[retiredguy123]

Comparing a union painter to a self-employed painter is apples and oranges. A union painter cannot expect to earn anywhere near union wages in The Villages, unless he has other painters working for him. And he will get no work benefits. One problem with painting work is that almost anyone can paint their house if they don't want to hire a painter. And, the houses in The Villages are mostly one story with few high ceilings. Very easy to paint.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by JGibson

He should stay at his union job and then retire here.
It's very hard to make good money in Florida as a painter. They’re a dime a dozen and it's really not a highly skilled trade.

The reason folks are getting quoted so high to paint is that TV residents pay almost double for contractors because they think we’re all rich.

It does seem like almost any full day job is $3,XXX...

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by defrey12

It’s per sq Ft if house, not the walls

My house is approximately 2500 sq feet. I would not pay 7,500 to have the interior painted.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by JSR22

My house is approximately 2500 sq feet. I would not pay 7,500 to have the interior painted.

Same size, ditto. Looks like $1.50 is more the going rate.

[doreedoc]

Does the $3.00 sq ft include the paint?

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Same size, ditto. Looks like $1.50 is more the going rate.

Totally agree.

[Deckboat234]

I think he must be thinking around 30 cents a square foot. A 10x10 room at $3 per sf would be $960 in labor and that would be real high. If 30 cents a sf it would be $96 which would be more in line with what the going rate is. A painter could probably paint that size room in 2 to 3 hrs.

[gwen walker]

Who did you use

[NotGolfer]

We got an estimate a couple of years ago from a business in T.V. We wanted two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a hallway of our 1400 sq. ft. house painted. The estimator told us $800.00 for the job so we hired them. We were also told a crew would come and do it in short order. The day came and when I opened the door only one person was there. I said to him, "you're the only one??" He looked at me with a questioning look and responded with a yes and asked which room. I said "NOT a room but what I got the estimate on" and showed him. He immediately went outside and spoke on the phone in Spanish and then started the job. Soon the owner of the business came and said "your contract said ONE room". I don't know what happened but we had a conversation and said your estimator gave us this quote and we're not happy! So we ended up paying maybe $50.00 more but got the job we were expecting. I won't name the company but will tell you "IF" you PM me. We're happy with the results but next time would definitely be more careful. We used to do the painting ourselves but are no longer interested in doing that.

[Papa_lecki]

Pretty sure it’s not the square footage of the room, but the square footage of the area of the walls to be painted.

A 10x10 room, he’s not painting 100 sq ft, he’s paint 4 eight foot walls that are 10’x8’ = 80 sq ft x 4 = 320 sq ft. (Less stuff like windows, doors, openings, etc).

What would someone charge to paint a room?
$250? $500? $1000? I have no idea.

[MrFlorida]

My brother is a painting contractor in Virginia, he charges less than the going rate of others in the area. He is usually booked up for at least 4 months. Good quality work, and quality products will create a good customer base. He has so much work, that he only does repeat customers .... If your son is willing to work for a little less than the other guy, and treat customers fairly , he will prosper.

[carlsondg]

Originally Posted by bob47

I must be out of touch. $3/ft2? $300 for one 8' x 12' wall? Over $1000 for the 4 walls of one room?

union - say no more

[wamley]

Union wages are ALWAYS higher than Non Union wages. Benefits and such that unions price into along with all local & federal taxes are higher than here. In addition Union work in my experience is not performed on individual residential houses. Perhaps contactiong the Villages Construction Dept might be a better approach to relocating to Florida. Charging $3 sf in TV is out of order.

[regas56]

Originally Posted by Travilinggal

Does anyone know the going rate for painters here. My son is considering coming here from St. Louis were the going rate is $3.00/square foot. He has been a union painter for 18 years and would like to go into business for himself but wants to make sure he can earn a living wage. What other things should he consider? Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice.

I painted houses 30 years in St Louis and never made anywhere near that. I personally could/do paint 2000 SF houses in the Villages in around 4 days but would NEVER charge 6000 dollars for the job.Materials should run between 400-500 dollars with labor running about 2000 including bathrooms and closets. Exteriors ie. a Gardenia should never run over 1800-2000 NOT including paint and that would include the trim with 2 coats. Also never pay a deposit up front except for paint get as many bids as you need to find a painter you feel you can trust..

[jacRI]

That's pretty close to the $3 as ft he charges.