Time taken to Repaint a 2 bedroom 2500 sq ft loft

If they can't complete it within 72 hours, walk away from the apartment.

To add more details, no skim coating, but some fixing of grooves left by new electrical wiring (total 30 feet grooves).

Does he have to strip old paint off the moldings?

will you be occupying the apartment during the work? are there restrictions in the building as to the number of hours that can be worked daily? how much plastering is involved? how many coats including priming are involved?

How many workers? Does this include moving around and covering your high end furniture (then moving it back)? We need to know that info. Maybe he meant with 3 guys he could do it in 5 days, but I doubt it, still a lot of work hours.

Even one really good solo painter should not take 15 work days to do 2500 sf., that is 167 SF a day! (Yes, I realize SF is not wall space).

Is this painter named "Eldin" and did he used work for Murphy Brown?

No furniture. Minimal finishing of walls.

2 real painters one week unless your ceilings are 20 ft tall and they need to bring in scafolding.

300, is this a solo person? In such a big apartment, it's a lot of wasted time: the first coat will be long dried before gets to the second coat. I think you would be better off with a crew of 2 or 3 (3 for the prep and 2 painters), and it shouldn't take longer than 10 days max.

Befoe we moved in, it took 8 days to skimcoat (only those walls that needed it), prime, paint our empty 1200-sf apt. It took 6 days to repaint it with furniture in place. Both jobs were done with a 2-man crew.

300, if it takes more then a week, contact me I have a great guy who works as a 2-3 man team and could get the job done in 7 days.

It took a week for my painter to do our 1,000 sq. ft. Junior 4 solo -- a very meticulous job on walls, ceilings and trim, but no skim coat. Three weeks doesn't sound crazy.

It really does depend on so many variables. How much molding are we talking about. Are the walls primed yet? How many workers per day? I agree with front porch it does not sound crazy for a hi end paint job

hats off to you to deal with people like this.

new question: i want to throw a great party for 100 people. got a quote of $300 per person. thoughts?

Where will you find the 100 people?

Thanks all. I went back to the contractor and he will do it in 10 business days. Just negotiating the price now.

Thanks every one for the feedback. Found some one who will do the job for $5k in 7-8 business days - far more reasonable than the $10K quotes I had gotten. The main difference is that this time we got to the painter directly.

Wow, double the price going through a contractor.. How is that justified?

Angray,

It could be justifies in a number of ways

1.The quality of the painter that is used. I can find a painter and pay him $80.00 a day and i can find a painter that I pay $150.00 a day
2. Does this painter carry insurance and what kind of overhead does he have?

The original contractor said the project would take 3 weeks. 10K for 3 weeks of work (if that is right) is fair. This new painter is going to do it in 7-8 business days. Very good paint jobs take time, they are not to be rushed. That does not mean the painter that he did fine won't be great, I guess time will tell

Primer is correct, these painters do not have insurance - do not think it is needed. Also, for a small job a contractor wants make minimum money for supervision and ease of english speaking interaction. I would have paid 7K to a contractor but not 5k premium.

how much did you pay for this apartment?

columbiacounty to the rescue. First he'll ask how much you paid for the apartment, then he'll put the $ and time in perspective of that number with an added twist of the price of painting relative to how much he thinks you'll lose by owning an apartment. Then he'll remind you how smart he is and how rational he is

Painting turned out to be fantastic. Benjamin Moore Aura through out, lot of woodwork, mouldings and 12 foor ceilings. Total $5500 including paint. Finished in 6 working days. Everything done to perfection in 7 colors in the apartment. Downside - needed a 20 minute daily trip to apartment to ensure perfection.

Just finishing up our living room - but required skim coating (with mesh on both walls and ceiling)of approximately 800sf.Is taking 2+ weeks. We will survive - it will look great . But will never do this again in my lifetime.

300 mercer - I am jealous - it's taking two+ weeks to finish our living room

That sounds awesome 300. Saved $4500 for 120 mins. Would the paint job have been better with a contractor? Doubt it can get any better than perfection...

ph41, skim coating adds a lot of time.

angray, with the contractor, we probably would have needed half the trips. Each trip requires taking time off in the middle of the day and commuting total 45 minutes round trip to the apartment.

300mercer - I know. There was an Irishman who actually used real plaster on the walls, troweled smooth (no sanding necessary- he is a true artist) but they did use compound on the ceiling that had to be sanded. This was all on top of the fiberglass mesh stuff on the walls and ceiling. Definitely have to tip the guys - thanks for your suggestion.

There is a super fine layer of dust in all the areas anywhere near the living room. Which is why I AM NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN.

Skim coating is not for everyone, it should be done when the apartment or house is vacant. If someone hired me to skim coat a room I wood insist all items are removed. With skim coating comes sanding which makes dust. It is very simple

I'm sure the paint job looks fine ( although I can bet a large sum of money that nothing cured properly and many corners were cut in the end) , but you most likely used an illegal painter.

