Red and Black, How Much Should A Painter Make In A Day?
As an Interior Painter, here is a few suggestions from Home Painters London for interior painting with red and black yellow orange purple and any deep color such as dark blues these colors most times takes more than two coats. Today was a prime example of this happening! Or was it more about how the painter makes more than them?
Is the customer paying way to much for painting
As a 4th generation painter with over 25 years of experience taught by other master painters and even a grand master that is someone with 50 years of experience.
I have apprenticed and developed my skills and now being able to paint a room before I even could start.
How many times did it take you to learn to ride a bike or tie your shoes? I bet you can do it much faster today. So what is someone skill worth? should they go really slow and get paid by the hour to justify what they are worth? If they are fast with their skills they have perfected should they get paid as much as they can complete at a fair price?
Or should people just work slower because every one else is?
These are statements I hear when I hire employees.
I am not burning myself out for anyone.
You could not pay me enough to move like that.
I am only going to work as hard as I get paid.
By the above statements we can see that people will only work so hard. But!
At Home Painters London, the owner Seann is so fast, he constantly gets people jealous or believe because he is so fast that he should do more for them for free! It is a shame that because some people make less than you even with a degree or what they consider a great job, should be jealous of how much you make.
Some people will ask for free extra painting for in their minds you have made to much in such a short period of time and they want you to work more hours for their hard earned dollars even if they already got it at half the price they would pay any one else.
I could charge double and go slower and nobody would be concerned my dad does it and nobody and nobody says anything.
As an interior home painter in London Ontario, I stand behind my work as the owner of Home Painters London with no payment until the job is complete and you feel it is satisfactory to the agreed upon job description (what you are paying for). That makes it a fair system and if you see anything after we leave,
give us a call we will be there asap to make it right.
What people seem to do is scream, curse or complain and threaten and then hang up the phone we can not make it better when this happens. We do not do whatever you want for free. But we do what was agreed to until you are happy with your painting.
If I am wrong please email me and let me know at homepainterslondon@gmail.com we would like to hear your feed back!
We are open to learning!
All pictures in article are from from the house
Prior to work all prices were agreed to on phone with information provide. Family room and a stairway leading down to family room I was told the stairway was not very high. (16 feet I measured) Family room 22 x 12 (2.5 rooms at $65/rm) the hallway starts at 3 rooms, they also had two small rooms total $487. The morning of painting we get a snow storm, I call them to prepare equipment needed and ask them how many colours they had to paint.
Changes at last minute
I was informed that things had changed the small rooms were not going to be painted and the family room ceiling was being added for painting and a total of four colours being painted. I asked them why four with only two rooms, family room and hallway being painted.
I was then informed that there was a red and a black I let them know that these may need multiple coats of paint and my $65 / room only is for two coats. They said that is alright if it cost more.
I arrived at 9am to find out that it was not 4 colors but 5 and 3 of these are in the small but high hallway. I tried to let them know that those would be considered accents walls they informed me that they were not that they were matching a color that when you stand over in the kitchen that you would see this color.
I disagreed that it was more from the standpoint that I have to wait for colors to dry when two corners are touching with different colors and washing everything later.
I was getting know where I was better off eating my tongue and I decide to do it for free instead of going home and having them upset that I wasted their time. 3 rooms x 3 different colors so it would of been 9 rooms that is $585 not the $195 that was quoted over the phone.
I still have to learn not to be so nice!
Let me teach you how to paint
I then got taught how to paint by the customer that I should use a plastic edger with fabric insert sold at the dollar store and that I could paint both colors instantly behind one another, but she only had one insert.
To top off the extra work for free they want me to split the wall in the family room in half. Red on top, black on bottom and with no tape already marked off.
Without a laser in truck I ask her to help me so I am not blamed for the uneven color transitions lucky they are going to run a trim all the way around between them.
I was informed that the paint is downstairs and marked with numbers with corresponding stickers on wall (paint by number) even the trim.
