Doing alot of work for a local awning company painting sunbrella and other awnings. Would like an idea as to how much to charge, pricing guides do not address this subject. They take 4 coats, 2 same color as sunbrella and 2 topcoat color. I can do most in 24hr timeframe...but it takes so much room on my table, (I have a 8x24 worktable and a 30' easel so I can still work). I think I'm way undercharging, but have nothing to compare.
Posted by Miles Cullinane (Member # 980) on :
i do a lot of similar work but i do it at their factory since it's easier. i use the material called 'fabtac' and going by their pricing for supplying it ready to use, as in, they cut it if you only want it for one job and not to buy a roll. they charge $2 a foot for the 16" roll so that gives you a start to go from. i'll come back to on this but just don't have time today. email me if you want but i will try to come back to this
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
Are you saying you are painting lettering? with 4 coats? are you using a masking, or just cutting in to a pounce pattern 4 times?
I screenprint with NazDar PX series. Sometimes it needs 2 coats (like white on dark colors) but often 1 coat works. The screen reclaiming & burning in large sizes is a real chore, but 4 coats doesn't sound fun either.
Maybe you could try painting with NazDar ink.
Posted by Rick E Caudill (Member # 3561) on :
I've painted many Sunbrella Awnings and I can usually get by with 2 coats ( sometimes 3) I use a good quality acrylic latex paint which will outlast the Sunbrella material. As far as cost goes I usually charge for a pattern $50.00 approx. and $45.00 per hour. Most awnings will take 3 to 4 hours to letter. This company gives me alot of work so my pricing is a little lower than if I was to do a one time job for someone else.
Posted by Michael Latham (Member # 4477) on :
Thanks everyone for the help, I love a place where people can come together and work together! Miles, thanks for mentioning fabtac, I purchase the large 16"x30' roll and keep it in house. I cut on my Roland Plotter with a 60degree blade. I was wondering if anyone had found/used anything other than Fabtac. The actual producing of the awning is easy, just time and space consuming. Doug, I stencil cut on my plotter. Astrup, the distributor, said 2 coats of base/same color as material, and 2 of topcoat. They say it bleeds around stitching and hems/joints and base amterial color "seals" stencil. Topcoat is sealed against fabric itself. Drying with 2 box fans as I paint was also a must according to Astrup. It Makes paint seal against stencil quicker. Never used dye and no screen capabilities...yet. Rick, I say your post on sunbrella, check for info I posted. The stencil charge and base hourly is what I needed. I was charging between 4 and 6 a letter with no stencil charge. All along I "felt" it was to low but had nothing to compare it to. I think I need to adjust my pricing greatly. I was wondering why I was Painting right and left. Did my books for last year, I did 14 awnings, I work alone! Thanks everybody, miles I would love to talk about overseas costs, just found this site and learning to get around.
Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :
I've only done a few, so I'm not expert.
I've been using one coat to match the background color and two topcoats of final color. I price it the same as wall painting (because its just as hard to paint as brick and stucco). if i'm doing it in the field then I multiply by 1.5 for the third coat. (I use the "sign contractors pricing guide, so the price range works out to about $4/sq.ft for a big job and $7/sq.ft for a smaller job, with a $250 minimum).
Posted by Michael Latham (Member # 4477) on :
sCOOTERX, THANKS FOR THE PRICING INFO, NOW I KNOW I'M PRICING TO LOW.
