How to Spend Less Money on Painting
Sunday, June 11, 2006Most people call us when their home is in desperate need of a paint job, which means more money out of pocket. We all know that owning a home means we have to budget a certain amount of money on maintaining our property.
Sometimes it is not wise to spend a large portion of money all at once. Instead of paying to have the entire interior or exterior painted every ten years when it really needs it, consider this option: Try our Painter For a Day™ program. You will be amazed at how much work our skilled painters can get done in just one day.
Why can this be a good alternative? It can keep your home in top-knotch shape on a continual basis instead of gradually getting worse until it looks like it is in need of a complete paint job. Some of you may budget to have an auto detailer come and clean your cars or a landscaper to take care of your lawn on a regular basis. This helps keep your car from needing a new paint job and your yard from looking like the Amazon forest.
Our Painter For a Day™ program has been a success since the day we started it in the late 1990's. Let me give you an example, just like the detailer cleans your car on a regular basis, we can come in and clean the exterior of your home with a pressured rinse. This helps keep the dirt and elements off your paint job, which prolongs the life of the paint. Another example, instead of stripping your wood thresholds every time they turn gray and look like they're 100 years old, we can come out every couple of years and in no time at all, clean and apply another coat of varnish before they look bad. This can save a lot of money, because we keep a careful eye on your home. We have a number of long-term customers who do not do a complete paint job often, but call once a year to do a small amount of work to keep their homes looking sharp.
The cost of our Painter For a Day™ can vary depending on if you desire one painter or two. Currently, the cost for one Project Foreman (most experienced painter) to come to your home is only $570. This includes up to a full day's worth of work, the basic paint supplies, and little or no charge for paint materials.* We recommend that you have a list of things to do so our painter can have a full day of work as this is the minimum charge.
*Extra charges for material may apply. These include: certain industrial enamels, specialty products, faux finish materials, and anything over two gallons of paint per day.
What Does it Cost to Paint My Home?
Saturday, June 10, 2006Continue reading the article below or scroll down to find a general listing of what things cost for Chism Brothers Painting to paint your home the right way.
The #1 question that everyone wishes to know before getting an estimate is, "What will it cost to paint my home?" I wish there were a simple answer to this question, but in reality, there is none. Every estimator looks at a home differently. The estimator will typically determine how much time it will take to paint your home and what it will cost. If one person tells you it will cost $3,000 and will take 2 days and another says it will cost $6,000 and take 6 days to do the exact same project, it is because each person saw the job differently. It is important to talk about your budget and expectations with the paint estimator before getting too far into a project, so he or she can give you a proposal that fits your needs and meets your expectations. If you do not have a budget in mind, this article will help you begin to come up with one.
The #1 reason people do not use Chism Brothers is because they were not expecting the price to be so high. I wrote this blog because I feel that most consumers do not really know what it should cost to get a good paint job. There are hundreds of painters in San Diego, and it is rare to have bids that are identical. The typical response I have heard when a homeowner wishes to use us but can't justify the cost is, "I think Chism Brothers Painting is the most professional and will do the best job, but you guys were a lot higher than the other bids we received." These are not fun words for me to hear. I wish our company could work for everyone I meet. We do tend to be a little higher in price than most San Diego Painting companies, but I believe there are great reasons why people spend a little more (at times) to use us. I believe the main reason our customers come back is because they value our service and know we will always do the right thing. We will not take advantage of anyone. We have worked very hard to take painting to the next level. We were tired of hearing about the reputation painters had of being: drug addicts, not showing up on Mondays, not knowing what they were doing, or not dressed professionally. We wanted to change the perception people had to a positive one. This is not just a job for us, it is our livelihood, and we love our job. Just for the record, we are not the highest all the time.
There are three types of painting companies that you will meet if you are getting several of estimates.
- 1) There is the painter working out of his sedan who is simply not professional.
- 2) A company has a company truck, good reputation, does decent work but may not be as professional, provide good service, have the up to date knowledge of the best products to use; their employees are not long-term, they do not attend regular safety or quality control meetings, tend to rush through the project quickly, or they will only do a minimal amount of preparation to keep the cost down.
- 3) There is the professional painting company that is fully licensed, insured, has full-time employees, is very experienced and knowledgeable, performs as promised, and will be around for many years.
