Hi Andrew,
I just had a quote to paint my new home and was really shocked by the price. Can you give me a better understanding of the anticipated costs of hiring a professional painter to work on my home?
John
Hi John,
One of the quickest ways to update your décor is by painting, adding wallpaper or creating a custom wall mural. But I feel your pain about the price. Whether you are going the Do-It-Yourself route or hiring an expert, there are ways to keep costs down. A little insider knowledge can help put some of this in perspective. Let me give you a quick High/Low guide to hiring a painter and wallpaper professional.
The following projects will help you understand where costs are incurred, as well as offering a few tricks of the trade to send you on the way to DIY success.
PAINTING EXPECTATIONS
High: Let’s use a standard 10-by-10 foot room as a guide. Hiring a professional painter will typically take around 12 hours at a cost of $35 per hour. Add three gallons of paint retailing at about $65 each and you’re looking at a job with a total cost of at least $615.
Hiring a decorative painter to add a mural or faux accent wall will add another $400 – $600 to the bill.
Low: Want to save $1,000? Take on the job yourself purchase a peel-and-stick mural that can be applied to the wall yourself – there are plenty to choose from online. A nice faux mural will cost anywhere from $50 to $250. Not only is a faux mural an easy way to decorate, but it can also be removed later without damaging your walls.
WALLPAPER SOLUTIONS
High: Wallpaper has dramatic price variances. The cost of paper ranges from $30 per roll from your local hardware store, to more than $200 a roll for luxury papers on special order. A professional paper hanger usually charges around $65 per double roll, and the installation of grass cloth or vinyl panels will cost approximately $80.
For a standard 10-by-10-foot room, a special-order paper with installation can cost between $2,000 and $3,000. While this may seem steep, keep in mind that hanging paper is a craft and not recommended as a DIY project. Getting wallpaper done properly will pay off in the end.
Low: If the elegance and sophistication of today’s wallpaper is not in your budget, consider the following technique that will get you the look without the hefty price tag.
Step one: Start by painting walls in a pleasing tone using a washable flat paint.
Step two: Using a chalk marker, measure out 30 cm spaces on your ceiling and floor and drop the chalk line, creating panels. Repeat each 30 cm.
Step three: Attach painter’s tape next to the chalk line, leaving straight tape lines from floor to ceiling. Wipe off any excess chalk.
Step four: Apply a clear latex glaze in even strokes over every other panel on your walls and let dry.
Step five: Remove the tape.
The result? The eggshell shine in the glaze set against the flat paint create depth and elegance. It will look similar to a tone-on-tone wallpaper at a fraction of the cost. You can expect to pay $200 for the total job, including the price of paint, blue tape and glaze.
Hope this helps!
IMAGE COURTESY OF SHERWIN-WILLIAMS
