How to Know If You Are Being Quoted a Fair Price by a Painting Contractor

As a homeowner, it’s sometimes hard to know if you are being quoted a fair price by a painting contractor.   And, you might find that there is a big discrepancy between quotes from different painters.  One painter might quote $1000 to paint a 3 bedroom house while another might quote $5000.  Why such a big spread?

First off, you should definitely get at least 3 quotes from different contractors and ask a lot of questions about how the painter plans to complete the job and how long it will take.  This might explain the pricing discrepancy.  The $1000 dollar painter might just be planning to slap on 1 coat of paint and not planning to do any prep in terms of filling in holes and fixing other wall damage.   By contrast, the $5000 painter might be planning to paint your trim, doors, ceilings and walls.  Also, his/her quote might include thorough prep of the painting surfaces, and 2 coats of paint as well as the use of a high quality paint.

Second, if you are planning a big painting project, be sure to give yourself lots of time to book your painting job.  The well established experienced painting contractors are often booked 2-3 months in advance.  So, this is another reason for pricing discrepancies.  Pricing can also be based on supply and demand.  A painter who is booked 2-3 months out will often have higher pricing.  But a newer painter might only charge $1000 because he is not fully booked and wants to ensure that he is landing as many jobs as possible.

Lastly, quoting on painting jobs is not an exact science.  It is truly an estimate.  A more experienced painter will have a better idea on how the long the prep is going to take whereas a less experienced painter might not and be under-pricing themselves.  It should be noted that at Kitchener Waterloo Painters, the price quoted is the final price regardless of the time it takes to complete the job.  

In any case, as a homeowner you should base your decision on what seems like a fair price along with how comfortable you are with the painter.

Watch this video below for more insight on how painting contractors price out jobs:

If you are looking for a fair price for your painting project, contact Kitchener Waterloo Painters.  And, check out these testimonials from previous painting clients.