# Commercial Rafter Painting



## Chicago Handyman (May 9, 2015)

Hey guys, 

I have the opportunity to bid this commercial garage painting. They want these 40 ft long i beams repainted that are 16 feet in the air. Am I in over my head? Absolutely. just looking for some insight here. I am thinking power wash and scrape, then paint with oil based. all on a scissor lift.

how long do you think it would take to wash, scrape paint one I-beam?












If there is a better way to tackle this project I would love to hear it.


----------



## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

Yes, over your head literally and figuratively. Just because you have the opportunity to bid on something, doesn't mean you have to.


----------



## richmondpainting (Feb 24, 2012)

See if they will let you go hourly on the prep...and bid it to spray it out...if you decide you don't want it I may be intrested depending where your at in chicago.....how big?


----------



## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

You definitely do not powerwash.
Air. Maybe. If it is a big enuff space to justify the compressor rental.
Or just scrape em off and paint em. 40 grit sandpaper really is ur best bet. Knock that loose right off.


----------



## PRC (Aug 28, 2014)

Oden said:


> You definitely do not powerwash.
> Air. Maybe. If it is a big enuff space to justify the compressor rental.
> Or just scrape em off and paint em. 40 grit sandpaper really is ur best bet. Knock that loose right off.


^Yes, if sanding use a rotary sander, leaf blower to dust.


----------



## Chicago Handyman (May 9, 2015)

richmondpainting said:


> See if they will let you go hourly on the prep...and bid it to spray it out...if you decide you don't want it I may be intrested depending where your at in chicago.....how big?


Its in the south loop. I dont have a sprayer, or a lift, dare I even say a clue. I plan to sub everything, just want to be fair so everyone gets a piece of the pie.


----------



## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Do NOT power wash inside anywhere near electrical. Use compressed air to blow all the dust off, hand scrape and sand as needed and spray with "dry fall"


----------



## Chicago Handyman (May 9, 2015)

any tips on how to keep paint off that corrugated roof?


----------



## Boco (May 18, 2013)

Get me tickets to the dead show and I will come and spray it for you. Get a shopvac and some spray shields.


----------



## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

They are called bar joists. Just. Whatever. It's bar joist.


----------



## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Chicago Handyman said:


> any tips on how to keep paint off that corrugated roof?


Your going to be painting the corrugated ceiling. :yes:

Otherwise your painting the bar joists by hand.


----------



## Gracobucks (May 29, 2011)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> Your going to be painting the corrugated ceiling. :yes:
> 
> Otherwise your painting the bar joists by hand.


Yup, would be faster to paint it all.


----------



## richmondpainting (Feb 24, 2012)

Chicago Handyman said:


> Its in the south loop. I dont have a sprayer, or a lift, dare I even say a clue. I plan to sub everything, just want to be fair so everyone gets a piece of the pie.


You definitely need to paint everything....deck and joists


----------



## Anchors Aweigh Paint (Apr 16, 2015)

richmondpainting said:


> You definitely need to paint everything....deck and joists


I never EVER wanna see another decking job ever again. I haven't done a crap ton of them, but I shy away from industrial painting. Like the decking at SnapOn Tools... UGH!!!!!


----------



## richmondpainting (Feb 24, 2012)

Anchors Aweigh Paint said:


> I never EVER wanna see another decking job ever again. I haven't done a crap ton of them, but I shy away from industrial painting. Like the decking at SnapOn Tools... UGH!!!!!


We just finished 32k and have 170k more this month coming!! It's personally my favorite thing to paint....


----------



## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

Eeeh but if they aren't paying to paint the deck. Naah you don't paint the deck. You don't just throw it in. It's extra. And about times 2 IMO extra. 
Again but how big a area is it? The scope matters on something like that.


----------



## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

Chicago Handyman said:


> Hey guys, I have the opportunity to bid this commercial garage painting. They want these 40 ft long i beams repainted that are 16 feet in the air. Am I in over my head? Absolutely. just looking for some insight here. I am thinking power wash and scrape, then paint with oil based. all on a scissor lift. how long do you think it would take to wash, scrape paint one I-beam? If there is a better way to tackle this project I would love to hear it.


Yeh and see the thread drifts off, we assume. Me too.
Just the beam? We are looking at? Not the bar joists just those beams. Which is a whole different ballgame than where everybody went by assuming. Me too.
If they just want to paint the beams. Nothing wrong with that. Or even odd.
How long? I'd say a day a beam the whole nine yards is about right, realistically. For bidding purposes. Gives you some room.
And I'd brush and roll em, you could spray em.....eeeh but why? Nice little easy gig.

A day a beam


----------



## Anchors Aweigh Paint (Apr 16, 2015)

richmondpainting said:


> We just finished 32k and have 170k more this month coming!! It's personally my favorite thing to paint....


No doubt there's money in it!


----------



## richmondpainting (Feb 24, 2012)

Anchors Aweigh Paint said:


> No doubt there's money in it!


Only if that's all we had to do...I'd love to only paint ceilings but there are always walls!! Lol


----------



## Chicago Handyman (May 9, 2015)

Oden said:


> Yeh and see the thread drifts off, we assume. Me too.
> Just the beam? We are looking at? Not the bar joists just those beams. Which is a whole different ballgame than where everybody went by assuming. Me too.
> If they just want to paint the beams. Nothing wrong with that. Or even odd.
> How long? I'd say a day a beam the whole nine yards is about right, realistically. For bidding purposes. Gives you some room.
> ...


I figured 6 hours a beam for prep, and then 3 hours painting. Im a slow painter. but i wont be doing the painting... maybe


----------



## pvtgloss (May 25, 2015)

I love bar joist. Done it for 8 years. Ive pressure washed and also blew them down with air. I prefer air. That's really not much work. You'll wanna get more than one Lift going and definitely Dry Fall. Easy money! 99% of the time The decking is going too. Spot prime where the paint chipped with Kem Kromik. I always throw poly down even though I use Dry Fall. Make sure you cover the sprinkler heads. Tin foil works best.Suit up, spray sock and Vaseline too. These two pics I attached are not bar joist but your job should look something like this. Have fun.


----------



## riskend (Jan 25, 2015)

This is very interesting.
A grinder with a faceoff disc can waste a beam in an hour.
Polycarbonate shields in the interstices between the roof and the beam, HVLP with 3thou capacity, two coats in two hours.
Add EWP cost and paint, call it 5hrs per [email protected]$80hr labour, a judicious 10% for whoopsies and do two a day.
You Yankees set the benchmark, if they can't cop that, walk away.


----------

