Painter needed

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ps9 said:
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what kind of wood floor do you have ?
 
Stairs turned out great, just a shade darker then above when the final layer of stain was applied.  Will see how it turns out over time.  As for the interior painting, I rate 3-High at 8.5/10.  Guys showed up on time, able to communicate well with the foreman, and overall the paint was done well.  Any issues that came up were resolved, and James mentioned if any things need touch up to just give him a call.  Plan on using them again for the next project.
 
Hope to get some input on this old topic...

I am interviewing painters to paint the interior of our new house (2,600 sf, 4 bed, 3 bath, 2 stories).  We just need the walls painted (no doors, trim, crown, baseboards, cabinets, or closets) with no more than 3 colors (no stripes or fancy design).  I am asking the painter to use Dunn Edwards Suprema paint (velvet for living and bedrooms, semi-gloss for kitchen and bathrooms).

Painter 1 - Used him to paint the exterior of our old house, really liked their work, and they're licensed/insured/bonded.  3 guys for 4 days. $3,900
Painter 2 - Highly recommended by a friend; he has done work for them a few times.  NOT licensed, so I think it's safe to say he's not insured or bonded either. 3 guys for 4 days. $3,850
Painter 3 - Used him to paint the kitchen cabinets of our old house, pleased with the work, and they're licensed/insured/bonded. 3 guys for 5 days. $3,700
Painter 4 - So far, he has done 2 houses on the street and has another 2 booked. He is licensed, but not insured because he said he likes to just do the work by himself. $2,600

I asked them to give me a day to day schedule of what they'll be doing, all 4 painters have the same process.  I'm going to throw out Painter 2, since he's not licensed and is charging so much.  I want to go with Painter 1 or 3 because of my past experience with them, but why is Painter 4's quote over $1,000 cheaper?  Design Center was going to charge us $3,500 for one color.  Am I being ripped off, but how is it possible that the first 3 quotes all came in within $200 of one another? 

Appreciate any input you may have.
 
If I read the story right, Painter 4 is cheaper because he is not insured and does not use other workers.

From what I can see, there is a general rate to pay the subs for their work and you just mark that up. Seems like it hovers around $1k per day for 3 guys... give or take. If you are paying them ~$20/hour that's about $450-500 cost and the rest goes to the owner.

How long will Painter 4 take? Doesn't seem like he'll be able to finish in 4 days if he's doing your whole house by himself.

P.S. We did a similarly sized house in 2.5 days with 3 painters, not sure why yours would take 4 days (esp if I'm assuming the walls are white on a new build).
 
Painter 1 and 3 seem a bit high in price.  Painter 4 seems more reasonable.  I don't think number of colors affects the cost too much.  There is only a slight discount for a 5 gallon drum vs. 1 gallon.  I would make sure that Painter #4 does not add any water to paint (in case this is how he is charging less)
 
A S said:
Hope to get some input on this old topic...

I am interviewing painters to paint the interior of our new house (2,600 sf, 4 bed, 3 bath, 2 stories).  We just need the walls painted (no doors, trim, crown, baseboards, cabinets, or closets) with no more than 3 colors (no stripes or fancy design).  I am asking the painter to use Dunn Edwards Suprema paint (velvet for living and bedrooms, semi-gloss for kitchen and bathrooms).

Painter 1 - Used him to paint the exterior of our old house, really liked their work, and they're licensed/insured/bonded.  3 guys for 4 days. $3,900
Painter 2 - Highly recommended by a friend; he has done work for them a few times.  NOT licensed, so I think it's safe to say he's not insured or bonded either. 3 guys for 4 days. $3,850
Painter 3 - Used him to paint the kitchen cabinets of our old house, pleased with the work, and they're licensed/insured/bonded. 3 guys for 5 days. $3,700
Painter 4 - So far, he has done 2 houses on the street and has another 2 booked. He is licensed, but not insured because he said he likes to just do the work by himself. $2,600

I asked them to give me a day to day schedule of what they'll be doing, all 4 painters have the same process.  I'm going to throw out Painter 2, since he's not licensed and is charging so much.  I want to go with Painter 1 or 3 because of my past experience with them, but why is Painter 4's quote over $1,000 cheaper?  Design Center was going to charge us $3,500 for one color.  Am I being ripped off, but how is it possible that the first 3 quotes all came in within $200 of one another? 

Appreciate any input you may have.
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Did you ever think about painting a room yourself?

#DIY

 
Painter 4 said it will take him 6 days to finish the job by himself. Yes, I wondered too if he's going to water down the paint.  Painter 4 is the unknown, am only keeping him in play because he is so much cheaper.  Granted, $1,000 is not a ton of money, but it could go towards covering other house expenses.

I have worked with Painters 1 and 3, I know they will use Dunn Edwards Suprema and not pull a switcheroo on me.  They also will not water down the paint.  They both said 4 days because:

Day 1: Prep and tape up all the trim and baseboards, cover all flooring with plastic and canvas drop cloth.
Day 2: Start cutting around the crown and roll on first coat in main rooms.
Day 3: Second coat and bathrooms.
Day 4: Finish touchups and clean up.

DIY...not going to happen in this household...the job will never get done.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
About putting water in paint, paint is the cheapest component... so it doesn't make sense to try to thin it.
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True.. but adding water does allow them to work faster since it spreads so much easier.
 
I rather spend $1000 extra for ease of mind and faster completion time. $1000 is peanut for housing expense. Use painter #4's quote to negotiate with 1 and 3. let them compete for your $$$
 
On one hand, how back can they F up paint, we've all painted before ourselves and we're not pros.  However, we've had two horrendous paint jobs with previous homes, so that's why I am actually giving this some thought for the new house.

Adding water in paint is a definite no for me, you'll never been able to match the color again.

I will probably rule out Painter 4, since I have not worked with him in the past.  Of course, I'll probably kick myself when I tour my neighbors' homes and see that he's done a great job.
 
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