Experienced Painters, Quality Service and The Pricing Enigma

Perhaps the one question on every homeowners mind who's searching for experienced painters is… how can you separate the experts from the not so skilled painters? Who can you rely on and what reference point do you use to properly determine quality. While some experienced painters are among the best in North Atlanta, Marietta like most cities, also has its share of low quality unskilled painters.

Being wise dictates you should not go with the cheapest bid, unless of course you simply are only price conscious and not interested in quality. When it comes to painting prices there is a broad divide and this vacuum gets even larger when you begin discussing service quality.

Part of the uncertainty with choosing the most qualified experienced painters is understanding why such a difference in price exist in this business in the first place. Many homeowners make the blunder of assuming that this divergence represents a ordinary price difference, all other things being equal. Most feel it is similar to finding price variations from automobile dealership for the same automobile with the same features.

This point of view depends on all other things remaining the same, and that is a problem. The different influences on pricing vary quite a bit in the painting contractor business. These influences can make a big difference on your service experience, quality of work completed, safety and warranty just to name a few aspects of painting.

As a native from Atlanta, let me share 28 years of experience in this industry from managing my own company (Homeowners First Choice Painting). I speak as one who knows and as a representative of other companies like mine who try very hard to run their company in a way that can deliver the maximum benefit to our customers.

Below are the most essential factors influencing cost of painting and the estimated percentage of the cost that make an estimate.

1. Labor Cost- 55%-65% of your estimate will consist of the paid labor that will be working on your home. Some companies use substandard labor and bring the price down significantly however this will likely bring the overall quality down as well. You could expect to see a 20% to 30% reduction in price when compared to the average market with this kind of estimate.
2. Liability and Workers comp insurance usually represents 5% to 10% of the total bid. If a company doesn't carry workers comp and general liability insurance they can save another 5% to 10% off the price. Just because they say they carry the insurance is not enough. You better check and make sure. Many companies say they carry it and don't. They pay their painters cash and don't report these wages. If they are injured on the job with no history of payment, the insurance company will not pay the claim and you the homeowner are left with hospital expenses to pay. Yes they may have a certificate of insurance, but the employees may not be covered. This is rampant in this industry. Don't put yourself at risk.
3. Taxes- 10%- Low ball bids often come from contractors who do not pay their taxes. Any legitimate company in this country has to pay this expense and will add it into your quote. All other expenses will be figured, but there are still taxes to consider.
4. Paint-12%-15%- Paint on average only takes up about 15% of the bid. This is a flexible area of the bid that can actually be a much larger portion depending on what is being considered. The only real way to save in this area is to skimp on quantity or quality of the paint that is going on your home. Most of the time you will only see about a 5% difference.
5. Detailed Prep- 8% If your Marietta painting contractor decides to reduce the prep time and be a bit lax on attention to detail they could shave around 15% on labor expenses, thereby dropping your quote another 5%-8%.
6. Warranties- These can and do cost qualified experienced painters money. Too often a company will simply avoid honoring an expensive warranty. You will try to call them back to your home only to find their number is no longer in service and no one has seen them. If you have gotten an extremely low estimate beware that you probably will not have your warranty honored, because the company did not charge enough to afford this overhead.

These are just a few of the reasons why there is such a great divide in pricing in this trade. There are many more, but the above criteria give you a good idea of how you can receive a price that is 20%,30% or even 40% lower than another company. If you add the above percentages together then you can easily see why the difference.

I have also heard many people comment that a Neighbor or a friend had a house painted decently for around $500-$800 cheaper. Think about your comparison for a minute though, is it telling you anything about what your encounter will be? Your friend may have gotten lucky that no one was injured while working, will you be that fortunate? Whether or not this company will honor a warranty is a matter of wait and see! What kind of status does the business have about town? You do not want to be the next house they absolutely bomb. I have customers who called me within a year after choosing a low-priced painting contractor, they now need another painting estimate. Always Remember, anyone can claim to be experienced painters, but will their habits hold up under scrutiny

Of all the which do you feel comfortable doing without? If you are like nearly any homeowner you almost certainly will respond none of the above. You do not want to risk your house and finances for a little savings on your painting job.