- Painting the walls and baseboards in a 10x10 bedroom with two coats (occupied with furniture) would typically cost about $500-600
- Painting the walls in a 3,500 sq. ft. home (empty) with two coats: $10,000-12,000 (depending on ceiling heights)
- Painting walls and base in 3 standard bedrooms, 2 baths, hallway, living room, kitchen, dining room with 2 coats would probably be around: $4,000-5,000
- Painting a very small kitchen (oak to paint) with a primer and a several coats of a high industrial product: $3,200+ (medium kitchen) $4,000+ (large kitchen): $5,500+
- If you wanted to paint an entire home (top to bottom with two coats) around 3,000 sq. ft. (Doors, base, ceiling, shutters, insides of closets and walls (some high ceilings) the cost could be as high as $20,000 (completely furnished)
- A general rule of thumb: material cost is around 8-10% of the total job. A home that is empty (free from furnishings) will probably save 15% in labor charges.
- Standard 2-Story (2,500 sq. ft), Stucco and Basic Wood Trim typically seen in select areas of Scripps Ranch, Carmel Valley, Tierrasanta: $6,000-8,000 (2 Coats)
- Larger 2-Story (3,500+ sq. ft) stucco, some wood siding, basic wood trim: $8,000-11,000 (2 Coats)
- Standard 1-2 story San Diego Home (up to 2,000 sq. ft): $4,000-6,000 (2 coats)
- An approximate 5,000 sq. ft. home with wood windows, wood French doors, wood trim, stucco or wood siding: ($18,000-20,000+)
- A separate Gazebo that is in good shape could cost $1,500+
- A patio cover/trellis (open to sky) is expensive and time consuming to paint. A typical 8x10 unit will probably be about $500-600 for the basic prep and painting. If it is a larger unit (covering most of the patio: 20x12), the cost may be as much as $1,200-1,500+)
- Entry door stripping and refinishing is typically very expensive and can cost as much as $1,000 per side (complete strip, stain and three coats).
The Benefits of a Production Manager
Friday, June 09, 2006A few weeks ago, our company asked one of our outstanding Project Managers, Marty Sass, to become our full-time Production manager. Marty joined our company in 1986, and has played a huge part in the success of our company. Many of our customers love Marty and the way he paints and conducts himself. His skills in painting will now help him start his new role in our company. As a production manager for Chism Brothers Painting, his job is to schedule and oversee all the painting projects, interview and hire quality individuals for our team, and conduct safety and training meetings. The benefits of having a production manager are manifold. A good production manager will:
- Supply the customer with a scheduled date of when we will begin the project
- Keep the customer informed on the schedule
- Make sure the right team of professional painters are selected to do the project. For example, if you are wanting to have your kitchen cabinets painted with a specialty finish, our production manager will make sure the right Project Manager (foreman) and his team are selected to complete the work well. Some of our painters have their specialties in staining, refinishing, restoration work, exteriors, color matching, interiors or cabinet finishes.
- Make sure the job is running smoothly and will be completed on time.
- Be available to you, the customer, regarding any general questions about products to use on your home or concerns you may have before the project actually starts.
Should I Paint Before I Sell?
Wednesday, June 07, 2006Recently, I received a call from a client's daughter to come out and look at her father's home. Her father had died, and she was going to sell the Mission Hills Crafstman home. This was a home that my grandfather, Milton Chism, had painted probably during the 1960's. The paint job still looked good, but it was an old home in need of some basic repairs and color changes. She asked my opinion about painting, and I suggested that she leave the home as it was. While it would have been a large project for us, I had several reasons why I thought she should hold off.The cost for doing a thorough paint job on an old Craftsman-style home, just to sell it, would be steep. The home has not changed much over the years, so I suggested that the buyer would either like the home the way it is or would make drastic changes to the home. My second reason was that a buyer may see and smell fresh paint and wonder what the seller is hiding or ask the question, "Why did the seller paint?" A seller will not necessarily get a better price for an older home unless he or she performs a complete restoration. Another question that has come up from time to time if a seller decides to paint is, "Should I paint my home a standard off-white color or have multiple colors?" My suggestion would be to leave the home the color that it is. Unless, of course, you have bright and bold colors that would detract from the beauty of the home, I would leave the paint colors alone. There are other exceptions, but this has been my experience. It does not seem that putting a lot of color on the walls or changing to neutral colors will change the pricing of a house or disuade people from buying it. However, many realtors seem to recommend painting or just touch-up. If you do decide to paint before selling or do a quick "touch-up" around the home, make sure the painting is done very well. This is crucial. I can't tell you how many times I have seen homes that were just sold and the buyer is complaining about the horrible paint job. Do not hire a contractor who specializes in quick touch-ups. Some realtors want to do a quick sale (typically with good intentions) and suggest cheap painting companies who can do the work quickly and cheap. When we are hired for doing touch-ups for a seller, we highly recommend using the proper preparation and painting the area completely whether it is a bedroom, baseboard, door, mantel, etc. It shows the buyer that you care about your property and did not cut corners just to sell your home. If you do decide to paint your home before you sell or need a few good touch-ups, consider our Painter For a Day™ program. One final tip if you do paint to sell: plan ahead! Good paint companies may not always be available last minute to schedule your project.
