What would you take to paint the interior of a 650 sq. ft. condo?

[Tobin S.]

Bathroom and kitchen are okay. Dining room, living room, a hall way, and the only bedroom need painted. I'm thinking in the $400 to $500 range would be fair.

Edited to add- I will be supplying all the paint and any equipment needed.\

Edit #2- I'm the customer, not the painter.

[Turbineguy]

1. Spend money on the pricier

one coat paint.

[Tobin S.]

2. You're saying you would need more money?

We're in the Midwest here. This ain't New York City or L.A.

[sorefeet]

19. Never buy one coat paint

waste of money. ESPECIALLY on raw drywall. Not enough mils. (thickness). I think if you are buying the paint, a good painter could come in and spiff the whole place up for $500. NOT paint the whole place, but if it needed an extra wall painted or some caulk around the tub or sink, just to lets say, "put a shoe shine on it", just make it clean enough to sell. About 2 days work at 5 hours a day. And the guy should have ALL the rollers, brushes, drop cloths, ladders, transportation, tape or what ever else is needed besides the paint.
So about 50 bucks an hour, but remember he should bring about 3-5 hundred dollars worth of his own tools and supplies. Professional tools aren't cheap.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. I would take a balloon full of paint and a very large firecracker to the job. nt

[Tobin S.]

4. I'd try to negotiate a lower price for that kind of deal.

[hunter]

25. This post needs the how to video --

Mr. Bean painting his house.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

27. Yup, that's the one! +1

[handmade34]

5. I find

the most difficult part of painting is the prep work (clearing the room and protecting the floors)... if they do it the $400 to $500 is fair

$150 for supplies and $300 for labor... well worth buying good paint

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. If you have to ask, ...

Then you are not a professional. OK, not everybody is a professional and everybody starts somewhere.

There are two approaches:

1) Call up for an estimate or two and undercut it severely because you are not a professional.

2) Cost it out like a professional. Estimate materials and time. Include in the time all the prep and clean up. Mark up the paint and supplies because it takes time to get them and buy them. Prep time done properly takes longer than the actual painting, but you know that. Add in some time to account for back office work (preparing estimates, invoicing, billing, taxes, etc.). Add in a proportioned amount of time spent marketing and selling jobs and measuring and going over color selections with clients, because those are things the pro has to do too.

When you've added up all the time, assign yourself a minimum wage and add it to the materials. Don't be surprised if the total exceeds #1.

[Tobin S.]

7. I'm the customer, not the painter. Sorry if that wasn't clear in the OP.

[Wounded Bear]

22. I think he is trying to help you understand what the pro will charge and why...

Not necessarily what it would cost you to do it.

[obxhead]

8. paint all of it.

Those areas that look OK now will probably look like they need painted after the other rooms are done.

[TexasTowelie]

9. How high are the walls?

The number of square feet in the condo doesn't provide any clue as to the size of the job? Will the painters be on ladders a lot?

[cyberswede]

10. Glad to see you back, TT!

[Tobin S.]

13. They are standard 8 foot walls. Edited to add the ceilings will need painted as well.

[tom_kelly]

11. I agree

with the posters about good paint. I bought a place and used home depot paint, Baers, or something like that to paint the whole interior. After a coat of kills it took 2 coats to look presentable. Go to a sherman williams or some other store that is a paint store and not some place that sells lawn tractors and ceiling fans too.

I don't know if you have this option in your area but I picked up a few Central American day laborers and paid them 12 bucks an hour with lunch. They were happy and did a great job with what they had - home depot paint. Yes, it would have almost been half the price had I not gone with that paint. Good luck!

[Android3.14]

12. It's a one-day job for one person

You are bringing the supplies.
Call your friend, throw in the beer, and the job is done in half a day for the cost of a couple of gallons, brushes and a case of Sam Adams.

[NutmegYankee]

14. I don't think it will cost that much.

It depends on the paint, but I used Behr Premium Plus when I bought my place and only needed 2 gallons for a few rooms. A few high quality brushes, pans and roller, and you are good to go. Unless you are going with multiple colors, I think $250 is probably reasonable at most.

On edit: I was thinking of supplies and material only. Labor is on top of all of the above. Like many homeowners, I do my own painting.

[OKNancy]

15. If you want a pro to do it, don't bother to buy paint and equipment

Painters want to use their own supplies. They can also get discounts on paint if they are truly a pro.
I don't know the going rate where you live but a good painter will bid, not charge by the hour.
They do an estimate in their head however of how long it will take.

Three rooms and a hallway? A crap job would maybe take a few days. A good job a week.
No way you can get a pro to do it for the prices you mentioned.

If you haven't bought paint recently... it's had a steep price increase.

Oh forgot to add... a good painter will caulk and patch and smooth the wall, not just slap paint on what you have. Do you want your ceilings painted?
And the price may depend on if there are stains, etc that need extra attention or paint coats.

So much depends on what all you want.

[Tobin S.]

16. I don't need a pro, just someone who can do a half way decent job. Make it look neat and clean.

I've already bought the paint. I know how to do the job myself, so I know what will go into it. I just don't have the time. The condo is a rental I own and now I need to put it on the market. The last tenant was very dirty and rough on things. I just need to fix it up and sell it.

The ceilings and walls will need painting. No major patch jobs.

[OKNancy]

17. wish I could help more

my husband is a professional painter ( he does rich people's houses... lol ) Sounds like you just need to call around and get bids.

[mrmpa]

18. I have a 2 bedroom, 2 bath,1200 sq. foot condo & to paint it...........

the cost is a case of beer. Payable to my brother the Labor Union painter. I supply the paint and he helps me choose the color(s).

I know we can't all be that lucky.

[WovenGems]

20. A keg of beer and neighbors

I love living in a college town.

[alarimer]

21. Can you get estimates from people?

I've never owned any property so I have never had to get work done.

But I've heard that it's best to get an estimate or two. Kind of like car repairs, I suppose.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. If it's raw drywall you should start with drywall primer before painting.

That way you get smoother coverage. And whatever you do, don't get cheap paint - buy something like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams. Even with high-quality paint you might want two coats to get it to look really good (depending on the color). I learned these things the hard way, especially about never using cheap paint.

[rrneck]

24. It depends on the kind of paint job you want.

I've painted the entire inside of a 2800 square foot house in two days. The interior was all the same color, I didn't paint the ceilings, didn't cut in the corners and I was using the exact same color and brand of paint. Also, there was no sunfading on the existing walls, so good cover wasn't an issue.

If you need something more extensive, it will take longer. Prep is time consuming, so if there are lots of nail holes, gouges, or god forbid water stains that takes more time. Extractive bleeding is a pain in the ass. If you like white ceilings as opposed to ceilings that are the same color as the walls that means more cut in, thus more time. Are you going to paint the woodwork and doors?

Is the condo occupied? If it is full of furniture that should be removed to paint it? Once I had to entirely move a guy out of his house and put his stuff in a POD to get the interior painted.

Generally speaking I can empty a bedroom and paint the walls a different color then replace the furnishings in about an eight hour day. It sounds like you've got a standard condo with no window molding, crown and maybe no base. Having not seen the job or the market in the area, 500 labor sounds about right.

[liberal N proud]

26. Depends where you are

I wouldn't pay the same in New York as I would in Does Moines Iowa.