How much do you pay for wall prep/painting?

Question

Curious what other s are paying for some wallpaper removal/patch repair/crack repair and for repainting a room- ceilings, walls, trim. Thanks.

Jessica H. · Answer

You guys are amazing, thank you so much for your very helpful and detailed posts! I agree with you for all that's involved it is a decent price so we'll probably go with it! Now if only  this weather would cooperate a little more...brrrr...spring can't come soon enough! Welcome back to sub freezing temps and an overabundance of snow, J ; ) Missing Atlanta yet? Lol... I could sure use a little warmth right now!

J Scott · Answer

First, I answered the question of how much *I* pay, which certainly may not be what other people pay.  But, to keep prices down, here are some tips:

-  Make sure your painters have insurance.  While that will hike up the cost a bit, it's better to be safe than sorry, and anyone who has insurance is going to be at least a bit more serious and conscientious than those who don't

-  Bring the paint crew in before you do flooring or cabinets -- if they don't need to cover the floors or cabinets, they won't have to charge as much

-  Ask for a discount if the painters don't have to remove and replace the doors.  Then ask your carpenter to remove/replace the doors.  A good carpenter will charge less for this than the painters will, because he can do it in half the time without messing up the walls/paint

-  If there's a lot of sheetrock work, bring in a sheetrock company to do that instead of the painters.  You'll pay less, even though you'll have to bring in a different crew

-  Don't use a paint crew that has a "foreman" who isn't actually working.  These types of crews will require more babysitting, but the cost saving will be well worth it

-  Choose a paint color that will easily cover the existing color with a single coat.  Some colors don't cover other colors well, and we'll actually change our color choices when this becomes an issue

-  Make sure they use a decent quality of paint, so you can often get away with a single coat instead of two coats

-  Find a crew who gets great discounts on materials, as paint is getting expensive, and if they're not getting big discounts, you'll be paying the extra paint costs

-  Make sure the crew you choose has at least 3 guys.  While a single guy working alone might be less expensive, it will take a LOT of extra time and you'll lose money waiting

Account Closed · Answer

Jessica:  what kind of project is it?  Is it a rental prop or are you re-selling?  How much trim? Retail paint bids where I am will easily be 2-3 times what J is talking about, for the same job. You need to find the crews that work volume rehabs and rentals and then check out their work.  Serious prep work is an art and not a lot of the cheaper crews are good at it. If you have real drywall damage, IMO it's better to call the drywall guys. They'll come in an patch and mud. They are usually really fast and have better repair skills than painters.

How much wallpaper?  I'd probably hire a handyman to do that instead of painters. Then you an assess the condition of the walls.

It's also cheaper to use unlicensed crews for painting, but it really depends on the project and risk exposure.

J Scott · Answer

About $1 - $1.50 per square foot of living space.  So, a 2000 sf house would be $2000-3000.

Cost of paint has gone up considerably in the past year or two, so find a contractor who does enough work that they can get reasonable material/paint discounts.  As an example, if you're not buying a lot of paint from Sherwin Williams, you'll pay $40-50/gallon these days; if you're a big paint buyer, you can get that down to under $20/gallon.  That can make a big difference in the cost of your paint job.

J Scott · Answer

Agreed.  Removing wallpaper is a pain in the butt, so if you have a decent amount of it, that's probably equivalent to a $1500-2000 bid if it were just basic prep/paint.

Azeez K. · Answer

Exterior paint is $1 per sq.ft. Interior Paint is $1.25-$1.50 per sq. ft.

Account Closed · Answer

If you've gotten a quote for $2500 for full interior paint (all ceilings, walls and trim) that includes wallpaper removal and sheet repair, I think that's a good price.

Erik Hitzelberger · Answer

@Jessica H. I pay about $1.25-$1.50 per sqft for paint.  This includes paint and would cover walls, ceilings, base, crown, and chair rail.  Unless it is very minor, I have a drywall crew fix the walls.  $2500 doesn't seem like it would be out of the realm of possibility without knowing how much drywall work needs to be done.

Jessica H. · Answer

The homes about 1500 square feet with about a quarter of it with wallpaper and light to moderate wall repair. There is moldings, some rooms have chair rail and crown. All have to be painted.It is for a flip and the crews we got bids from also do sheetrock as well as painting. The lowest bid we got was for $2500 which doesn't include paint, we still have another coming in so we shall see....It's for a flip. Thx.

Bryan L. · Answer

I usually use handymen.  And I pay them about 11 -15 dollars per hour, with me providing the paint.

How much do you pay for wall prep/painting?

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