The Specialty Indoor Painters’ Needs

There is no law that says interior walls need to be coated with flat, boring eggshell paint. An interesting alternative for many homeowners is to decorate using techniques such as marbling, stenciling, sponging, strié (dragging), ragging, rag rolling, stippling, distressing, and faux finishing. In most cases, amateurs are not trained or equipped to perform such work. This sort of job is usually limited to one or two rooms in a house and therefore may be less attractive to a commercial painter; the skills involved are also different from those required to paint the living room off-white.

In doing this service, you will need specialty brushes, sponges, stencils, and other equipment, as well as basic painting tools such as ladders, trays, rollers, tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, and masking tape. You will have to bear the cost of experiments and practice sessions you conduct as well as preparation of a display room or a photo album or web site to show examples of your work. You’ll need a vehicle large enough to transport your equipment. Other expenses include research books, classes, advertising, and promotion.

In many cases, most painters quote a fixed price for a job, based on a careful estimate of the number of hours it will require plus the cost of paint and other materials. Many specialty paint jobs require multiple applications of wall covering. Some jobs are quoted on a cost-plus basis: a charge for hours of work plus the actual cost of paint and other supplies. Prices for specialty painting are usually higher than those for standard indoor work because of the extra time, materials, and skill required.

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