Charging For Faux Finishes

Brushslingers

Coming from the East coast... and I do mean all up and down the east coast... national averages tend to run about 110.00 an hour for higher end Faux, as in Gossimer, Venetian plaster, marbling.. etc. Ragging and sponging tend to run about 75.00. Don't qoute me on that however, in some markets like Atlanta, you could average more, in others like Raleigh, less. Threads a little old but, figured you guys may enjoy the insight on price. I've settled in the gold coast now so, unless your in the panhandle of Florida, you aren't competing.

kbdesigns

Try this place, there is a lot of information about pricing on here www.houseoffaux.com

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Kathy
www.kbdesigns.biz
www.talkfaux.com

paintsquad

im not on this ? i want to no if u can guide me to a good contract for ext. & int. panting

orson

check out this guy's work, i thought it looked pretty awsome

http://www.jeremyharnish.com/


www.rubycon.us
Ruby Construction LLC
Lancaster Kitchen Remodeling
Lancaster Bathroom Remodeling

Katy Contractor

We do allot of insurance related restoration work and the insurance databases seem to reflect about $3 per square foot for Faux painting. Does anyone know of a nationally recognized pricing guide that could be used to counter the insurance company pricing?

Thanks for your help,

Chris

Katy House Painting

TomHuggins

I just did my first one. It was just one process of sponging on one color. It took me 4 times longer to do 400 sq ft than just cut and roll one coat. The base coat was already on.

mrpaintguy

LOL LOL LOL!!! U better just sub out the faux work to a "faux pro" for the 1st couple years or so, maybe tack on a percentage for yourself and have no worries. Too low a bid on a faux can eat up your profits(and then some) at the blink of an eye.

AdminFauxPaint

A/ imho "Faux" is too vague - too many techniques fall under that.

B/ I also agree with others above that most faux jobs are too individualized to discuss by $/sq foot. Aside from first comment above, (sponging and simple ragging vs graining, marbleizing, custom glazes to match or complement an existing on-site finish, and of course, venetian plaster) it depends on the surface being worked on and the conditions on site and the level of quality client is looking for. We have done plain "industrial" white on white matte VP on prepped wall that worked out to approx $9/sq, and we have gotten $25/sq foot for three color high gloss VP that had to abut high enamel chair rails surrounding crackled centers.

But enough about us, exactly what kind of finish/treatment was the insurance company willing to pay you $3/sq foot for (and since it was restoration, how was the under-surface?)?

kenscar

$3/square foot would be for a pretty simple treatment, I'd think.

kenscar

Of course, with faux finishes it all depends on the detail. For a simple two-color color wash I'll charge $2.50/square foot of surface area. That's a base coat with a glaze coat scumbled over it. For more detailed fauxs like marble and woodgraining it goes up to at least $4.00/square foot for the most basic, up to $6 or $8 for greatly detailed, many-colored techniques. Murals can go up to $20+ per square foot. There are many variable like heights, awkward areas to get to, heavily textured walls etc. that make the price go up. If you simply explain all these things to your client beforehand it's not hard to make them understand why it costs so much - but the results are worth it! That's where sample boards are very handy to show them what they'll get for how much. I make 1' X 1' sample boards, that way you can show them a marble sample and they can see exactly what they'll get for every $4.00 they're going to spend.

Don't be hesitant to charge what it's worth. You are selling artwork here, not simple straight painting. How much per square foot does a painting that hangs on your wall cost?

I have a pricing page on my website where you can see what I charge per square foot (of surface area!) for different finishes: www.atmospherepainting.com

Anyway, hope this helps.

qdslse

There are professional faux finishers and there are those who think they can faux finish. You should charge for your level of expertise and difficulty of finish. I have been in the business for almost 20 yrs and a simple sponging that may not even be excuted well does not classify as a faux finish.

I applaud those who are able to do a little something on the wall and make their clients happy. Many clients have not seen or perhaps would not pay for a finish created by a seasoned professional with years of schooling and experience.

But please realize that true fine decorative finishing is an art that is not aquired in a few months. It takes time to develop a skill and talent so don't expect to make a lot of money until you have developed the ability to satisfied your clients highest expectations. The number of and type of products available to professional finishers do not come close to the low grade products sold in your local stores.

If you really want to raise the bar so to speak of your company, you may want to consider sub-contracting a professional finisher and making them a part of your team. This way you will be able to show true appreciation for your clients and a deeper respect for the art of faux.

