Estimating Painters Work

ESTIMATING PAINTERS' WORK Probably no other building trade mechanics are so careless in making estimates or so in the habit of guessing at the cost of their work, as the painters. Perhaps one reason for this is that their work is not done from drawings, like that of the carpenter, the mason, or the iron worker, and hence the habit of carefulness and exactness which is developed from following a plan is lacking in their training. The surface upon which their paint is to be spread is usually ready for them before they begin work; all they have to do is to cover it. Unfortunately for the painter, he often finds things in the house which need to be painted or varnished in order to finish them, but which no inspection of the plans would show him, and which even the most careful read ing of the specifications would fail to indicate. For example, the architect rarely thinks of men tioning the paneled wainscots, the mantels that are to be made by the carpenter, or furnished in the white, or even the shelving or elaborate fit tings for the pantry or linen closet, under the heading of the painter's work.

Avoid Hasty Estimates. If the painter is to know all that there will be in the building for him to finish, he must carefully read the entire specifications through from beginning to end, and make note of every item in the work of 18 other mechanics that will come to him to finish. If he does this and makes due allowance for the cost of finishing, the chances are that some other competitor who has overlooked these hidden items will underbid him and get the work. If he fails to take these things into account in ad vance, he will find, when the work is ready for him, that he has estimated too low; and as human nature is just as strong in the painter as in any body else, and as no one cares to give work for which he gets no return, the temptation is very great for the painter to make good his error by furnishes work and materials inferior to those called for by the specifications.

It is impossible, even for the expert, to de tect whether a cheap rosin and benzine varnish costing eighty cents, or a good kauri gum var nish worth two dollars and a-half a gallon, has been used, until time has caused the cheap var nish to crack and become unsightly. And every painter knows that a coat of glue size followed by one or two coats of cheap varnish will make a job that will look very good indeed, until after the bill has been paid. After that—well, the

builder or the architect will be apt to get the blame for having specified inferior material.

Shop Expense in Estimating.

In order to do a profitable business, it is necessary to measure every job carefully and estimate the cost as closely as possible before tendering a bid. In addition to the actual cost of labor and mate rials, the painter must make an allowance for the non-productive expenses of carrying on his business. For example, there is the rent of his shop—for, even if he uses his barn for a shop and owns his house, he is entitled to some com pensation for its use for business purposes. There is wear and tear on brushes, ladders, and scaffolding; cartage or the cost of keeping his horse and of repairs to his wagon; and his tele phone bills. There is also the item of insur ance. Above all, the contracting painter must take his own salary into consideration, for he is entitled to compensation for his services, whether he works with his men or not. Every painter must figure out for himself the percent age that he should acid to the cost of labor and materials to cover these incidental expenses, but experienced painters have placed it all the way from ten to twenty-five per cent, and the latter figure is more nearly correct for any but a very large business.

Measuring the Work. Very many painters do little more than guess at the cost of the work. The metal ceiling man would not think of giving a price for putting up a new ceiling, unless he measured the size of the room and carefully fig ured out the cost. The painter, on the contrary, will glance at the ceiling and guess at the cost of painting it. Perhaps there may be some excuse for doing this, because different surfaces will re quire differing quantities of material per square yard, on account of difference in absorption. In addition, the position of the surface and the diffi culty of getting at it to do the work will largely affect the quantity of labor required. But even these elements of uncertainty do not excuse the painter from his usual carelessness in the making of estimates.