Average price for a body work/paint in USA?

[andybob]

a tech college uses rates half that

That's a lame college.

School I went to all you had to pay for was material. Labor was free.

[Rebounder]

keep in mind if you're doing it yourself your cost is more for materials than the shops would be, they buy in bulk, you don't. they get a discount, you probably wont.

the only upside to using a shop is theres a cap on how much they CAN charge, it varies state to state, but their hourly rates are supposed to be around 40-50/hr to comply with insurance regulations, where as any decent auto mechanic shop is charging 80-130/hr labor....

best bet, make friends who do body work and pay them in cash, beer, and food....not in that order though lol

a tech college uses rates half that

[V1G0R]

best bet, make friends who do body work and pay them in cash, beer, and food....not in that order though lol

Haha exactly what I was thinking about!

[devon.818]

keep in mind if you're doing it yourself your cost is more for materials than the shops would be, they buy in bulk, you don't. they get a discount, you probably wont.

the only upside to using a shop is theres a cap on how much they CAN charge, it varies state to state, but their hourly rates are supposed to be around 40-50/hr to comply with insurance regulations, where as any decent auto mechanic shop is charging 80-130/hr labor....

best bet, make friends who do body work and pay them in cash, beer, and food....not in that order though lol

[johndd]

last time i paint in 250$ and paint is very cool

[MommysLittleMonster]

I sell paint for a living, I know the stuff pretty well. But yes you did point out a few things I forgot. A gallon of paint on a car is a ton of paint.

A shop better not be paying $100 for sandpaper per car they do. Same goes for paper and tape. Unless they're like a hospital and charge a $100 for a box of kleenex.

A gallon of paint is about right if you're doing the door jambs, engine bay, insides of the doors, and insides of the hood/trunk. Then you have bumpers, side skirts, spoilers, or anything else that may require some adhesion promoter. A gallon is certainly overkill to cover just a scuff-and-shoot car. For a color change however, a gallon isn't far-fetched.

3M Hookit pads in 120/220/320/600- $30/box for all of them individually (easily $100 there, shops typically use a quarter or half of a box per car depending on the shape of the car)
Wetsand paper- ~$20-30 for varying grits.

3M 233+ Fineline tape, 3/4" tape, and 2" tape- usually $10 or $15 each
Paper- ~$25 for a roll of it.

I can keep going if you'd like.

[Dudermagee]

Man I should really learn to do it by myself...anyone of you knows a website for that?

www.paintyourcar.com

[V1G0R]

Man I should really learn to do it by myself...anyone of you knows a website for that?

[NorCalFocus]

Clearly you've never painted.

Primer- ~$150-200
Paint- $3-500 for color (at least a gallon, if not more)
Clear- ~$300
Reducer/activator- ~$100
Thinner for cleaning- $50
Sandpaper- $50 for dry, $50 for wet
Rubbing Compounds- $50-60
Tape, paper, rags- $100
Time- $$$$$

I sell paint for a living, I know the stuff pretty well. But yes you did point out a few things I forgot. A gallon of paint on a car is a ton of paint.

A shop better not be paying $100 for sandpaper per car they do. Same goes for paper and tape. Unless they're like a hospital and charge a $100 for a box of kleenex.

[Jlyons617]

I think it was 2k to paint the Gf's bug.

[MommysLittleMonster]

Paint isn't cheap but its not 1k-2k. Even at $300 for a gallon your not using that much.

But yes paint work isn't cheap.

Clearly you've never painted.

Primer- ~$150-200
Paint- $3-500 for color (at least a gallon, if not more)
Clear- ~$300
Reducer/activator- ~$100
Thinner for cleaning- $50
Sandpaper- $50 for dry, $50 for wet
Rubbing Compounds- $50-60
Tape, paper, rags- $100
Time- $$$$$

[hpaul47]

The man himself said it.

[Rebounder]

you COULD, although not advisable, go maaco.

before people start an uproar, the only way you go maaco is doing ALL the prep yourself, removing trim, lights, clips, anything that isn't getting painted and taping off anything that can't be removed.
then delivering the car on a trailer.

wont be the best paintjob, but def not the worst

remember, prep is your make or break.


fyi,, im not a painter or body man, just work alongside them and have had a few cars sprayed.

it could be the best job but like you said maaco is for spraying not for prep. laying it down right takes pratice or a good feel for spraying, maacos got plenty of that. good prep takes time. maaco doesn't have much of that.

paint varys wildly depending on what it is. some hues are more 500 at the the cheapest to 2000 for paint. cost for labor will eat you alive

[Rob&co]

Wrap it up buddy!

[V1G0R]

I think I'd rather just wait longer to get the money for a professional paint job! Would love to do it myself but I can't find a really clear explanation on how to do it properly at home.