I let her know that I had not quoted them on trim and would not be able to do it today only walls and now a ceiling for I never book large jobs on Thursday for I leave early and friday I was already busy.
So she was puzzled why I was not coming back tomorrow When i informed her it was only $280 I would be finished before 2pm. That was my first warning that things are going to go bad. When she commented on that it was going to be 10am before I start painting and it would only be 4 hours.
More free what will be next
They leave and go to work and I find that there is a sticker for black to be painted on lacquered paneling. Deep set paneling which has never been primed so I will have to prime and cut in every line with the brush I decide to use the ceiling paint as a primer and it is free again. normally i would have to charge a least a room for the time it takes just for one coat not 3 coats it will take (Two coats I agree later to do).
Disposable Tools for Free
Ah I pour my ceiling paint into the tray and drop my brush in the can it could not get any better its oil. I have to charge $85 per room for oil and this is 2.5 rooms and my phone is dead to call them I do it and suck it up as a loss. another $50 lost
The signs of truth
The man, comes home for the wife wants smaller tape that he has but when I tell him that he would have to do it himself or I can just bend the tape over on the top it takes me less than 10 minutes to do and everybody is happy.
I let him know that I am not going to charge him for the extra colors or the taping and multiple colors in the family room he acts clueless.
Though I had to get my money for the equipment that is being thrown out do to the oil. He says that it was Home Depots fault that the chinese girl working there gave him that. I asked him to make it $350 for my loss he cringed.
That is when I felt that they were not going to be paying for three coats.
It was all about the money, they could save, multiple coats, multiple colors you could almost think it was planned to not let me know. I let him know I primed the panel in oil and the oil will not dry in time to put on third coat and that they would have to do that.
More truth
I then let him know that I will be finished in 2 hours, more cringing, time and money!
The Red and Black and Oil
I finish with great difficulty trying to get it all cut in with so many colors wet at the same time my phone is dead so I look around in the kitchen for a phone charger then I see one in the corner by this large cushioned chair I mean large so I plug in and charge while packing up and get ready to go.
I look over job looks good minus that it needs one more coat of paint to make it look great I am already giving away to much actual bill should of been $1320 at my low prices not $650. or $2640 at my Dads prices which he is the next cheapest painter in London.
Again the money
I call him and he asks to meet at my place because he is over near there good I say 10-15 minutes I will be there. he pulls up at my corner I open his door and he hands me $300 will that do he says, I said $350 he mentions that I was not even a complete day only a few hours.
Always wanting more
Well I get called a couple hours later from his wife saying that I did not cut in the top of the hallway 2 times. I said that it was two coats one would really be bleeding through.
She mentions that she expected so much more from a professional painter (of course she was trying to teach me earlier how to paint with her edger )( What she really meant she want more for free).
She brings up that I had hit one of the trims. I still recalled that she was repainting it so I was not concerned with wiping it off a little spot that was flat red on a flat white trim and of course the panelling was not finished.
Why wasn’t the (lacquered) cupboard door done she says “I told you everything below is to be painted”. She makes it clear that she will be telling everyone that what a bad job I do and that she will not be calling back. She had to let me know that she has a university degree and she does not make that much a day.
Words of Wisdom don’t blame make more
Well I would of suggested it if I got the time before she hanged up and I was more mean natured lucky I am not she really needs to get a better job if she is not making that much.
I am skilled she is not maybe she needs a skill and yes I would guess I am more highly educated than her.
Most people do not know that there is even a Lawyer here in London that gave up his successful practice of 20+ years to be a painter and I use to work in the medical field being paid still more than her in a day and not as a painter.
Not that painters have to be educated, they need to have skills of how to paint and myself with 25+ years experience and a 4th generation painter and my first toy being a paint brush not a soother I know how to paint. and I am open to learning more.
The real answer
Would I paint for them again? I am sorry No! They are probably good people just not when it comes to parting with their money. They saved themselves $620 good luck with living with themselves.
When you want your interior painting done right by someone you can trust and is very fast and will still save you money and your time which should be more important to you.
Call 226-700-0405
