Pricing out a paint job

[moorevisual]

The cost isn't in the tools or materials to actually paint the vehicle. The cost is in the labor to do the prep work. If you're going to do all the body work and prep yourself, it doesn't matter where you take it for paint, the cost should be relatively similar.

not really true...paint costs have tripled or quadrupled in the last 10-15 years. my other project is just now almost finished being painted, all house of kolor and ppg, and paint/materials were over $1200. a gallon of the best clear is about $400 alone. one of my good friends is painting it so i'm getting a huge break on labor, but contrast to the last car i had him paint for me in 1998 and was able to get the whole thing done with materials and labor for $800.

 

[kickdeez]

not really true...paint costs have tripled or quadrupled in the last 10-15 years. my other project is just now almost finished being painted, all house of kolor and ppg, and paint/materials were over $1200. a gallon of the best clear is about $400 alone. one of my good friends is painting it so i'm getting a huge break on labor, but contrast to the last car i had him paint for me in 1998 and was able to get the whole thing done with materials and labor for $800.

I guess my comment was meant to be more general in nature, to convey the point that labor costs considerably more than material, and that when it comes to painting anything, it's all about the prep. I have no doubt that material prices have increased, but so have labor rates. When you're talking about body work and prep, that takes a lot of time. It is certainly more time intensive than spraying paint. And it doesn't matter if you pay for top of the line paint, or use rattle cans...if you don't prep right, its going to look like ****, and not last. If you prep right, you don't necessarily have to use the most expensive paint out there for it to look good and last.

 

[yevgenievich]

Paint is up considerably. I just about flipped when seeing the price for paint couple of months ago compared to 4-5 years ago. And 4-5 years ago it was the same thing compared to when I was painting another 4-5 years back.