The following are the types of considerations that effect the pricing of your interior painting costs. Knowing these things will give you the opportunity to take measures to reduce the painting cost. As well, knowing these considerations, you know the type of details that you want to inquire about from the comapny quoting on your project. Be realistic, if you do not ask about improving specific conditions during the paint work; the contractor may assume that you wish to have work performed to match the level/quality of work previously done.
Condition of Surfaces:
Some walls and ceilings require very little preparation, and it is recomended that you yake a close look at your walls to determine if you see areas that need repairs. There may be fresh nail holes, or raised areas where previous repairs were not sanded flush with wall, or drywall nail/screw pops that appear when studs twist, dry or move. Some damage is due to accidents, neglect, previously inferior paint products (bubbles), water damage, or failed previous preparation (scaling).
Access for Painter:
Consider the accessibility issues for painting rooms in your home. It is substantially easier to paint an apartment or floor in a house that is empty. How much time a painter will be required to move, cover, and replace furnishings should be considered in cost. Also note if special ladders may be required to reach open beams, skylights, or stairwells. If buying a new home, be aware that painting the home before you move in is 10-15% cheaper then after all your furnishings are in place. I always offer to come fix any scratches that movers create - in cases where we paint in advance.
Level of Care/Standards:
For every gallon of wall paint, I like to consider allowing a minimum of 20minutes in repairs, which can be enough time to find, fill, and sand repairs in two bedrooms. Most would understand that the price to re-paint a rental apartment would be lower than an owners executive water-front condo. It should also be considered what the expectancy is, as some owners are content with the results of the previous paint work, while others are not happy about poorly patched nail holes, blemishes, cracks around trim and baseboards, or in-consistencies in texture. If you want more than just the color changed, meaning you want the standard raised since the place was last painted; then request it. Most walls can be made to look new, but do not assume such improvements will be automatically done; these changes take man hours.
Number of Paints/Colors:
It should be noted that for every color and sheen of a paint, clean up time will be increased. Even if the ceiling, walls, and trim will all be one color – they may be different sheens. (Ceilings- Flat, Walls- Eggshell, Trim –Semi Gloss) In addition, some colors are very difficult to cover – such as deep shades like burgundy or forest green. If colors are yet to have been chosen, and i am requested for a competative price; I will quote paint price based on using the came base color (clear-dark, pastel-medium, white-light colors).
Paint Type -Requirements:
Soon for residential painting, there will not be a choice of alkyd or oil paints, but if your home was last a painted with an oil paint, then the first coat over it should be a oil-primer (or specialty latex product). This may mean an additional coat for areas such as bathrooms and kitchens. Sometimes customers want to specifically request a name-brand paint, this can effect the cost per gallon by as much as $20.00. In 1000 square foot job; this could mean a price difference of $75-$150.00.
Timing of the Work
Occasionally, it is possible to negotiate a better price for painting at a time when it is most convenient to the painter, or in a slower season like between late fall and early spring. If you are buying a new home; the best time to book the painter is when the deal is accepted, and if the painter can have access before you move in- you could save more than the cost of a retal truck.
Special Circumstances
Such a circumstance may be the replacement of carpets, after walls and ceiling painted and a time saver in not needing to protect carpet. Smoke damage would add time and costs
Buying a home is a one of the most important financial decisions we make, and it follows that we will want to put our own signature on it. Sometimes there are colors chosen by former owner that just do not suit our personality or any of our furnishings, and a change is needed.See the advice that follows under – Major Changes.
Freshening Up for Sale
Often sellers will take a look at their home in the company of a Realtor and determine that some changes are well advised to improve the attraction of quicker and higher offers from buyers. This may include removing wallpapering or borders, are changing a wall that has a very dark tone that worked well with furnishings that are not intended to be offered with the sale.It is often recommended that if you have a lot of furniture, that some be removed to give rooms a larger feel. If scratches or damaged walls are present, it would be best have them touched up in their current color. Matching paint colors is easy these days, and most painters and suppliers will do this service for you.
Major Changes –Refurbishing for a new look
Okay, lets assume that you are wanting to make major changes, and you want to do it right. I first recommend that you plan to spend some time viewing new homes open houses, and bring your digital camera. Checking out some home shows and collecting some brochures is another good idea catalyst, and finally have a look at some Home Décor magazines to give you some further ideas.
