faster turnover.
Real Estate Agent · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2018 · 127 posts · 62 votes
4y
@Babu Ramadoss
It will vary we’re you are in the country but in AZ the last couple jobs I paid $1.25 to $1.50 per square foot. It definitely depends on the job as well if ita condo or home that also included materials and labor. Hopefully this helps good luck!