Painting

[Mike V.]

Hello everyone,

I am working with two painters at the moment. They are both giving me different prices for Painting and Prep work. They do not have a unified idea on what prepping would be. I'm tired of the back and forth. I want to come up with something universal I hand to each painting contract. 'This is what we expect, give us numbers for these things'. Now I'm asking you guys. What do you think Prepping includes? Is drywall included in that? I'll make my list based on the majority of what you guys say. I'm trying to make this a smoother process. Any recommendations are appreciated!

Thanks,

Mike

[Chad Hovermale]

We operate a drywall contracting business in Grand Rapids, MI.  All of the advice is good on this thread.  @Justin Grubbs has a great recommendation for how to handle this in his region.  @Josh C. has a great rec for how to handle this in his region (especially the one throat to choke wisdom).  In my experience, drywall and paint are conflated in some markets and treated as different trades in other markets.

When in doubt, it is easy to go materials suppliers (drywall specific, or paint specific, not the lumber yard that has a pile of drywall in the back). They will tell you how these trades are customarily approached in your region. You might ask the two painters which supplier they use to purchase drywall. Another option might be to ask your REI network in the area for their recommendations.

It is a lot easier to hire a bad contractor than it is to fire a bad contractor.  Stay diligent and plod through the back and forth communication frustrations.  The effort you make to figure this out for this project will add value to your future projects, as well.

Good luck!  Keep at it.