should I add to be fair. I was trimming out a rent house after water damage. The painter failed to show two days and the owner is out of town, so he asked me to paint the trim before I finish the install. This is pretty simple about 60′ of stain and then seal it. The remaining 90′ is prime and paint 2 coats. He left the request on my answering machine. I have done other work in his rent houses and just want to charge a fair rate. I am thinking of charging the same rate I charge for installing the trim.
Just looking to see what you guys think.
john
Replies
If you're charging an Hourly rate to install the trim then I think charging the same to paint it will be fine. If you charge by the foot for the trim or just work up a bid based on each job then I'm not sure what you should do, I do know that it takes longer to paint than it does to install trim. (At least that's the case with me)
I charge a by the foot for simple trim like this. I also am finding out that it is taking longer to paint but the equipment is cheaper. I should mention that I hate to paint and I especially hate to stain...but I am halfway through. If I cannot do anything else I will just charge an hourly rate. I was just wondering what others have to pay for this type of work.
I'd charge him whatever it normally costs you to do trim work since that is what your job description is. The time you spend painting is time you could have otherwise spent trimming this house or some other job.
If you had offered to paint, that's a different story, but getting stuck with doing it (which is what it sounds like), I'd charge your normal hourly rate.
Thats what it looks like to me too and I agree .
He didnt ask to do it but was asked to so I think at least his "amount equal" which may be considered high but he has no control over it . There fore we shouldnt fret over the things we cannot change.
Tim
Thanks for replying...this is definitely going to cost him. It is taking way longer than installing the trim. I know now why I hate doing this if I didn't remember before. Second coat of stain and first coat of paint. One more coat of paint, then the sealer and I can install it.
Normal hourly rate. He might contend that you are not a pro painter and so should offer a reduced rate, but you could be out there doing carpentry work somewhere else for the full rate right now, rather than painting for him. You must have had to rearrange your schedule a bit to paint; some would charge extra for that. It certainly shouldn't be costing you to help him out of a bind.
In the meantime, crank up the radio or CD player and it'll be over before you know it.Lignum est bonum.
Thanks to everyone who replied and yes, I am charging my normal hourly rate. I even wound up getting some extra work for the renter who just purchased a new home and from his sister.
Ain't referrals grand? Just like found money!
It sure took a lot longer to paint and stain than it did to measure, cut, cope, and install the trim. I am glad I did not just charge the same price as doing the trim I would have been way off.
I think I see the need for a new Cadex or Omer pin nailer too.
john
If you asked a mechanic to do something that was normally a bodyman's job I guarantee he's going to charge the mechanical rate not the body rate, which is usually less than the mechanical rate.
Hard Eight Bar B Que, Brady, Texas
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