Top Quality Paints
Monday, June 05, 2006
Chism Brothers Painting not only paints homes, but we continue to research the latest and best paints and products to use on your home. You will not have to worry about us using the wrong paint products. Not long ago, we bid a project for new kitchen cabinets. We were a little more expensive and did not get the project. However, the painter who was hired, who was good, used the wrong product. Our company was hired to redo the entire job by stripping and refinishing the brand new kitchen cabinets using the right products.
Knowing how to prepare surfaces prior to painting is extremely important to a long-lasting paint job. The next important step is using top quality paints.
Here is a short, pithy, article from The Paint Quality Institute entitled, "Why It's Importance to Use Top Quality Paint."
Is Being a “Professional” Important?
Saturday, June 03, 2006
You have probably heard the word "professional" used in most business marketing material or perhaps you have used the word yourself. Typically a company will say that they provide "professional service," have a "professional staff of people," or "We are very professional." We are pleased when our customers write on our job report card that, "...the professionalism of the painters was superb."
Professional can mean a few different things, but for business purposes, it basically means that a person has a profession and is an expert. A professional athlete is an expert while a high school athlete is working towards becoming a professional. When we say that an individual was very professional, we are really just saying that he did his job well and knows what he is doing. To be unprofessional means that a person is not highly skilled in a particular profession, is more inclined towards making mistakes, and does not necessarily have the highest ethical standards.
When you hire a painting company, is it important that the company is professional? A professional painting company will do the job right, and if there is a problem, it will be fixed. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of painters or home service companies that provide very professional service, and frankly, it does cost quite a bit more to hire a professional painting company.
Chism Brothers Painting has been in the painting industry for many years and has seen the problems incurred by homeowners hiring unprofessional contractors. Here are a few things we do that set us apart from unprofessional outfits. We do:
- Have a California Contractors License; we are insured and Bonded
- Answer the phones and schedule appointments in a timely manner
- Keep our appointments
- Have a "professional" estimator to give accurate estimates and proposals
- Have a production manager to schedule your project and make sure it is done on time as promised
- Provide "professional" color consultation
- Start your project and stay on it until it is done
- Provide a project foreman to complete your project with his skilled painters
- Protect furniture and cover areas not to be painted
- Carefully prepare the surfaces before applying paint or primers
- Keep the work areas organized and clean
- Label paint cans and provide a Color Schedule of what we used and where colors were applied.
- NOT play loud music, curse, or smoke
- Communicate to you in English
- Have some of the best painters in San Diego that are very skilled and enjoy their work
- Have a written test, thorough interview process, character evaluation and drug test before we consider hiring anyone
- Provide a guarantee all of our work
This Blog’s for You!
Friday, June 02, 2006We created our website to do two things: a) to provide a way to inform people about us and our services and b) to provide information to assist and educate the consumer on hiring the right painting contractor. We love to hear from you. Please comment on this blog or send us an email on how we can make our website and information even better.
The Joy of Stripping Wallpaper
Oh the joys of removing wallpaper! Here are some tips to make your endeavors at cleaning up old wallpaper more efficient and less tedious. While you can certainly hire a professional such as ourselves to perform this service for you, stripping wallpaper can be pricy, so it does not hurt to try it yourself. If you get frustrated, we can finish the job! Tips for Removing Wallpaper
- Protect the floors by covering them with plastic and a drop cloth. Remove all electrical switch plates and cover the outlets with tape, to help avoid an electrical shock when water is applied to the walls.
