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12K to paint interior of house?
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Anonymous
| I've done plenty of painting in my time--it's totally doable but a huge pain in the ass. Messy and boring and exhausting. Plus if you are a perfectionist and little flaws are going to bother you, a professional is probably the way to go. That said, I agree with PPs that $12K is WAY high. I would expect to pay half of that for what you have described. We had ours done last year by an independent guy with a crew (rather than a company) and we paid less than $3K for an 1800 square foot house, and they did a fabulous job. Ask around your neighborhood and get on craigslist and see if you can find someone like that who comes highly recommended. I'd give my guy's name to you if I knew you but it's not something I'd put on dcurbanmom. So if you ask around I bet you can find someone like that. |
Anonymous
| 12K is crazy high! We repainted our entire house (2500 sq. ft) and they stripped old paint, patched walls, primed, 2 coats of paint and we paid about 2000 (very cheap I know). We had estimates from 2K to 10K for the exact same stuff so definitely make sure you get at least 3 more estimates. Is there a neighborhood listserv you can ask for recommendations? Definitely don't pay 12K. |
Anonymous
Yeah. We just did our den, office and bathroom on our lower level (walls, trim, hallways), our kitchen, dining and living rooms (again, walls and trim) as well as our bathroom upstairs (they stripped the wallpaper and painted)...plus they painted (repaired) some trim upstairs. Total was around 3k and they did a really good job. 12k seems like a lot! |
Anonymous
| My good friends DH is a painter and he says it depends on the state of the house--and what type of prep work might be involved but that it still seemed high. I could recommend his name if you want another estimate. |
Anonymous
| I just got the OUTSIDE of my large house painted for $2K, and that involved 40 foot ladders, etc. You are getting took, OP. Painting is easy, just time consuming. You can make it easier on yourself if you keep it simple (one color to a room, plus ceilings). Actually the biggest pain is the ceiling, but the rest is okay. We don't use the tape, though, just freehand where you cut one color into the next. I actually think taping everything off is worse than the painting. |
Anonymous
OP here. Thanks to everyone. I haven't hired anyone yet, so I haven't been taken.  Many thanks for everyone's input. I certainly plan to get more estimates. This quote came from a husband-and-wife team who comes with stellar references from several good friends of mine, and they do beautiful work which I have seen, so I don't think they are per se cheating people; perhaps they are simply the Cadillac of housepainters, but we would do fine with a Chevy. Thanks again.
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Anonymous
Is this Progressive Painting, the Privettes? They are the Cadillac of housepainters. If you want utter perfection, then their prices might be worth it, but honestly--my home is not a showpiece, I don't want or need it to be, I just want to change the colors on my walls. That's pretty much it. If that's your feeling also, then it's a waste of money to spend that much--you can redo a whole bathroom for that much. |
Anonymous
| Ok, you people who got the cheap, but great painting done--cough up some names and numbers! If the people you used were awesome, why not direct some business their way? |
Anonymous
| My place sounds slightly smaller than yours and I paid $3700. |
Anonymous
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Painting sucks. I will never waste another weekend do it. Its messy and a pain.
BTW I found it interesting when I hired someone the only prep work they did was patching holes and some sanding...no taping off. The didn't haven an issues with over paint, painting onto the trim etc... |
Anonymous
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OP, is it Certa Pro (NV)? DO NOT go with them! They will nickel and dime you if they leave something out of the contract. (Ex: something as simple as a color change!!)
AND they use day laborers to maximize their profit. Lots of workers, who by the way jammed our plumbing ($$$$$)! Your estimate is on the high side. Go with at least two more estimates and make SURE you know every detail of what you are getting. Some make the contracts swiss cheese on purpose. Buyer beware, FYI. |
Anonymous
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What prep work are you all talking about other than patching, sanding, and wall paper removal if needed? I can see wall paper removal being hard, but patching and sanding, that is easy and takes no time other than drying, but the normally use quick dry mud.
My dad is a GC and I grew up at construction sites and painters do not use tape, they have an amazing steady hand from painting full time. Homeowners use tape, or a painter who is working his first few jobs (or a crew of day labor that was just picked up at 7-11) |
Anonymous
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Agree with PPs about getting a few estimates. We got estimates that varied from $2k to $10k. Hahahaha, why on earth would I pay 10k to paint an old townhouse we will be selling in a year or two? Ridiculous is right.
I also agree that painting yourself is a big pain. One room is manageable, but paying to have the whole house painted is well worth it. Our friends who tried it gave up halfway through and ended up having to find someone in a hurry. |
Anonymous
Well duh, most homeowners are not painting day in and day out so the prep work is going to involve taping! |
Anonymous
pretty sure pp you quoted is talking about the prep work being performed by the pros, and thus included in the costs. |