[jimmyb1967]

How much per square foot should I charge to paint a one bedroom apartment, including ceiling.

[Clough]

Hi, jimmyb1967!

There are many factors to be considered when pricing a painting job. I.e. how the paint is applied, (roller, brush or spray), the type of painting that is to be done, the number of coats, whether any of the surface areas are textured or not, the amount of trim that is to be painted, the number of coats, whether a primer needs to be applied, the amount of repair that might need to be done, the kind of paint that is used, etc.

Around where I live and work, if the paint is applied with a roller and if the surface area is perfectly flat and not needing any repair, the average cost would be around .80 to .90 cents a square foot for two coats of paint. That wouldn't include the application of a primer and also wouldn't include the price of the paint or other materials used.

In larger metropolitan areas, the cost for painting could be substantially more than the prices that I gave to you. The cost would also be more on the east and west coast of the U.S.

What I like to do for customers is to actually go with them to the store to get the paint so that they can pay for it there. If I usually get a discount on the paint, then I pass on that savings to my customers. Doing that helps to build a good relationship with customers that might lead to referrals for me.

Thanks!

[Rivethead]

Here's an interesting tool to play with:

MYREMODELINGPROJECT.COM

[Clough]

Hi, Rivethead!

Yes, it is interesting! I will continue to play with it. It's not all that realistic though because someone who sets up the program would have to know a lot of facts about a lot of vicinities concerning what contractors might be charging. Depending on the location, some of the outcomes of figures might be close to being accurate, though.

Thanks!

[MrPainter]

Hi, jimmyb1967!

There are many factors to be considered when pricing a painting job. I.e., how the paint is applied, (roller, brush or spray), the type of painting that is to be done, the number of coats, whether any of the surface areas are textured or not, the amount of trim that is to be painted, the number of coats, whether a primer needs to be applied, the amount of repair that might need to be done, the kind of paint that is used, etc.

Around where I live and work, if the paint is applied with a roller and if the surface area is perfectly flat and not needing any repair, the average cost would be around .80 to .90 cents a square foot for two coats of paint. That wouldn't include the application of a primer and also wouldn't include the price of the paint or other materials used.

In larger metropolitan areas, the cost for painting could be substantially more than the prices that I gave to you. The cost would also be more on the east and west coast of the U.S.

What I like to do for customers is to actually go with them to the store to get the paint so that they can pay for it there. If I usually get a discount on the paint, then I pass on that savings to my customers. Doing that helps to build a good relationship with customers that might lead to referrals for me.

Thanks!

Hi Clough,

Does the .80 - .90/sq ft figure that you are using include painting the trim as well? I believe that is what you are saying but I want to be clear.

[MrPainter]

Also, are there any painting contractors here on this forum that are in North Carolina or near that could share what they are charging roughly per sqare ft to price jobs?

Thanks

[Clough]

Hi Clough,

Does the .80 - .90/sq ft figure that you are using include painting the trim as well? I believe that is what you are saying but I want to be clear.

Hi, MrPainter!

The price that I quoted doesn't included the trim. The trim would be priced in linear feet if the paint is applied by using a brush.

If the paint is applied to the trim by using a brush, around here for two coats of paint on the trim, the price would be $1.25+ per linear foot. That also wouldn't include the cost of the paint or other supplies or prep that might need to be done to the trim.

Thanks!

[MrPainter]

Clough,

I am going to share what happened to me the other day. I am in Greensboro, NC.

I had an estimate to do in Madison, NC which is about 35 miles from my home.

I was advertising on Craig's List and that is how the customer found me.

What they had was 2 BDRMS and a hallway they wanted painted. The hallway and one bedroom were to be painted the same color as the current color and no trim or doors were to be painted. The second bedroom was currently white as was everything else. They wanted me to match a color to be "John Deere green." Of course, that color could take more than 2 coats to cover so I suggested using Ben Moore Aura because they advertise a guarantee of covering in 2 coats and my experience with it has proved that to be accurate. So that was the paint I was going to use in that room. The other bdrm and hall, I was just going to use Behr and paint one coat. Behr is a nice paint and less expensive. Ben Moore Aura is $55/gal. So they were all excited and handed me a coffee mug that was a John Deere coffee mug so that I could match the color. I figured the deal was done but I still hadn't given them I price. I never give "ball parks."

