# Finish: price per square feet



## jmthouston

Like stated before I'm not a finisher but I am intrested in getting into learning the trade. 

Currently I am working for a drywall contractor that I do the paint jobs for. Well I was speaking to one of the long time finishers and he told me that he did jobs in the side and well some where in there he told me that when he priced jobs he would price under different circumtances but really would round up to about 70 cents a square foot. 

does this sound too low for ya'll 


thanks in advance 
:cowboy:


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## taper71

Depends on who's supplying material, and what the job is.


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## jmthouston

20 foot wall for example and customer paying for material


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## taper71

70 cents a square would be a really good price if not supplying material.At the least I wouldn't complain.


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## AtlanticWBConst

taper71 said:


> 70 cents a square would be a really good price if not supplying material.At the least I wouldn't complain.


Are you referring to 70 cents US or 70 cents CAN?


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## SL-DRYWALL

a painter working for a drywaller and your actually wanting to bid on drywall work ? do you not know how to do the hanging taping or finishing of the drywall ? sounds to me like your tring to cut in on someones work . just from what i've read of your post .


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## AtlanticWBConst

SL-DRYWALL said:


> a painter working for a drywaller and your actually wanting to bid on drywall work ? do you not know how to do the hanging taping or finishing of the drywall ? sounds to me like your tring to cut in on someones work . just from what i've read of your post .


Reminds me of a basement remodel we did about 6 months ago. We had a guy that we had hired because he said he was a 'drywaller/taper'.
He hung 1/2 the basement in 2 days. Then started taping....

Now, I started out in the trades as a drywaller in '84 and did it fulltime for years, and still do it from time to time when we get backed up with an overload of work, so I know what real hanging and taping (Floating) is supposed to look like.

Well, we had to pull him off that job and bring our other workers in, who were working on larger drywall projects. Of course they laughed at the work and then they blew out the rest of the work quickly.

Turned out the guy, was actually a painter (hard-up for work), who 'thought' he knew how to hang and tape. He put the seams in wrong places, the taping was messy (Compared to real tapers) etc, etc, etc...
Funny, how many painters think that they know how to tape. (Nothing against the poster - as I do not know anything about them)...But, I have painter friends who we have had to go in - and fix their work.

Previous post, Just made me think about that....

I loaned the jerk some of my DW hand tools, and he never came back with them. I had a drywall utility knife, keyhole saw, and a rasp that I bought in '84, that he took. :furious: 

We were nice to him, we knew he got in over his head, we just wished he had been honest with us about his experience, we would have used him on our painting jobs. The kicker was that he went back and talked to the HO and also talked to the guy that gave us the job...trying to get other work.  (Guess he was a 'dirtbag' in sheep's clothing)

Anyways, sorry for the thread hi-jack....


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## Cole

SL-DRYWALL said:


> a painter working for a drywaller and your actually wanting to bid on drywall work ? do you not know how to do the hanging taping or finishing of the drywall ? sounds to me like your tring to cut in on someones work . just from what i've read of your post .


Amen!!


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## jmthouston

SL-DRYWALL said:


> a painter working for a drywaller and your actually wanting to bid on drywall work ? do you not know how to do the hanging taping or finishing of the drywall ? sounds to me like your tring to cut in on someones work . just from what i've read of your post .


 I work for a well established Drywall and Paint here Houston.

well, I am starting to learn, but it is not rocket science. " Len Hijuelos" PaintPro :whistling 
The finishers are good friends of mine and there is plenty of work out here. 
:chinese:


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## AtlanticWBConst

Ha, ha...so many think proper and professional taping is so easy....


When is the last time anyone saw a painter coat like this, before sanding:











Or like this (Again...this pic is before sanding):


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## pruane

I would be more concerned about that elec panel.


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## SL-DRYWALL

it maynot be rocket science, but it is hard kick ass work that isnt learned over night . so when you step on someones toes , the big boot they carry will hurt your backside enough to where you cant sit down for awhile . seriously guys work hard to earn there money even if there is alot of work the real contarctors want as much of it as they can get. and they dayum sure dont need a silly painter going out and bidding work and getting the prices screwed up .


