Go Paint Something!

Hey Mike,

What’s the going hourly rate for murals? Is it better to price it by the square foot? Is it much different than faux painting? Do I price the project separate from the supplies?

You really shouldn’t be pricing ANY decorative-type painting per square foot. Murals especially.

Now, you could give someone a range based on square footage, but in the end, it simply boils down to how long it’s going to take you to paint it. Figure out how much you want to make per hour/day/week etc., and price it accordingly.  Just give the client a price for the project. Period.

Don’t say something like, “…plus material, plus meals, plus equipment…”, or especially, “I charge by the day.” Just give them a price. That way they’re not nickel-and-dimed to death, and they’re not hanging over you making sure you’re putting in your full “day”.

And trying to figure in material? Realistically take a look at how much you spend on material on a project. I’ll bet you that most of the time you hardly spend anything! Why? Because you use stuff left over from 3 projects ago! You collect supplies! It’s rare that you have to spend a lot on supplies for one particular job. If you have to, say, buy a projector, it’s something that you’ll use for hundreds of projects.

My thoughts: figure out how much you want to make, and charge accordingly. The supplies will take care of themselves.

My rant is done. Now Go Paint Something!

Michael

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