wall mural pricing

[luggnut]

do you guys go by hour or sq ft... any suggestions would be great. i know different styles from simple lettering to portraits are different rates... but i need help..lol

link to vid of a wall i did... what should i charge for something like this

 

[bannertime]

You've got to set a base rate to cover your expenses. Travel, gas, food, utilities, equipment, materials, whatever else. Then add a rate for your time and labor itself.

Edit to add:
I wouldn't charge by sqft until you're knowledgeable about how long it takes to do different size jobs. i.e. a 10x20 landscape typically takes ## hours, while a detailed portrait the same size takes more time. Then you'll be able to say, ah yeah that wall is so many sqft and you want this style, it'll be this per sqft. Which should be pretty much equal to an hourly rate. Then if you get faster and faster, you'll be able to make more money off the sqft price.

Good work though, have seen that video before.

 

[TimToad]

As one of the resident crusty, old WallDogs here, murals and wall signs are as varied and open to pricing influences as any other project.

Equipment needs? Surface conditions? Paint and other material needs? Patterns or projection of the design? Distance from shop? Space impediments and working hour limitations? Safety risks?

I'm sure there are more, but all of these factors need to get calculated into the mix.

 

[Gino]

Can you give an approximation of how much time you had in that. It looked like 4 days, but did you have a pounce pattern on there already or just eye-balled it all in ??

Very nice ​

 

[luggnut]

Can you give an approximation of how much time you had in that. It looked like 4 days,

i was there 4 days.. but there were many interuptions.. i probably had 24-30 hrs or so of actual work.. no pattern... i did project as much as i could, but it wouldn't cover the area all the way... so quite a bit was eyeballed

 

[Gino]

Okay, so you projected that at night ?? How many hours do you have in that part of the game ?? Unfortunately, interruptions count. You can't charge for them, so you hafta figure them in ahead of time. It's called the 'S' factor.

 

[luggnut]

i'm not sure all these interruptions would count against the time.. had to go to a school function... had a long lunch meeting with a potential, etc.. but i did have some things like going back to get more paint etc.. any idea of a ball park price for something like this?

 

[Gino]

Your own made up interruptions do not count, just incidentals on the job. People talking to you, customers asking questions, getting more paint, moving the scaffolds or platform around, etc......

$3,200 to $3,500 give or take, based on your hours mentioned, but does that include you setup and transferring the pattern onto the wall ?? Does it also include your time creating the scene from scratch ?? Taking thos things into consideration, I'm thinking $4,500 would be more like it.

 

[luggnut]

wow... i was in the ballpark then!!!.. $3,300... but i did create the layout and project it ... all included...so maybe a little low

 

[FireSprint.com]

Pretty awesome work!

 

[Russell Ricks]

Great outdoor mural work!

 

[JoeDG]

Think I've been charging too low (although I know this, and most of this type of work for me is partly for the love not just the money)
I did this mural for an outdoor bar recently - took 3 days, charged less than £1000...whoops!?