54 " Wide Wallcovering Bid

connie

I have not hung 54" for awhile , this inn is revamping all wallpaper and has picked this vinyl what is the standard square yard price I live on the coast in Maine.....also another question.....when they removed the old vinyl the existing clay base paste was left in tack of course......the new wallcovering does require either the clay or clear....can you just sand and go over or would you sand and prime...if primed with what primer......the owners designer has a traveling wallpaper person who bidded on this project without seeing it.....oh my god.......the owner also said" sharpen your pencil......i would appreciate any input.....thank you.......Sherwin Williams does not have the answers

ChrWright

Welcome to the site Connie.

You'll find pricing questions yield a lot of eye rolling on the forum--we have a lot of new people walk in, without an introduction, asking "how do I price..."

Many times it's homeowners or non-professionals and most of the time your first few posts will feel like somewhat of a hazing because we can't tell the difference until you've been around awhile.

In any case, I would send a PM to ProWallGuy. He's the resident expert here on wallcovering. He might be able to point you in the right direction.

http://www.contractortalk.com/members/prowallguy-34/

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connie

Okay I understand but I am and have been in this business for 23 years first as Connie's Wallpapering Service and changed to Connie's Wallpapering and Painting because I do about half painting so I could do the complete job from start to finish......questions seem hard to get answered I just would like to know a varied amount and answere to my questions because of what I am up against a low bidder and one who gets work from an interior designer I get my work from doing a consistant great job .... honesty.....integrity....customer service.....I get repeat customers and referrals mostly.....this is rough times i would like to put in a fair bid....Thank You Connie

Bob Kovacs

I'm confused- you've been doing this for 23 years, but you don't know what to do with the existing walls, and you don't know what to charge?

Who cares what the other guys are charging! You need to charge what it's going to take you to do the job and turn a profit. You're never going to beat a low-ball contractor, and with a project like this, you're not likely to convince the owner to pay a premium for you based on your experience, etc.- especially if they're already using the "sharpen your pencil" comment before you've even submitted your first price. I hate to see people walk away from work, but this certainly sounds like a waste of your time unless you're willing to work very cheap.

connie

Hi... thanks for your reply...... it is because of the sharpen your pencil. and this is a commercial sight.....with over 7,000 square feet with clay base paste still in tack on the walls....they do not want to remove this....that gets ugly.....years back I did commercial on a smaller scale.....easy to figure years have passed.....and i just want to be within range....85% of my work is residential redos............................they are looking to save labor....I don't care what he bids I just want to be more in line with the times and be professional...................................... ......

ChainsawCharlie

What "times" are you referring to? Is it a time when your insurance and WC rates are not going down? Fuel costs aren't going down. Equipment costs and maintenance costs aren't down. Supply costs aren't going down. Taxes certainly aren't going down.

So why should your labor rates go down?

Lower your price on this job, then on the next job you will be lowering again. It'll be a snowbball effect that will roll you right out of business.

Stick with your repeats and referrals. I find that my customers are at a certain class, and the referrals I get from them are too. I may not be working as much as I used to, but I'm not killing/kicking myself or hating life on the jobs I do have.

Sharpen my pencil? Sorry...I use a pen.