House Painter Forum

Professional Painters => Professional Painters and associated Trades Forum => Topic started by: Scot Sabo on January 28, 2008, 11:37:28 AM

Title: New construction
Post by: Scot Sabo on January 28, 2008, 11:37:28 AM
I'm bidding a large construction project at $2.25 per sq. ft.
Caulk,putty and plastic.
Then spray flat and back-roll.
Then reroll all walls and touch up.

I am going to spray doors but my question is.
Would you spray the door and window jambs while windows are taped and doors are down? Meaning I'd have to cut around them later from overspray. Again I'm required to roll all walls anyway.

Or would you just brush them out?

Also.. Anyone have success with spraying ceilings then touching up?

I'm a custom painter looking to get back into new construction...thanks.
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Added. Thanks guys. I can already tell who the guys on here are that I trust. I'm a very knowledgeable and experienced painter but for some damn reason I want this contract.(that desire will end a week after getting it)  Haven't done new construction in a while. I get $4.00 per sq. ft on the custom stuff but this is half ass. Ceiling and walls and trim all the same color(semi on the trim) Just Mastehide as prime and top coats. No flooring in the way but some stair work. They are town houses and I can keep 2 laborers (shhh) and 2 painters going full time with this outfit. Thanks again. I truly appreciate your time and look forward to being more involved with this forum.
Title: Re: New construction
Post by: the PAINTSMITH on January 28, 2008, 12:52:19 PM
Hmm, it's been quite a while since I bid square footage on new construction, but for some reason I remember bidding higher than $2.25...I also knew the low bidder in Phoenix AZ, who at the time (1992) was bidding 85 cents per foot on volume builders like Fulton, Dave Brown, etc...

I long ago left the new construction pickings to Speed Racer Painting and PaintItInAPanic Inc., with two exceptions; I have subbed to other painters who couldn't keep up with a job schedule, and I will contract with the homeowner to help out with a sweat equity. Both examples are on a T&M basis.

One house that we subbed onto to help another contractor "touch up and punch" was an 18,000 sq ft lake home, and we wound up on that little job for three months...

...And yeah, feel free to spray the windows, if you have them that well masked anyway...I've sprayed many many ceilings, but by "touching up" do you mean cutting the walls back in or actually touching up the ceilings? Either way it should be a piece of cake for a custom painter... ;)
Title: Re: New construction
Post by: rmichael on January 28, 2008, 05:12:38 PM
The national average for new construction is about $3.60 sf these days. YMMV according to the market area but GCs have always played painting contractors like a fiddle.... just make sure it's a tune that you can dance to...  :)

If you don't back roll the ceiling touching it up later with a roller will shout...  :-\
Title: Re: New construction
Post by: Bauer on January 28, 2008, 06:49:24 PM
I am going to spray doors but my question is.
Would you spray the door and window jambs while windows are taped and doors are down? Meaning I'd have to cut around them later from over-spray. Again I'm required to roll all walls anyway.

Or would you just brush them out?

Here is the way I do it.

I would spray all the trim. Then  I sand all the walls down with a pole sander, sanding the enamel over-spray good while doing this. Then paint all the walls twice with the topcoat paint, lightly sanding again between coats. If you didn't want to apply two top coats you could just sand and cut in the over-spray with the wall primer or whatever you have on the drywall before you did the trim.

Ya 2.25 is way too cheap. What size houses are these? Do they have a lot of trim? stairways with spindles, built-in cabinets, shelving, crown? What kind of windows? Vinyl wood?
Title: Re: New construction
Post by: ClaudDKLyons on July 06, 2015, 07:40:37 AM
The national average for new construction is about $3.60 sf these days. YMMV according to the market area but GCs have always played painting contractors like a fiddle.