painting

How many rooms? How many colors? Just painting or fixing up walls, too? Primer and 2 coats? Are you doing any major color changes in any rooms (covering dark colors is a lot of work; painting on certain dark colors requires extra coats). Are there base and crown mouldings? Will the apartment be empty when painting or will painter have to move furniture around during the job?

kyle - you the man as usual - -

One color per room -
some fixing up of the walls
primer and 2 coats
yes on base and brown
empy apartment

getting all quotes north of 10k -

painting is obscenely expensive. i did it all myself with zero VOC paint and saved a ton of money. not sure if that's an option for you.

I'm not picky, so I just get neighborhood handyman/super to do paint jobs at 200-300/day.

I did painting myself - didnt want to spend the $ so its a good do it yourself (if you have the time/inclination).

my fear is that i am spending 100k+ on renovations -- a crappy paint job will make it all look well crappy -

$10K for a post-reno job with mouldings and the sq/ftage you outline is ok. You could get it done for less or more, but you are in the ballpark. I'd make very clear to the painter that the price is on the high side and you are agreeing to pay it, but that in return you are going to expect perfection. Ask if that is understood. No drips, no crooked lines, no shiny moulding paint bleeding onto walls or ceiling. Paint cut into the corners must blend seamlessly with the rolled sections. Window frames must remain free of paint. And if such things happen, painter will happily redo the work without argument. The more everyone understands the expectations of all parties, the better.

As always: spend the money where you'll see it. Good paint job is something you'll see everyday.

i paid $3800 for a 940 sq ft high ceiling apt.
no doors, no molding and walls were perfect as it was a brand new place.
hope that give you a ball park number.

FWIW, $10K was ostensibly what I paid for about 950 sq/ft at the end of a messy gut reno. Included 3 different wall colors, separate color for mouldings (crown and base), primer+2 coats including ceilings. I say "ostensibly" because I really looked at the bottom line number for the entire reno job from the GC.