Start by separating and collecting a dozen photos of what appeals to you, while still seeming marginally realistic. A decorating consultant can often look at your picks and determine common factors that will be of great help to you. The following are some items to watch for:
Are there strong contrasts between walls and trim?
Are rich colors being used?
Do your favorite have sparse furnishings?
How predominant is white in your choices?
Are more than one wall color used in these samples?
Can you determine a common theme of colors?
If your doors of a fifties home are natural wood finish, and all the sample you have selected show white doors; you may be on to a decision that will have quick results. Another common factor is that size and profile of trim has changed over years and you may do well to consider upgrading yours. Many painters, can also do trim upgrades, and when combined with a painting project- it may be cheaper than you think. The last three bedroom home I did was 1100 square feet and including materials the doors, baseboard, windows were re-fitted for under $1,500.00.
I mentioned the trim and doors first, because it is important to consider what factors are limiting you from moving towards moving your home towards the samples you found. Next make note of your homes ceiling heights and walls surfaces. There is little you can do about the fact that your samples may have twelve foot ceilings and yours are eight, but if your home has textured plastered walls, you may want to consider a skim coat to smooth out the walls in your common areas.
Alas, we settle on the colors:
Sometimes choices are easy if you are confident in what you want. For those whom are less sure, it can be a bit more complicated. If you have found samples, and they are all of different color schemes, the fun then begins. If you are decidedly not going to replace all your furnishings, then we want to make sure to consider that your choice of colors will not clash with your furnishings. If you are sticking to lighter shades, this becomes less of a concern.
If is important to note that even though you may not be already confident in a color choice- it does not mean that the decision becomes simple. I think the process at this point should be about reducing the possibilities and being confident as to what you don’t want. Use large swatches of a varied selection of colors. Eliminate one by one and get down from 6 principle colors –down to 2. Then work with swatches that show multiple shades of the same colors. Do not be discouraged if something does not jump out as a yes, but instead be patient and consider what shades seem the least objectionable. I recommend spending a day or two with the colors views in different lighting to see if you are warmer towards one. If the shade you choose is the lightest- sampling a lighter shade on a wall may be the key. If your preference is the darkest shade, then sampling a darker shade may be best.
The most frequent dilemma I assist clients with is the desire for rich colors, but the accompanying concern about darkening the room. A darker room seems more crowded and smaller. It is also common to find that one partner prefers to stay with light walls, while the other adventurously wishes to add richness and life. Also, consider how many items like pictures you will be hanging and whether that will contribute to making the room seem busy if walls are darker. I recommend that if you have one wall that gets good lighting and is suitable; that you consider that wall to be a feature wall with a darker shade of the same colors used on the other walls.
Colors add not only your personal signature to a room or home, but they also can create the atmosphere of somewhere you feel invited to return each day. It is important that you do not rush your decisions, if you hope to foster a welcoming place that your family enjoys spending time in,
In the past twenty years of being involved with the residential housing industry, I have seen many situations that have affected the process of selling a home.
Although I operate a painting business, I often do other remedial improvementsthat can improve the overall sale-ability of a home. I have a further background in the construction management of homes from working with builders while employed by a ready-mix concrete supply company.
I should not miss the opportunity here to share, that any qualified trade running a business that does work on your property should in all good conscience be able to notify you of any areas of concern while working on your home.Encouraging them to share observations, can often avoid the surprise and un-timely concern of these matters being listed on a “pre-buy” home inspection.
Sound Conditions Versus Poor Showing
It is my suggestion and personal choice to stick as closely to the facts and realities as is required by your realtor in a the standard disclosure statement. Therefore, if your furnace is twenty years old, you do not describe it as recently replaced. You do howvever, make sure that it has been recently cleaned and serviced, and all surface areas of the sheet metal are clean and free of clutter. Selling is a case where the "book is judged bu it's cover."
Roof Condition:
Much like the furnance, you shouldn’t stray away from the actual facts when describing it, however, you should not let a seven year old roof look like it’s twenty. Dirty gutters, and fascia boards, are easy to clean and or paint and they are part of how buyers view the roof. Moss build up would also cause a buyer to consider that the normal range (depending on product) of life for a shingle roof: 7-20 years, may be the former in your homes case. Roofs, are more expensive to replace than furnaces; so make sure that they both so well- regardless of their age.
