FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
No real painter can have a standard pricing system because there are too many variables, and square footage means next to nothing to me. If your house was a 2,000 sq foot box, I could roll it in 3 hours, so it has little to do with the cost. The major amount of time is spent on brush work, which includes painting casings, base moldings, window & door frames, etc as well as the time it takes to cut them all in with the wall paint. So the number of doors, windows, and moldings impact the price far more than wall square footage. Some other variables include ceiling height, wall / ceiling texture type, and prep work like repairing cracked caulking. Textured surfaces like knock down plaster, take much more prep work to get straight edges out of and take longer to paint.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
First off, I never quote a job sight unseen. If a painter quotes a job, based on the small amount of information provided by the request, without meeting the customer and doing an on-site walk through, then he's not for real. So before quoting any job I arrange a meeting with the customer to see exactly what the scope of the job is. I also spend a good deal of time making recommendations and explaining what can and can't be done. I do this at no cost to the customer. At the conclusion of the walk-through I typically give a price range that the job will fall into. If the customer wishes to move forward, I then email a firm and binding quote. If the customers wishes to employ my services, then a work agreement / contract is drawn up and signed by both parties prior to work proceeding. The contract is for their protection and peace of mind as well as mine. I'm a firm believer that all questions should be answered and documented before the brush hits the wall.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
No continuing education but I do stay involved in the various professional internet discussion boards. I also experiment constantly in my shop with new products and faux finish techniques.