- Test a small section of the paper to see if it will come off easily. Some wallpaper has several layers. The key is to get the paper, the backing and 100% of the paste off the wall before applying any paint.
- If the paper does not come off easily, apply some water or wallpaper stripping formula to the walls and sand the paper with 36 grit sandpaper. This may help loosen the wallpaper from the walls.
- Continue using warm water and sandpaper (you can also use a Scotch-Brite Green Pad) to continue to loosen the paper.
- Once the first layer is off, continue applying very small amounts of water (a Hudson sprayer works best) to the final layer of paper.
- Once the paper is off, scrub the paste off the walls and wipe them clean with warm water. Make sure your water bucket does not build up too much paste. Change your water frequently.
- If you do NOT get all the paste off the walls and begin painting, it will typically cause the paint to crack very quickly. Therefore, this stage is very important to remove ALL the paste.
- Sometimes wallpaper does not come off using the techniques above. You can use a putty knife and other small hand tools to scrape the wet paper off. If you are going to use hand tools, be extra careful not to damage the drywall or plastered walls. The more careful you are, the less prep you will have to do on the walls prior to painting them.
Trade Secrets Regarding Extra-Stubborn Wallpaper
If the walls were not properly prepared and primed before receiving wallpaper, the wallpaper will probably be very difficult to remove. It is sometimes recommended to leave the paper on and follow these steps:
- Begin by making sure any corners or seems of the wallpaper are tight and not peeling back.
- Apply 1 to 2 coats of an oil-base sealer/primer. Oil-base primer is the key. If you use a water-base sealer (such as Kilz2) it may soften the wallpaper and cause bubbling to occur.
- After the wallpaper has been sealed and allowed to dry properly, apply a thin layer of drywall mud to the seems of the wallpaper.
- After the mud drys, sand the patches and apply another coat of oil base primer. Another option is to apply the texture you would like on the walls at this point. This is a difficult process if you have not done a lot of texturing. You may wish to seek a professional painting contractor or drywaller for this step.
- Once the walls have received the desired texture and have a prime coat, the walls are ready to be painted.
Life Time Paint Warranties
Wednesday, May 31, 2006In the last few years, there seems to be a number of companies advertising 25, 50 and life time warranties on painting homes. The problem typically is that they are charging outrageous prices that are not necessary. Before contracting with a company to paint your home that offers such warranties and prices, please get a second opinion from our company.
Hire a Nationwide Professional Painting Contractor
Chism Brothers Painting is one of fewer than forty Certified Residential Painting Contractors in the country that has been given the seal of certification by the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America. To learn why this should be important to you, click here.
Welcome to Our New Blog
We started this blog to help you learn more about our company, the painting industry, and home remodeling. We hope you will find our blog helpful and will come back often when you need help with your household project. If you don't find what you are looking for, we're here to help. Please send us your questions, and we will do what we can to help you find the answers. Thanks for visiting.Pricing Your Paint Job
Tuesday, November 30, 1999When you visit a painting companies' website, you are probably trying to accomplish two things: 1) Investigate the company 2) Get an idea of the cost. We hope that our website is informative to understand a little more of how we do business. We do wish we could provide you with more information about what it typically cost to paint a home in San Diego. We will try to give you a general idea of what it would cost for Chism Brothers to paint for you. Painting companies in San Diego have a number of different ways of coming up with a price to paint a property. Some estimators show up for 5 minutes, take a quick look around and write up a one-page estimate that says, "We'll paint your home for $1,500 with a quality paint." Another company might be a little more thorough when walking around the home and taking measurements. However, they might fail to determine the level of preparation and quality you desire. This is an important step in getting a good paint job. What we at Chism Brothers Painting seek to accomplish in the first estimate is to determine what your goal is for your home, a basic budget and the level of preparation. When we look at a home, we will determine the cost and timing of the project. If we are higher than another bid, we suggest looking at the amount of time that will be spent on the project. When we are on the high side, it is typically because we are spending a little more time on the preparation of the job. Here is a general idea of the cost for a typical home in San Diego with our higher level of preparation and a quality finish product:
- Standard 2-story Track home (2,500-3,500 sq. ft): $8,000-12,000 (with some metal railings, garage doors, several standard doors, patio cover, fencing, and window trim.
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