Curb Appeal:
Hopefully your realtor has some years of experience and will advise you in preparing your home and trying to maximize the sale price. Ask them ifyou only had say $1000.00 to invest, what should you spend it on?If you are handy with tools and a brush, consider making sure the first impression is positive with the look of the front door. A scratched and peeling, and weathered door not having received maintenance may not be the best cover of the book you want them to be interested in. One liter of paint will cost about $25.00, plus a hour could make the difference in whether you get an offer.
Common Area Shine:
If you remember what you liked most about the home when you bought it, make sure those areas still shine for the next perspective buyer. In some cases, just a little bit of touching up with matched paint on trim, doors, window ledges, and mantel can go a great length in making your home shine. You don’t need to paint the whole place, unless your realtor strongly advises such (wish they did so more often), but if you have smoke damage, or peeling wallpaper- those may be things to consider having done. It not just the small things they see; it is whether they get the over-all impression that you maintained the home in good condition.
Everyone likely has had their own personal experience with the notion; “You get what you pay for...”
I choose not to sell false economy, and whenever possible I make it a business practice to attempt to give more than what was negotiated. Being a owner-operated business, I know what, the estimator (myself), the customer, and the painter are all talking about.
Fortunately, I seldom bid a job, only to find midway through, that doing the work correctly, would take twice as much time as thought. The following are considerations for how involved the work on your property will be.
In some cases, knowing these facts can save you money- especially if you are considering a quote from someone that seems less informed than you are.
Sadly, there will always be people willing to take too much money for not-enough execution do to either lack of experience or willful neglect. Get three quotes, and don’t simply choose the cheapest; seek references and try to see their work.
Your home should cost the same to paint as a similar property, provided most conditions are the same or similar. My web site shows many private home with price ranges; so you can get a base point.
These are things to consider in estimating the cost of painting your home:
Type of Building Materials:
Some materials require more prep work and repairs than others, so consider if parts of your home have wood, stucco, brick, Hardy-plank, etc. Wood siding and shingle buildings that have been painted many times over 75 years or more may have additional concerns if thick layers of paint have begun separating from the wood.
Condition of Surfaces to be Painted:
Some buildings are in much better condition than others, even though they may be built with the same materials. If a surface was not cleaned prior to painting in the past- peeling and or cracking may be prevalent.
Previous neglect, previous use of inferior paint products, water damage, or direct exposure to the sun (usually only two sides). It may be that all your home needs is a light power-washing and a little bit of caulking before a fresh coat of paint is applied. In some cases, power-washing is not an option, and still in further extreme cases, complete refurbishment (or replacement) of material is recommended.
In one recent project, the cost of stripping flaking layers of paint off of soffit areas was nearly the same cost of replacement., with additional concern for the garden area and paint chips; customer choose to have us replace.
Access to Building:
Consider the accessibility issues for painting your home, including the grade conditions (slopes) on your property, as well as trees or shrubs that will inhibit a painter. Failing a solution of specialty ladders, scaffolding or power lifts- the more difficult the access- the more time and money to have a painter do proper work. When safety of a worker is set against costs, or concerns of shrubbery- my focus will be on safety and quality work. Shrubs can grow fresh limbs and grass can be replanted. All these things should be identified in advance.
Color Schemes:
Most homes are painted with two or more colors, with one being the body and the access color for trim areas, however, your choice may be to have more colors, and this will affect the quote, or cost of painting. It should be considered reasonable to expect that if you don’t request the additional colors- they may not be supported in the quote provided. Brush cleaning, additional trips to same access areas can make a fair case for increased costs.
If you are painting with intent to sell in near future; let the contractor know in case a savings can be realized by using a similar color and reducing the amount of time, paint, and costs.
Products Used in Past Painting Projects & Choices for This time:
If the property was last painting in oil and the decision is to change to latex, an additional primer coat may be required which would affect the over-all cost.
Some customers, whom are selling their property choose to request a less expensive paint product, while others insist on products boasting the best durability.
There is a great deal of new products on the market today, all primarily motivated by the move towards environmentally friendly products. There is a growing gap between the price of the old standards and the new products, but the good news is that the quality and durability of the environmental products is at par or in many cases better.
Timing of the Work:
Occasionally, it is possible to negotiate a better price for painting at a time when it is most convenient to the painter.
Exteriors should be initially cleaned a week or more before prep and painting begins, so I would suggest that finding a good paint contractor should be started a couple months or more in advance.
How to Choose Colors for your Home