Illegal workers, no insurance, no taxes, no anything. Good for you. You saved a few bucks, and put more strain on legal working folks in the city who try and do things right. You are directly contributing to the death of the middle class blue collar worker.

An "illegal painter???" Our country was built on skilled immigrants, not on the whiners who could no longer compete with them.

Bonac, Let us see what the painter got paid. $5500 minus $1500 for materials. $4000 labor. 6 short working days (9-5 with lunch break 7 hours of work) with 2.5 workers (one of them was not always there). This amounts 15 man days, 105 working hours and $4000 of labor. For a skilled atrisan/labor (you do not need a college degree), this is more than $35 an hour. I chose not to have insurance as it is my risk (insurance cost would have been only $300 or so anyway). If poor middle class worker does not want to do this, I just defer to 43% taxes we pay to support this type of idiots. BTW, the workers were legal due to frequent amnesty programs we unfortunately have in this country.

here's the problem as i see it. when was the last time you lived on $70K a year in the nyc area? and that assumes that your $35 hr guy works more or less full time. you're dependent on suckers.

>Illegal workers, no insurance, no taxes, no anything. Good for you. You saved a few bucks, and put more strain on legal working folks in the city who try and do things right. You are directly contributing to the death of the middle class blue collar worker.

Remember, the illegal workers get heathcare and education, and can have children who are legal. So they might as well do some work to pay for it all.

cc, They can live in jersey or queens. 70K is a lot of money for a skilled worker with no required college education - most of which may not even be reported. Their wife has to work as well as most of ours who live in Manhattan have to. There are many people in publishing who work for less money than that and have fancy degrees. Average American salary is $40-50K. I am not responsible for pulling up the wages of the rest of the country. I do more than my fair share by paying 43% taxes.

300, why bother? Columbiacounty is so out of touch, he was recently surprised by the grocery store checkout scanner.

Love that you got the job done at half that the price gouging asshole quoted you. Make sure to tell him what a ripoff he is. He preys on idiot NY'ers who are utterly clueless and just write checks b/c they're used to buying $800 lamps. Idiots. Good for you to shop around. People in NYC overpay for everything, by a factor of 10. I did my entire kitchen for under $5k. Same with my bathroom. Under $5k. Yes, you got that right. Basic Home Depot caliber, but it looks great. These suckers will drop $50k on a toilet.

mercer that's 70 k assuming no down time. not realistic. how do they get from jersey and queens with paint and other supplies? would you suggest the subway and path train? you missed my point entirely. what happens when these guys wise up and say the hell with thesemshit jobs? are you going to do it yourself?

>what happens when these guys wise up

Because the labor market (especially for housing) is so tight right now

Actually the workers who were willing to do the job for $5500 are wiser that the idiots who wanted to hold out of $10K and willing to go without a job. This is mentality which bankrupted US automakers.

Exactly. Screw them. Overpaid and undereducated crooks. So glad you told them to take a hike.

Dealboy, are you talking about lawyers ? Biggest price gougers on the planet. They cost this country more money than greedy contractors. Union contractors, I believe are part of a huge racket. Laws written in their favor, squash non-union contractors. Doesn't add up to a free market system.

Insurance, taxes a killer for legit contractors. A big risk to go legit. Gotta go underground to get a deal, if you are the consumer.

Right dealboy? Until you get screwed by the cheap underground contractor, then you will be whining uncontrollably, calling your price gouging lawyer to recoup your losses.

The only difference between an attorney and a contractor is, one is educated and the other one isn't.

That's why you only hire guys who are referred by friends.

Many buildings will not allow unlicensed/uninsured contractors to work in the building (even just for painting). And agree with BonacsStyle that" nsurance, taxes a killer for legit contractors" which is often much of the reason for the disconnect in the renovation prices discussed on this board.

Though I must say that the contractor we hired, who is fully licensed and insured, but does a lot of work in the building, still came in at about 60% of the price of a second contractor's proposal for the exact same work (and the second proposal, it turned out, severely underestimated the wallpaper yardage required, which would have been disaster).

despite the up charge for working in the penthouse?

Wow, so much disdain for contractors.

Ba, I am a contractor who just happens to have graduated college with a business degree. Why do you believe all contractors are uneducated? Many of the subs who I hire are intelligent people some of which also graduated from college

Bonacstyle,

Can you explain how contractors are greedy? My clients get my prices up front and they also get bids from others. Where does the greed come in? We are all just trying to make a living to support our families as I am sure you do as well.

And there's the crazy old coot, right on cue. Come on CC - just have another Scotch, and go out on the porch (wrapped well against the cold, as at your age pneumonia is a real problem) and SHOOT THOSE RABBITS!!

you certainly love that illusion, don't you?

tell us how wealthy and important you are.

what is he ? a CRAZY OLD COOT? or a CRANKY OLD CURMUDGEON? Or CRAZED ON CRACK, which seems to be a real problem upstate.

no columbia, you tell us how smart you are compared to Warren Buffett.

tell us about the crack problem in your penthouse.

tell us about the plumbing in the outhouse.