I went home. Did the estimate and emailed it to them. The 2 bedrooms were 10.5 x 11 and the hall had 43 ft of wall space, so it was about 24 or so feet long.

So for 1 coat on the walls of the hall and bdrm and 2 coats of Ben Moore on the other bdrm, I gave them a quote of $494. This included all materials and I was driving 1.5 hrs roughly to get there and back. And there was minimal prep work.

I thought that was an incredibly reasonable price. I price one coat, which includes all materials at .33 cents/sq ft and the 2 coat room at .72 cents/sq ft because I was using Ben Moore Aura.

I got an email back claiming that I was "steep" and they weren't going to use me.

Madison is a much smaller city than Greensboro but from all the electronic gadgets and wide screen TVs and XBoxes, etc they had in there home and the camping equipment in the garage, there was no reason for me to believe they couldn't afford it. And I don't adjust prices according to what I think someone can afford anyway. I have a square foot guide and then I consider all the other factors one normally factors into an estimate such as the amount of prep work, repair, furniture, etc

But I could never get the prices you are quoting around here. And the price that I quoted her was really not high at all.

This was the first time that happened to me in that way. I have had people think that I was high before but rarely. I think some people are just totally unaware of the cost of having a business. I am fully insured and I have a good reputation and excellent references. I keep pics of my work. Etc.

A guide or ball park price around where I live to paint one coat on the trim and walls, Windows and doors included, if there is no chair railing, wainscoting, or crown molding for a 12 x 12 room is around $250 roughly. That's not painting the ceiling and minimal prep work. And still some people think that is expensive.

[MrPainter]

Here's an interesting tool to play with:

MYREMODELINGPROJECT.COM

I went to the myremodelingproject calculator and did a little figuing. Here's what I came up with for the 27410 zip code:

Interior notes from: MYREMODELINGPROJECT.COM

These are prices figured according to painting 12x12 room walls, ceiling, and trim. There is no crown molding or chair railing. The total square footage of a 12x12 room and ceiling is 528 sq ft.


2 coats on everything: $635.00 (that translates to $1.24053/square foot
1 coat on everything: $455.00 (that translates to $.8617/square foot

The second coat price is: $.37883/square foot which is the difference of 1.2405/sq ft & .8617/sq ft.

This could be useful when there is heavy prep work to do. The first coat price would naturally be higher do to the preparation time and materials.

I still think that I would have a hard time around here with the average income home owner charging $455 to paint one coat on the walls, trim, and ceiling.

Using these figues, I should charge $330.89 to paint one coat on the walls & trim only that has minimal prep work. :eek:I have been charging $250 for that. :rolleyes::confused::o

Is anyone on this forum in or near my neck of the woods that has some thoughts on this; the pricing I mean?

[debweis]

how much per square foot should i charge to paint a one bedroom apartment, including ceiling.

How do I get sq. footage of a room

[MrPainter]

how do i get sq. footage of a room

For the ceiling, multiply the length by the width.

For the walls. Add the perimiter and multiply by the height of the walls. For a 12 x 12 room it would be (12 + 12 + 12 + 12) x 8' if you had an 8 foot ceiling.

Then add the wall area and ceiling area together for the total flat surface area. For a 12 x 12 room plus ceiling it would be a total of 528 sq ft. 384 sq ft (walls) + 144 sq ft (ceiling) = 528 sq ft

If you are figuring for wall paint paint and it's something like a hallway. Then subtract the area of the doors. Normally, a door area is 3'x7' or 21 sq ft. So add all the doors and windows (if any) total area and subtract that from the wall area to get the total wall surface to be painted for paint purchasing purposes. Any time you had an area that had a lot of doors and windows or a kitchen for instance with cabnets, you have to subtract out those areas or you will by too much wall paint.

For pricing, don't subtract the door/window area unless you are going to be breaking it apart such as figuring times to trim by the linear ft or with doors and window by the hour.

Sometimes I price things by breaking the activities apart. Sometimes, I use a sq footage pricing method. It just depends on the job. Sometimes I use both and compare and go by feel or intuition or experience as it were. But I always start with figures. I pretty much have an idea of price when I first get to a place and walk around. Then I go home and verify it with figures. The Painting and Decorating Contractors of America has an great estimating guide to help you figure times and material costs.

[zeek1971]

I would like to know wich is the cost sf for paint handrail and stair railing