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Pezley Painting · Painting notes

1 min read

What You're Actually Paying For When You Hire a Painter

A look at where the cost of a professional paint job actually goes — and why prep is the biggest line item.

Homeowners sometimes look at a paint estimate and think, "That's a lot for some paint and a few days of rolling." Fair reaction. Here's where the money actually goes.

Materials are a small piece. Paint, primer, caulk, tape, plastic, drop cloths, spackle, sanding materials — usually 15 to 25 percent of the total. Premium products cost more, but the difference between good and great paint on a whole-house job is a few hundred dollars, not a few thousand.

Labor is most of it, and inside labor, prep is most of that. Moving furniture, masking floors and fixtures, filling holes, caulking gaps, sanding trim, spot-priming — that's what makes a paint job last a decade instead of a year. Skipping it is where cheap paint jobs go wrong.

The rest is the finish work itself, cleanup, and standing behind the job. We back every project with a two-year workmanship warranty because we do the prep to make it hold up that long.

Proper Prep. Purpose-Built Paint. Professional Painters. Pleasant Process. That's our formula, and it's what you're actually paying for.

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