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## SL-DRYWALL

oh i forgot ,,, you are talking to a real well established drywall contrator , and i carry a big boot for painters bidding drywall work . if your going to paint.... PAINT if your going to finish and install drywall THEN DO SO . if your going to build the BUILD . but what ever you do ..do it right . learn the trade.


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## SL-DRYWALL

oh chit sorry i'm on a roll here ,,, just a question to the painter guy . why is it that i always hear my customers say , OH my painter told me i dont need any primer just flat paint ? i have had to tell so many customer that flat paint is not a primer , makes me sick .


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## AtlanticWBConst

pruane said:


> I would be more concerned about that elec panel.


What is there to worry about?


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## AtlanticWBConst

SL-DRYWALL said:


> oh chit sorry i'm on a roll here ,,, just a question to the painter guy . why is it that i always hear my customers say , OH my painter told me i dont need any primer just flat paint ? i have had to tell so many customer that flat paint is not a primer , makes me sick .


Information:

http://www.onlinetips.org/drywall-primer


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## SL-DRYWALL

ok ok i'll tell you why ... that way the painter can off load all his left over paint he has collected over the past jobs and use it as a first coat / primer and get payed double on it . see now im not a dumb drywaller after all ... been there and seen it happen . i just feel bad for having to answer my own question . hope i havent given anyone any bad ideas


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## griesbaum

*25/sq ft*

I have gotten pricing from drywall professionals in my area for 25cents a sq ft for finishing. 25cents a sq ft for hanging. This is not including material, just labor. Seems to be a fair price in my area.


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## mahlere

griesbaum said:


> I have gotten pricing from drywall professionals in my area for 25cents a sq ft for finishing. 25cents a sq ft for hanging. This is not including material, just labor. Seems to be a fair price in my area.


fair to who? that's only $8 to hang and $8 to finish...$16/board (4x8)

doesn't sound fair to the guys doing the work...


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## Zip

Can't understand why a good painter wouldn't just take more painting on the side. Drywallers who don't finish GWB correctly suck. Anyone doing contract commercial would be well advised to make * * give you his John Henry before taking tools out of the truck.


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## Frankawitz

The thing that gets me is when I started out as a painter I had to know how to fix drywall, then I had to learn how to hang and finish on top of mixing colors on the job(35 to 40 Gallons of oil), we also had to know how to make stains, and the other thing we used all oil base paints and primers. the painters of today are called Blow and Go Guys!:thumbsup: they aint painters, that's like the price for drywall back in 1982 we would work for .75 sqft and to think that price is still good,:blink: man I guess nothing changes in the building trades unless your the builder who makes all the money off the backs of his workers.:clap:


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## nywoodwizard

griesbaum said:


> I have gotten pricing from drywall professionals in my area for 25cents a sq ft for finishing. 25cents a sq ft for hanging. This is not including material, just labor. Seems to be a fair price in my area.


I've got a guy who also charges .25 cents a foot to finish,seems pretty cheap.Almost to cheap.


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## dayspring

Just my opinion, Drywall hangers and finishers are classed like painters in most cases. They are way under-rated for their talents. A good hanger is just as important as a good finisher to the outcome of a job. I don't see how they can possibly work for a mere .25 a sf, I couldn't and don't. I don't generally hang and finish more than 20 - 30 boards at a time, but I certainly charge more than a .50 sf to do it when I do. Maybe I'm a lot slower at it than one who does it everyday, but I've done it for over 20 years now at least 4 or 5 times a year. I take my hat off to those hangers and finishers that make it look sooooo easy.:clap:


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## 747

where i live we have painters who also do drywall. Not all but there are a couple of adds in the local yellow pages that say painting and drywall. All the others adds are painting or drywall not both.


