You guys always say, "Hire someone to paint the place for $600 and be done with it."

Well yesterday I put a request for a recommendation on FB for a painter to paint 6 interior doors, which will already be down. Prime and Paint from natural to semi-gloss white, and re-hang.

Quote? $450.

Last time I asked for a quote for a 2-bedroom 1.5 bath townhome - walls, ceilings, woodwork - the guy quoted $2300 and he thought he was giving me a deal.

Hire someone at $20/hour, train them yourself, and get it done. Asking for quotes is like asking a dog if it's hungry. He'll nod and eat the entire 50 lbs bag.

$600/$20 hour = 30 hours. If someone can't paint the inside of a 2 bed house in 30 hours, they are not efficient workers and you don't want them.

Even if you pay $25 that's still 24 hours or three full 8-hour work days for $600. I have done reasonable paint jobs myself (including taping, cut ins and trim) of a 1000 sq ft home in 15-16 hours. It's just not that hard and requires some basic skills. Don't pay $2300. Keep searching.

Or trying saying, "We will pay $X for this job; we provide materials"....then see who "bites".

{{{{{{{...... paint the place for $600.....}}}}}}

I wish some of you guys would share your painters and handymen. I used to be able to get a small house painted inside for $1600, but that was my cheap guy with apparently undocumented workers. It's closer to $3,000 now, if I can even get anyone to show up, which seems to be nearly impossible.

I reluctantly hired a partner for my fire building to do the last apt. It's so subjective about what looks finished. He assured me that he would keep going till I was satisfied because he was a professional. For 800,then I got 3 new wood doors hung and he complained about the extra work. I gave him a chance to adjust his price and he didn't. Then he complained that the doors were taking too much to cover and refused to paint them more. I wound up going over some of his finished work.

W,

I’m guessing you get hit with OBX travel costs to cross the bridge and travel.

Our latest ads say ‘$100 to prime and paint 6 doors”

I just remembered my housekeeper paints. I'm going to ask her and see what she says. She charges me $25 per hour for cleaning (she does bathrooms and floors for me every couple of weeks.) So surely she won't quote more than that for painting a few doors!

WMH, after doing tons of flips and many apartment turnovers, I've only hired out painting twice in almost 15 years. Except for when I have real cheap grunt labor around to help me once in a while.

The first time I hired it out was when who I referred to as my "goon contractor" first started out. Him and his buddy painted the two bedroom apartment, all white, for $300. I provided the material. That was a good deal. That was about 6 years ago maybe. Last winter, he painted a comparable size 2 bedroom apartment, white ceilings, white trim and doors, gray walls. $1200. So why the $900 jump in 6 years? Rents don't increase like that. There's no rhyme or reason to the prices people charge.

I think that's high, but the only reason I hired him was because I was so sick of painting at the time. Every other times that I've gotten bids on paint, I've just shook my head and have done it myself.

I still use the guy and no matter what bid he gives me when he gives me a bid, I always tell him "oh my gosh, that's ridiculous" (with more expletives thrown in to speak his language) and then wait for him to come back with something about 25% less and then we start talking from there.

Ok you guys are going to call BS on this one.

I actually have an old tenant of mine (best tenant I have ever had), doing all my remodel, handyman work, everything. He asks for $175/day. Some days are 8 hours, some are 12 hours. He is 30 years old and has a work ethic like no one I have ever seen.

I am throwing every bit of work I can to him. Painted a 2 bed house (walls, ceilings, trim, cabinets, doors) in 3 days so a total of $525 with me supplying materials.