Overheard a shop owner say he charges $95 an hour for paint labor and felt like I was leaving money on the table

Asked him how he justifies that rate and he pointed to his 5-stage spray booth and said customers pay for the finish, not the time, so now I'm wondering if I should bump my $65 rate or just upgrade my equipment first.

2 comments

2 Comments

jenny_coleman6d ago

I bumped my rate from $60 to $85 a few years ago and honestly it was the best move I made. I had a basic setup, nothing fancy like a five-stage spray booth, but I started showing customers close-up photos of my prep work and the smooth finish I could get with a good HVLP gun. People saw the difference and stopped asking why I was more expensive than the guy down the street who sprays with a roller. I think you should raise your rate first and then save up for better gear. That booth is a game changer if you do a lot of cabinets, but your time and skill are worth more than $65 right now. Just be ready to explain what they're paying for, like sanding between coats or proper masking, and they'll usually accept it.

alice_palmer206d ago

Okay but is it really that serious? I mean yeah showing prep work is good and all, but most people just want their cabinets painted and they don't care about the process. They just look at the price tag and move on. Why overthink this whole thing about explaining sanding between coats? Half the time they glaze over anyway when you try to talk technical stuff. And raising the rate first and hoping people just accept it sounds risky if you don't have the results to back it up yet. I just don't see why you can't save up for better gear while keeping your current rate. Seems like a lot of unnecessary stress for a freelance gig.