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## Mater

Commercial in ohio I would charge at least $45 - $55 per board to finish only. Residential - I don't touch it. Too many driving the price down, when we have workers who'll finish for $2 - $5 per board:blink:  . I have a painter friend of mine who also knows how to finish very well, he just hates it. One time this couple wanted him to finish a room for them too, as well as paint. He told them he wouldn't. They pressed him to do the finish work and he gave them a price of $72 PER BOARD:w00t: :w00t: :w00t: ! The kicker is......THEY TOOK IT:notworthy ! He is the man. Maybe someone should start a post about what is the most ridiculous price you've ever quoted and it was accepted.


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## Pillow

I am paying my sub $28 per 4x12 board, finished. Residential.

Seems fair to me.


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## XPADREX

Sorry to seem dense, but to clarify (for me):

You folks are talking about simply finishing, correct?

What woould you presume per sheet from start (hanging) to finish?

Does job size have an impact? (I know it does, but where's the cutoff, i.e. replacing two walls in a room versus installing a whole house).


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## Pillow

For me. I buy the material and make sure it is in place for the guys.

For $28 a board I get it hung, taped, filled, skimed, and finish sanded. + point up later if needed. 

All I do is paint it! 


Granted these are larger projects... Probably 2 boards is not worth thier time. I do the small jobs/repairs.


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## Paul_R

I am a painter who can plaster and drywalll as well.I think all three trades require skilll, precision, and an eye for detail. Now that I am older, I do not hang anymore, but finishing is OK. In my opinion, the skilled pro makes it look easy to produce a quality product. The observer thinks that it looks easy, and he can do it as well. Load up that knife and smear it on the ceiling seam. How much will he be wearing? :lol: :help: Nothing worse than sanding some ones mud down that they caked on an inch thick, or going over a taped joint and finding that there wasn't enough mud under the tape.:furious:

Nice pictures on this post! Happy painting and mudding! Paul :wheelchair:


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## Rockhound

There are alot of "Painter/Drywaller" outfits around here in the Maryland/Delaware area these days. I give the Mexicans and the butchers credit for making it possible for this mainly because the public and most builders see so much shoddy hanging and finishing that they don't know what its SUPPOSED to look like anymore. Seems that if someone has picked up a sheet or two they think that qualifies them to hang,not to mention the guys who held an 8 footer up with one hand and a Coors Light in the other in thier buddys basement one time. I have done a little finishing but I leave that to the finishers and just stick to doing work no finisher would refuse to do.


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## Freddieg37

I usually charge $30 a sheet to hang and finish renovation work, they supply the rock (4x12) I supply all other materials. Then again it depends on how many sheets, what kind of shape the walls and ceiling are in etc....


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## MOWORK LLC

*Drywall*

I am new to this , so forgive me if I am writing in the wrong format or place. 

The way I have learned to bid drywall, is take the floor space, multiply it times 3 if it is easy or 4 if it have problems ( extra work), and them multiply the number by....21 (21 cents) for hanging. and .41 ( 41 cents) for finishing

hope this helps, hay as a new contractor you have to eat a little when you start. good luck MOWORK llc










jmthouston said:


> Like stated before I'm not a finisher but I am intrested in getting into learning the trade.
> 
> Currently I am working for a drywall contractor that I do the paint jobs for. Well I was speaking to one of the long time finishers and he told me that he did jobs in the side and well some where in there he told me that when he priced jobs he would price under different circumtances but really would round up to about 70 cents a square foot.
> 
> does this sound too low for ya'll
> 
> 
> thanks in advance
> :cowboy:


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## Cole

MOWORK LLC said:


> I am new to this , so forgive me if I am writing in the wrong format or place.
> 
> The way I have learned to bid drywall, is take the floor space, multiply it times 3 if it is easy or 4 if it have problems ( extra work), and them multiply the number by....21 (21 cents) for hanging. and .41 ( 41 cents) for finishing
> 
> hope this helps, hay as a new contractor you have to eat a little when you start. good luck MOWORK llc


Where are you located?


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