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can anyone tell me what i should charge when line painting, how much per foot. also how much should i charge for arrows and disable marking, im in ontario canada
thanks for your helpHello pdboyfloyd
Here’s what I’ve written before…
Pricing is always tricky. Here’s why. Overhead and competition. First things first…
Overhead.
If you pay $10.00 per gallon and get 350’ per gallon…that alone costs 3 cents per foot.
Let’s say it’s a “Re-stripe†of an 80 car parking lot = 1500’. You’ll need 5 gallons of paint = $50.00. Now…I’m going to stop right here and dangerously say…most people think that’s your overhead = paint! But…you and I know better…I did not include one cup of gas for the striping machine…3 gallons of gas for your truck…your cell phone bill…yellow pages…business insurance…1 million dollars worth of insurance isn’t that expensive…buy it.
So…if it’s JUST YOU working and you’re spraying a parking lot that has 80 cars…figure 3 lines per minute. You can stripe the entire job easily in less than 2 hours. 30 minutes for prep and clean up…30 minutes for striping…the rest for travel. By the way…that’s in a perfect world…supposing we’re pretty good at our job. AND…I know in other parts of my country…paint costs $16.00 per gallon…aaahhhggg! …that’s high!
So how much do you want? After all is said and done?…$200.00? $300.00? That means $250.00 – $350.00…plus whatever additional “overhead†you decide. That means it’s 17 – 23 cents per foot. AND…that’s for a Re-stripe…not an “Over seal let alone a “Layoutâ€. pdboyfloyd…I cannot get that price in my town. BUT…my paint is lower in cost.
Competition.
I’ve helped stripers price from all over. Some live in towns where they’re the only striper within 400 miles. AND…the closest paint store is 45 miles away. I live in a large, well known metropolis. If 30 cents for a Re-stripe is the going rate for your neck of the woods…so be it. BUT…be careful…it may not mean that you’ll be making more than someone else pricing at 17 – 23 cents…in a different “market  = a different neck of the woods…like mine.
Here’s what you do…check your overhead…look at the job…put a price on it. Your price. How much does a gallon of paint cost in your area? How much is your immediate overhead? How much do you want beyond that? Bid it. Walk away. If you’re the lowest person in town…so what? At least you’re covered and you’ll learn.
Next…I remember the first time I “upped†my prices. It was because I was swamped…swamped…swamped. My overhead didn’t change. Did I mentioned swamped? I deduced 2 things…1) my prices may be too low…OR…OR…!…2) I was in demand. I’d like to think that I was doing a good job.
Now…I know you can do the work. And I know you’ll do a good job. So…what I would like to encourage you to do is this…price the job as you see it. Grow and build a reputable business. Keep in mind all things…best you can…including your “secondary†overhead = your home life. You’ll do fine. You’ll figure it out…for your area.
I hoped I helped.
Your friend.
Dan
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