Laurie
artistictouches.net

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L. S. Ebert
www.artistictouches.net

FoilEffects

Marlow,

As much as I would love to agree with you, the hottest area in Florida for VP and I mean the real thing is Miami. If you are lucky you get $10 per sf. Here where I live in Central Florida, it is between $6-$8 and that is why we give them synthetic. Now belive it or not Chicago pays great with VP as when I was there I was getting upwards of $22-$25 sf without issue. I think the difference is education, in Florida everything is 10-15 years behind and it is hard to educate but in 18 years of doing business in Illinois I never had a problem educating. People knew what they wanted, had already done there homework and knew what it was going to cost.

As far as NY I have no idea as I have never done work there.

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MISSM145

HI GUYS,
I'M NEW TO ALL THIS FAUX PAINTING. I'VE DONE SOME REALLY NICE TEXTURES WITH SOLID COLORS AND A FEW SPONGING AND BAGGING WALLS IN MY OWN HOME . MY FRIENDS ALL TELL ME TO START MY OWN BUSINESS BUT I AM CLUELESS AS TO WHAT TO CHARGE. SOME PEOPLE SAY TO CHARGE BY THE SQ FT BUT IS THAT THE WALL SPACE OR SIZE OF THE ROOM? EX. 10X10 ROOM IS 100 SF FT OR DO I CHARGE PER WALL? ALSO, DOES THE AMOUNT PER SQ FT INCLUDE PRIME, BASE, AND GLAZE OR ARE THESE PRICED INDIVIDUALLY? ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. I LIVE IN SC AND THE PAINTERS HERE SEEM TO THINK THEY HAVE SECRET PRICES SO NO ONE WILL HELP ME OUT. I GUESS THEY DON'T WANT ANY COMPETITON. ANYWAY, ALL ANSWERS WILL BE HELPFUL. THANKS, MICHELLE

WisePainter

I spent 1 year working as an apprentice for a full time faux company in s. Florida in order to expand my portfolio.
The hours were long and the pay terrible however the experience I gained is more than worth the trouble.
I was not able to ask what they were charging, but I know from years of painting exactly how skilled I am and how long it takes for each finish.
My price is $45 an hour and the customer purchases all of the supplies other than the tools and drop cloths I take with me.

One thing to remember with faux finishing is that anyone can do it, but can you sell it to discerning homeowners?
Your skill level must match the expectation you create within your client.
Create generic sample boards to initially introduce your client to the available finishes you offer.
Once they have chosen the desired finish (and there is a signed contract) create a custom sample board, with material costs added to the contract.
IMPORTANT! Have the client sign off on the board to avoid any potential conflicts later on!!




P.S. Be ready for the over the shoulder rubber necking clients...

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My advice: Hire a real painter to do it.

renet

In my area a good faux finisher can get $85.00+ an hour. I know of 2 that charge an hourly rate and booked out a few weeks.

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Property Preservation Contractor

Allison Douglas

wondering the going hourly rate for reg. commercial painting and want to know the average hourly rate for faux painting

kbdesigns

First off, the terms "bagging" and "sponging" were something born from the HGTV craze and which make the pro finishers cringe. Decorative painting has changed a lot since I started in the late 80's mixing tints with oil. Now you have a ton of professional products available through certified distributors and hundreds of schools to choose from.

The first thing I will tell you if you are serious about getting into this as a business is to take classes from qualified schools. This is not a one time thing. The best finishers and even instructors are those that continually update their portfolios, learn new products and enhance their skills. There are a lot of decorative finishers out here now and you have to be able to offer quality finishes in order to compete. You also have to be willing to work your a_ _ off and continually market yourself, especially in these slower economic times.

You may also want to consider going to a decorative artists convention like IDAL www.decorativeartisans.org This is offered once a year and is a gathering of decorative artists throughout the world who want to network, test new products and take one and two day classes.

At a good school you will also learn some valuable lessons in pricing. The majority do charge by sq surface ft, but there are a many variables involved to price by this alone.

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Kathy
www.kbdesigns.biz
www.talkfaux.com

SpinBird

I live in OKC, and have done a lot of faux finishing in the past... mainly VP.
I use a brand from a local paint store... it has endless color capability, and I have perfected the burnishing process with a sander and 2000 grit sandpaper.
Since I am prefessionally diung this again in this new (to me) state, can you give me any ideas about charging? I will be predominantly doing VP... and I'm thinking $15/ft. with an additional $3/color (I do a lot of marbling with accent colors).
What do you think? Your website is gorgeous by the way...

LAD

Try having a variety of vp's to offer. Your cheap-y acrylics you might like to offer at a more discounted price than $15. Have a mid-range, and of course your top end real lime putty plaster. You're on the right track with adding more for more colors, and/or wax topcoats and effects.

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Dan-Liquid Art Design
www.LiquidArtDesign.com

athens84

Need some advice for giving a price estimate on gilding a 300 sq ft ceiling with compositions gold, no scaffold needed and prep may or may not be included.

This is residential client.