# labor rate to install crown



## bellerose (Aug 21, 2005)

Customer has 3 inch crown molding.

He wants me to install it. Total of 6 rooms. Most have acute and obtuse angles.

what is the suggested going rate per foot to install in your area ?


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## King of Crown (Oct 12, 2005)

how tall are the ceilings?


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## i_plant_art (Jan 15, 2006)

how many LF of crown? also whaty profile of crown? on the first floor or the second floor of the home?


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## bellerose (Aug 21, 2005)

i_plant_art said:


> how many LF of crown? also whaty profile of crown? on the first floor or the second floor of the home?



About 500 LF of 3 inch crown, 8 foot ceilings. Half upstairs, half first floor.


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## Bob Kovacs (May 4, 2005)

Who cares what the "going rate" is? How long is it going to take you, and how much do you need to charge per hour/day/week/month? Those are the only numbers that are worth thinking about.

Also, the time it takes to hang crown is usually more a function of how many corners there are than it is a function of how many LF you have to install. You can run a square 25'x25' room (100 LF) far faster than you can run a cut up angled hallway with 10 corners and 1/2 the LF.

Bob


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## Gordo (Feb 21, 2006)

Bob Kovacs said:


> Who cares what the "going rate" is? How long is it going to take you, and how much do you need to charge per hour/day/week/month? Those are the only numbers that are worth thinking about.
> 
> Also, the time it takes to hang crown is usually more a function of how many corners there are than it is a function of how many LF you have to install. You can run a square 25'x25' room (100 LF) far faster than you can run a cut up angled hallway with 10 corners and 1/2 the LF.
> 
> Bob


Post of the day. I wonder when people are going to figure this out?


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## Bob Kovacs (May 4, 2005)

Gordo said:


> Post of the day. I wonder when people are going to figure this out?


Apparently never, since I've posted the same response to God knows how many of the "how much should I charge for XX" threads around here......lol.

It's absolutely amazing how many people are willing to risk bankruptcy by taking the advice of a bunch of complete strangers from all parts of the country, in figuring out how to charge for their work.

Bob


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## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

From now on we should just tell people stuff like $1 a sq ft for a deck and $100 a LF for crown/base. Just a bunch of ridiculous lies.


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## Mike604 (Aug 7, 2006)

bob u da man,,, listen to him


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## kid creole (Jul 11, 2006)

Bob Kovacs said:


> Apparently never, since I've posted the same response to God knows how many of the "how much should I charge for XX" threads around here......lol.
> 
> It's absolutely amazing how many people are willing to risk bankruptcy by taking the advice of a bunch of complete strangers from all parts of the country, in figuring out how to charge for their work.
> 
> Bob


why not just post what u F&^ing charge in your area????
starting to wonder what this forum is for???


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## dayspring (Mar 4, 2006)

There is really no "GENERIC" labor cost for installing Crown. As posted above, it really depends on your experience, the particulars of the job at hand. As posted above, "How many corners". 

If you are lacking in experience, you don't want to go by prices that others with 20 years experience use, you may wind up eating some wood for lunch.

Keep records of your time for future reference. 

As far as what this forum is about, It is what you make it. Many come in here wanting to know what to charge for something, I've done it myself. But if you think about it, that isn't so easy for anyone to answer. Would you give a price on something you have never seen and or don't know the details about the job? I wouldn't. If you are looking for "How to or different opinions on application" advice these guys can be extremely helpful. 

This is by far the best contractors forum on the internet, with members that are very knowlegeable in their crafts. Use the forum as a tool and you won't be sorry. Just don't depend on it for estimating.


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## Dave-Raleigh (Jun 12, 2006)

Wants you to fill nail holes and caulk? Furniture in the rooms? Have to cut outside and haul every piece into the house? 

Those are some big rooms if you are averaging over 80' of crown per room.

$25/corner, $25/splice, $100/room to move furniture(5' away from wall), uplift $10/corner if you have to do all the cutting outside. $75/room to caulk and fill nail holes. Its almost irrelevant how long the walls are. The corners/cuts are what counts.

Now how much are YOU going to do it for?


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## Double-A (Jul 3, 2006)

Bob Kovacs said:


> Apparently never, since I've posted the same response to God knows how many of the "how much should I charge for XX" threads around here......lol.
> 
> It's absolutely amazing how many people are willing to risk bankruptcy by taking the advice of a bunch of complete strangers from all parts of the country, in figuring out how to charge for their work.
> 
> Bob


Well, many folks in our industry are already risking bankruptcy just entering this field without a sound knowledge of business or business practice.

Places like this forum will just frustrate them or inspire some curiosity to explore that part of the business and to hopefully learn before they crash and burn.

Keep the faith, Bob. Your words are not falling on deaf ears, just new ears. There is a difference.


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## kid creole (Jul 11, 2006)

in new orleans we charged 3.00 per linear up to 3" and up to 5.00 for 5"
paint guy did the spackeling customer provides material hope thAT HELPS?


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## Bob Kovacs (May 4, 2005)

Double-A said:


> Well, many folks in our industry are already risking bankruptcy just entering this field without a sound knowledge of business or business practice.
> 
> Places like this forum will just frustrate them or inspire some curiosity to explore that part of the business and to hopefully learn before they crash and burn.
> 
> Keep the faith, Bob. Your words are not falling on deaf ears, just new ears. There is a difference.


No loss of faith here AA- I'm happy to help where I can. However, I do feel that I help more by explaining why pricing from here is useless, rather than just posting my local rates as Kid Creole has suggested. 

It's kinda like the old "teach a man to fish" theory- if we just feed people pricing, they never learn how to actually price anything for themselves.

Bob


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## homerepairtech (Aug 4, 2010)

*Lf pricing*



bellerose said:


> Customer has 3 inch crown molding.
> 
> He wants me to install it. Total of 6 rooms. Most have acute and obtuse angles.
> 
> what is the suggested going rate per foot to install in your area ?


I am new here, but it seems that most of the forums don't offer much advice, rather criticism seems to be the retort. 

Price does float depending on your location. Best advice, stop in a track built neighborhood (under construction) and locate a builder, since turn key has vanished, and ask what does he pay his finish carps. If a customer has the materials left over from a previous contractor who walked off the job, ran out of money, has a crack and forum addiction or simply found a great deal on molding, the best thing to do is compare. Which is what this guy was asking for. 
You will most likely quote the lf price, corner price, ht of ceiling as one bid, caulking and painting a separate, just in case the homeowner wants to paint themselves, that way you don't have to go back and readjust your price....


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