Thread: whats a good price on a paint job

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was woundering whats a good price on a paint job my truck is pretty straight no big dents in it i want it black i have the interior out of it and i want the inside of the cab painted and behinde the cab painted and the front of the bed painted to the only dents in the truck is like where gravel slug up on it and its very little i was also going to pull the windows out of it before i had it painted to i was woundering if i could get a good paint job for 3000$ i dont want no show truck i just want it to look as good as a new truck i also want the engine bay and the firewall painted well i aint no body man or painter so thats why i asked thanks

at 3k i can assure you that your truck is going to set in a shop for a year or so covered in dust. you'll get all kinds of promises and excuses. materials alone run 1k plus. no professional is going to even consider it at those prices so you'll end up with a wannabe hack who can nether do the job or complete it. do some research and you'll see many who have been hosed. do not under any circumstances pay anything up front.

You should listen to shine.He's going to give you the straight skinny

Originally Posted by Southernboss84

was woundering whats a good price on a paint job my truck is pretty straight no big dents in it i want it black i have the interior out of it and i want the inside of the cab painted and behinde the cab painted and the front of the bed painted to the only dents in the truck is like where gravel slug up on it and its very little i was also going to pull the windows out of it before i had it painted to i was woundering if i could get a good paint job for 3000$ i dont want no show truck i just want it to look as good as a new truck i also want the engine bay and the firewall painted well i aint no body man or painter so thats why i asked thanks

Unfortunately, nobody will give you a price over the web, or even over the phone. The simple reason is that what you describe is generic in nature, and as a body shop owner, I would always want to lay my hands on the vehicle. I've annoyed people over the phone who push for me to give them a price anyway, when this happens I take my worst case scenario (in my mind) and double it, then explain that most likely it will be less, but until I see it up close and in person, that is the best I can do. My advice is to take it to a shop and allow the owner to go over it with you, let him take notes, let him work up a price (in writing, always in writing). As for painting the back of the cab and front of the bed, expect extra charges as the shop you choose will have to remove the bed to paint those areas properly. Time and Money is what drives the business. Finally, as for your 3K estimate, not with bodywork and bed removal.

Bill S.

Don't take this the wrong way, but this sounds a lot like a question I get from time to time.
Someone will call & ask....

How much does a sign cost?




Then there is silence as they wait for a quote.

in the early 80's i charged 3500 to 5k for a paint job. today it is 9k for paint only. but i do no collision type work or scuff and shoots. it is possible to find a painter that will shoot if for little to nothing but it is going to be a roll of the dice . body shops make their money doing collision , all overs are just in the way. custom shops do no collision work.

well the reason i asked you guys about the paint job is cause i called macco and the guy i talked to said 2000$ and he would cut everything in and paint the inside of the cab but i dont want no b/s paint job i want something that is going to be nice and falshy and something that everyone is going to want or be jelus of like i say i dont want a show truck or i would be scared to drive it i dont mind spending the money as long as i get a good quality job

I think Shine is a little short on materials.
Even using middle of the road quality, materials will run closer to $2000.
You figure labor @ $40 per hr (which is low)
Approx 3 weeks = 120 hrs (no body work)
4800 labor
2000 paint materials
-----
6800
minimum

Macco = scuff and shoot with JUNK materials.
But remember --- They don't charge xtra to paint everything ya don't want painted

But, Shine said 9k.

i was being light on the materials. the type of work don and i do will eat up a lot of money in materials . and my 9k is just labor. i no longer buy the materials and do not stock a cabinet full of stuff.. the customer buys his own. he buys his primers / colors / clears . i buy all my expendables such as sandpaper, compounds and such. i got tired of explaining the cost so now they will tell you straight off it cost a lot. some reds are damn near 1000 a gallon.

i will tell you this. the gun hand at a macco is 9 times out of 10 damn good. he shoots 10 cars + a day. if you go to a macco demand to supply your own paint and clear. personally i would use spi as barry now sells black. his primers and clears are second to none.

Originally Posted by pro70z28

But, Shine said 9k.

See the word MINIMUM ???
Just give the guy info.
Did a 72 shortwide @ the first of the year.
Customer brought it to me dissassembled.
Empty cab,doors off, front clip in pieces, bed off etc.
Body work had been done previously.
Shot all in BC/CC Black, color sand and buffed.
He picked it up and re assembled.

200 hrs labor x 40 = 8000.00 (5 weeks)
materials 2500.00
---------
$10,500

Hell, I just shot the hood and roof (black bc/cc) of a 2005 Nissan Maxima (for my neighbor) and charged him $750 and he said all the shops in the area wanted $1000 +

I am strictly a custom or resto guy. Good materials... and the time to do it right. I am cheap for the trade, at $35 an hour... or $30 for repeat customers. (Many pros are at $50 to $100 per hour.) I do not mark up materials at all. Many of the "custom jobs" will also include complex graphics. As a result of this, the jobs usually run between $7500 and $25000.

I also do a fair number of pre-war street rods. These cars usually need to be blown apart for paint, and need a lot of body work.... so they will usually be double the amount of hours... and maybe 50% more materials.

Sounds like a lot of money, but I have spent as much as $7K on materials... and 8 months work... to complete the worst of the worst. I must be doing something right, because my customers come back 95% of the time, and recommend me to friends.

Of course you can get a car done for $300-$500... but they will cut the labor and materials to the bone...or worse! The old rule "You get what you pay for" can bite you in the butt, HARD! The next "repaint" often requires repeating the painting costs AGAIN... PLUS having to pay more to remove all of the old paint!!!

If builder want to save $$$, you should consult with your painter about color choices, and other compromises that can produce a stunning job, at a lower cost.

it cost 60 dollars an hour to get a lawnmower worked on .

You guys who paint(bodywork) for a living are amazing.Until you try it its hard to understand! Professionals for sure!! Pete