Blog post
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Pricing a painting and decorating job is not as straight forward as it may first appear.
At first glance it may seem a simple case of a bit of paint and a day’s work which will cost £££ this is fine if it is a D.I.Y project but if you hire a professional then that is a different story.
As a professional there are many costs which must be factored in to the pricing structure such as
insurance so that the customer is protected in case of an accident (always ask if they are insured).
There is also the cost of good quality tools and equipment, lockup space, advertising and promotion, vehicle costs, admin costs (yes viewing jobs and writing up estimates), additional crew to comply with health and safety and so on.
Then there are several questions one must establish in order to give a realistic price for a job.
We will further address these questions one by one.
- What sort of finish does the customer require?
- What quality of materials should be used?
- Are there any special treatments that need to be applied?
- How much work is needed in order to start the work?
What sort of finish does the customer require?
It maybe that all the customer wants is a quick freshen up as the room looks a little tired
and it simply needs one coat of fresh paint to liven it up.
However it maybe that it require a bit more work than that it may need holes filling and then sanding and in some cases this may be needed more than once if it is a deep hole. Edges of architraves, skirts caulking, old paint drips sanding off bare wood or plaster priming, etc.
We apply two coats of paint on walls and ceilings and an undercoat and topcoat on woodwork with primer as required.
What quality of materials should be used?
Sometime we have had clients show us a colour card from a manufacturer and say “we want this”.
Ok first of do you want that colour or that colour and brand name? Sometimes an expensive paint can be as thin and runny and thus need more coats as a cheap paint and the more coats the more it costs.
The same is true of woodwork it depends on what top coat is wanted, gloss tends to cover well and usually only needs one coat but eggshell and satin can take several coats to cover well.
We help you arrive at the right choice for you offering the best balance of cost and durability.
Are there any special treatments that need to be applied?
Sometimes we need to apply anti-fungal or anti-bacterial treatments in order to get rid of problems caused by damp. Often even when treated stains or discolouration need to be treated with a stain blocker to prevent them seeping through over time.
How much work is needed in order to start the work?
Sometimes this can be as simple as assessing how and where to place ladders or working platforms and whether this requires assistance for health and safety. Or it may be how much furniture will need to be moved and how long it will take as ultimately this adds to the time taken and the cost.
Now armed with this information it is possible to build a detailed estimate for the real cost for the job.
