real cost of a great paint job

I have read a lot of threads on here about the cost of a paint job. Ive been in the business for over 30 years and still do restoration today. Most people say they only want a driver paint job so I ask them why did they take it apart just to paint it if its a driver job you want put it back together and spray it. We paint most all jobs taken apart , buff and polish then reassemble and finish buffing and polishing before the customer gets it back. This one was done recently at the shop and for paint materials alone it went like this. Paint Volvo Passion RED base coat only nothing else $1013.00 gallon times 2, Clear with hardner $300 a gallon, that didn't include any reducer, sandpaper, Primer, masking tape, masking paper, sandpaper to wet sand and buff, compound, glaze, or any rags to clean everything. All in all the materials alone cost about $3200 I know I could find cheaper products but who would have to pay if it didn't stand up and the customer brought it back. For the time and effort it takes to get things ready cutting corners on materials just isn't worth it. Not everyone can afford a job like this but we all know deep down inside we want this kind of quality. Just thought I would let some know what it cost in materials to get this type job, I will not tell you what the customer has in this truck right now its his business but all he brought us was a cab that needed everything .

 

Looks really nice and I'm sure it's worth every penny to the owner knowing that is was done right.

 

Nice paint jobs are expensive,,probably why my truck has the Kirker Semi Gloss sprayed in my shop,,and my sedan is sporting the very tired black paint that was applied in 1962. HRP

 

Hence, the reason that so-called "patina" is popular.

 

That truck looks fantastic! Most people dont understand the cost of paint and bodywork until they either buy a cheap job and dont like the results or try it themselves and realize the huge amount of labor involved.

 

Having finally finished the wagon last year after 9 long years of work and dealing with two different painters I ended up spend way too much. HRP

 

It is kind of like tattoos: good paint jobs aren't cheap and cheap paint jobs aren't good.

 

Exactly.....I learned with my first project....you get what you pay for

 

My thought on paint is, if you're going to do it, do it right the first time. My problem is, I can't afford the first time. I have a friend who had his car painted last September. It looked okay when he got it back. Now, it looks bad. It was done in a flat style, but I expected better.

I contemplated painting my T and got a cost of $600. It was too good to be true, so I finally passed on the offer. NOTHING looks worse than a bad paint job.

 

buffing in the booth huh.... thats my pet peeve with the dudes at work
Looks good tho man!

 

If you Cant love the one you want
( can't afford a really nice paint job)
Love the one you're with
( patina is better )

Why doesnt patina rhyme with vagina ?

 

I know you said you wouldn't but you could at least generalize the costs to repair the body, (labor and materials) do the bodywork, (labor and materials) paint the truck, ( labor and materials) buff, (labor and materials) and reassemble. THAT total is the real cost of a great paint job.....

 

Wait a minute. So you're saying it's NOT pronounced vuh-GEENA???

 

Is priceless. Shiny stuff is Super Bitchin'


Tim

 

$1000 a gallon for color? wow, is it all that expensive or is there something special about Volvo colors?

 

Early last year we went to buy some sample pints for our Model T speedster body, chassis, and wheels. It cost over $500 and we have only painted some hubs and primed the wheels. I have seen tractor supply painted cars, and I have seen PPG painted cars. I vote for PPG.




"Ya Play Stupid Games, Ya Win Stupid Prizes" An Old Saying

1926 Model T Ford Hand built Speedster
Speedster Build Thread (http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67881&page=1)

 

Great paint---90% preparation
10% painting
------
110% satisfaction

If you don't have the patience to do it or the money to get it done, don't be disappointed when it looks mediocre.

 

Reds, as a rule are more expensive than other colors.

But any of us, that have done the work, know the real cost is in the labor, the $3200 for materials is just the tip.

Thanks for giving some a reality check.

 

I've gotten some at 95.00 a half pint.
There's 8 pints in a gallon, 16 half pints.

Reds are expensive and paint mixer/resellers gouge you in my opinion.
I had one paint mixed that was 1 pnt of dbc500 ( cost is 50.00 a qt) and there was 13 parts per 1000 tint added to it. That then cost me 150.00 . Gouging at its finest.

 

1000 a gallon does not seem to be that uncommon I hear for good quality paints. I wish I could get a nice paint job for under 10k (better than driver quality) on my 51 chevy but I think those times are behind me (that would include install of patch panels to fix rust repair right in front of the rear wheel opening, behind the stainless panels)

 

Amen!

 

Can you post some more pictures of the car in your avatar? Its beautiful!

 

The 40 in my avatar as done in PPG Deltron 2000 BC/CC. The guys at the shop that squirted it know me pretty well and they gave me the cost sheet from the jobber and the label off the can for my records. The materials they bought specifically for this paint job were about $2200 and that doesn't count tape, paper, tack rags, filters, solvents etc. I brought the pieces of the truck to them all primed and block sanded with the exception of the bed which they filled, primed, blocked and painted for me and the job was $6400. They did a wonderful job, so good in fact that I decided not to cut and buff it.

 

Where oh where is Earl Shieb when you need him....$39.95 , any car any colour !!

 

How close did the cab red and the bed/fender reds match?
TP

 

If you want driver quality learn to paint, it's not rocket science. Less than $500.00 in paint and sandpaper some elbow grease gets you down the road. Three coats of single stage can be sanded into submission by just about anyone.

 

I recently talked to a Corvette restorer about my 57'. He quoted me 20 K to do the whole job. My jaw hit the ground...yikes, but I guess that's what a great job would be. Tons of labor with an old glass body too.

 

My Impala was painted in 1997 and my Bel Air in 2001... Both were done by a friend who owns a body shop. He made me a good price which wasn´t cheap, but he promised he could always fix every little scratch that was to come in the future. He was right and it was worth every penny.Both paintjobs weren´t cheap back then but they are still looking good and straight today after 16 respectively after 12 years. Compared to today´s prices, they were dirt cheap. I paid 6000 Deutsch Marks each at that time, that was like $ 4000 .

 

Well some guys whine
its too far
It's too heavy
It's too hard
I can't do it

And some guys whine

It's too much money
I can't afford it
I can't do it

And some guys just do it.
Some do this shit for a living but most are in collision and that's different than restoration. Some do this on the side for others a few cars a year.

Some guys whine while the do it but they still do it.
Some work just as hard and dont get the same results than others
It's not easy work, it's not cheap materials, and there's always that thought what if something goes wrong. What if it bubbles thru, what if its not good enough, what if its not straight,,,

Then there's the " fucking Internet information source and misinformation source". There's so much confusion and conflicting info a fella trying to figure it out from the Internet is likely to suffer brain damage. There's good info too but two sets of good info won't interbreed and then it becomes twisted and so commingled a rookie doesn't have a chance without a mentor over his shoulder.