Actually, it's sort of fun to see that CC is the same a**hole he's been in the past years (dare I say, "assholic" which was a favorite phrase of his bff AR?)

how so? the fact that i think you are a pretentious, wanna be asshole? yes, i do. and yes you are.

oh let's not mention aboutready. This is 2012 and we should forget about her. Her pseudo and often misleading advice has only been made more irrelevant with the passing of time.

But of course, CC, you don't think your bff West67, is "a pretentious, wanna be asshole?". "yachts" "rolexes" "Porsches" while living in a crummy rental. TOO FUNNY

I am neither pretentious, nor "wannabe". I am.

You, on the other hand, are merely pathetic.

I am?

And you're not pretentious?

You are totally pathetic. And I am definitely not pretentious (except in your own, early onset alzheimer's mind)

hey, i found the party. happy new year guys! should we all have the leisure and petty angst to engage in this nonesense for many years to come. how is everyone doing? cc, who did you kiss at midnight?

>cc, who did you kiss at midnight?

The nurse got some unexpected tongue.

keep repeating it. i am not pretentious.

(wow...why did i say "I am?")

i am not pretenious.

(why do i constantly talk about the fact that i live in a penthouse?)

oh well.

I am not pretentious.

You are pathetic.

I am not pretentious.

cc, that was too confusing even for "high performing" me. Try again.

hb, who did YOU kiss at midnight?

Actually CC, I do NOT talk about living in a penthouse. YOU are the one who is fixated on that, and KEEPS TALKING ABOUT IT. Guess YOU'RE fixated on my penthouse.

It must be tough living up there in the wilds during the winter.

where do you think i live?

My wife.

I wonder if cc's outhouse has a window in it?

You live way upstate, a relatively nice place in the summer, a total dead zone in the winter, and at any time of year nothing at all like Manhattan year round. A really awful place to retire.

way upstate? where? retire? who said that?

tell us more about your journey up from brooklyn.

oh now Brooklyn isn't good enough for columbiacounty.

you mean your ex wife?

oh, right, the latest theory is that I'm your ex-husband.

Right CC - you are in Columbia County as a fully employed person who didn't run from NY at the first sign of trouble. PLEASE!! You left New York, and try to pretend that you are still engaged with life in the city, which is definitely pathetic. Oh, that's right, AR will let you sleep on the air mattress in her apartment (wherever the hell that is now) when you come to VISIT New York

Again, not even columbiacounty feels that aboutready is relevant anymore. Why do you bother bring her up when even he doesn't?

i ran from the first sign of trouble? what are you talking about? where is columbia county? way, way upstate? engaged with life in the city? according to you that means attending broadway shows. really?

hunter - because she's the only bed in town for CC

Columbia's retirement was forced, not voluntary.

my husband is still legally my husband. not so for your "wife".

penthouse lady--why do you engage with the troll?

penthouse lady--why do you engage with the troll?

>my husband is still legally my husband. not so for your "wife".

Oh, right, New Jersey's laws are different.

'because she's the only bed in town for CC"

hey now! let's hear more about this! just nothing too graphic.

no, please nothing graphic.

CC- give it up. You are not a New Yorker. Have not been for a very long time (except possibly in your own severely diseased mind)>

tell me again. what is a new yorker? how do you qualify?

and, why do you engage with the troll?

Wow, penthouselady (sorry, I kind of like it too), you seem to have struck a real nerve with columbiacounty

(oh, and good job)

"Oh, right, New Jersey's laws are different. "

not really. but i don't call mr. bluth my husband anymore, because we are separated we are no longer living as husband and wife.

Well, a "New Yorker" is someone who ACTUALLY LIVES IN NEW YORK!!! Not upstate in the boonies.

so...does living in queens make you a new yorker?

hey hunter, I've sort of gotten used to "penthouselady" as well, though I must admit it annoyed me at first. It is what it is.

>"Oh, right, New Jersey's laws are different. "
not really

People who have gotten divorced become rather passionate (aka bitter) about their state's divorce laws. NY and NJ divorce laws are sufficiently different.

are the players for the new york giants new yorkers?

with all due respect esteemed lady of the penthouse, i beg to differ. look around at all the tool tranplants. would you call them new yorkers? of course not. they only like it because it's expensive. new yorker is a state of mind. a mental illness, almost. one for which there is no cure as of yet.

>new yorker is a state of mind. a mental illness, almost. one for which there is no cure as of yet.

What are you some sort of comedian?

Sorry Lucille, if the "tool transplants" make it here, and put down roots, even briefly, then yes, they are New Yorkers.

"People who have gotten divorced become rather passionate (aka bitter) about their state's divorce laws."

ha! you're good. it's why i will always WANT to be friends.

so...what about the people in queens? new yorkers?