As part of the basement project, the painting stage took place. We used the same GC we used for the trim (finish carpentry) to find us a painter and we supplied the paint.

Used Benjamin Moore paints as they turned out to be less expensive than Sherwin-Williams. We bought 34 gallons of Regal paint in eight colors and bought about 6 gallons of 50% tinted primer for the trim. Total cost: ~$1,000.

The painted started on Monday morning and prepared all surfaces. Whilest the original painters had primered all drywall surfaces (before trim went in), he wasn’t reconsidered due to damage to the flooring. This new painter sanded all surfaces (walls, ceilings, trims, doors, etc.) and handled whatever caulking that was needed.

On Tuesday this new painter began painting and by Thursday evening the wife and I had a good impression of the expected results … and we were both very pleased. On Friday the last coats of trim painting and final clean-up took place and a walkthrough with the painter.

Two Thumbs Up for these guys! Labor was $1,875. Mind you the basement has three large rooms, a kitchenette (no cabinetry yet), and a bathroom (no fixtures yet). The two smallish utility closets were not painted, but underneath the staircase was (as it was drywalled and trimmed out).

The number of colors resulted from the ceilings being painted a non-neutral color, and the focus of darkish paint colors requiring 2-3 coats. And this second painter followed my #1 requirement: protect the floor!

Now, the wife and I are comparing this result with what we have experience with, which is limited to DIY painting (I learned to hate painting), and contractor painting. So, the actual committee evaluation might be different. Still, we are really happy for the money spent.