# pricing help forwood staining



## jfc (Nov 22, 2009)

so i was offered a job to stain all trim in home , cherry stain with a clear coat, any advice how much to charge maybe by the foot or ? its all 4 inch baseboard new. im in plainfiield il . any ideas how to price. i havnt done this much staining and dont want to over or under charge. and what about a stair case same wood. any suggestions or by the foot prices would help thanks..:blink:


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

jfc said:


> dont want to over or under charge. and what about a stair case same wood. any suggestions or by the foot prices would help thanks..:blink:


Over or under-charging is all relative. Especially for staircases.


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

gotta love ol' MC Escher.


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## Rcon (Nov 19, 2009)

How's this: For your baseboards, go get a 10 foot long peice of 4" wood. Stain it and clearcoat the same as you would in this project. Keep track of time and material. Use your figures from the sample and apply it to your project, adding at least 25% for miscellaneous issues that you will definitley encounter (such as nail holes). 

Stair systems are trickier. Some charge by the LF, some by the SF, some by Cost +. Make a realistic estimate of time to complete, plus material, add overhead on your time + material, then add a profit margin. I have never done a stair system that I charged less than $1100 for. 

Just make damn sure you do samples, and get the home owner to approve the sample by signing it.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

jfc said:


> so i was offered a job to stain all trim in home , cherry stain with a clear coat, any advice how much to charge maybe by the foot or ? its all 4 inch baseboard new. im in plainfiield il . any ideas how to price. i havnt done this much staining and dont want to over or under charge. and what about a stair case same wood. any suggestions or by the foot prices would help thanks..:blink:


You're not from around here are you?

"How much would you charge for....." questions usually garnish little help and much ridicule.

There is no way for anyone to acurately guide you on this very basic question. We do not know your overhead, your profit margin, your wage scale, your production rate, the market in plainville, or anything about your business.


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## jfc (Nov 22, 2009)

thanks for the help all , and those who like to talk just to say something but not actually want to help thanks for nothing, just dont comment, i obviously wasnt speaking to u ,


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

jfc said:


> thanks for the help all , and those who like to talk just to say something but not actually want to help thanks for nothing, just dont comment, i obviously wasnt speaking to u ,


I think DaArch summed it up pretty well. 

Also, this forum is for professional painters. You don't sound like one.

If you aren't a pro, people here aren't interested in teaching you how to compete with them. 

If you are a pro, feel free to introduce yourself in the introductions section and let us know about your painting background, perhaps you will have better luck.

It's nothing personal. Also getting terse in your 2nd ever post in this forum won't help your situation. You violated a well known etiquette observed by regulars of this forum.


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