i charge $350.00 plus material for a 12 x 12 room provided there is not mach prep work. If prep work is needed, i'll charge accordingly.

You often can be better off with a professional in the end. I am so much faster & better at what I do than anyone that just does odd jobs. The fact that its gonna take these guys an entire day to prime illustrates this point well. Hope they don't spill any paint either cause I doubt they carry insurance.

Food for thought.

They should be able to prime and 1st coat in the same day. That job should 1 1/2 days with a total of 8 hours of labor.

Illegal day labor ?

I'm wondering the same thing, what's "illegal day labor"? If I'm thinking the same as what it sounds, be very careful. There's plenty of "legal" handymen that can do the same work for a very reasonable price since they don't have the overhead costs. These guys work just as hard and most of the time, are very experienced. The only problem is that you can't sue them if something goes wrong. If you find a good one, they're reasonable about guaranteeing their work.

This is my opinion only, so please, no debate; but, I'd rather give my business to a "legal" day labor.

I'm currently hiring someone just as that to rennovate my kitchen. He's not a licensed contractor because in order to do so, he'd have to get an education in order to get a certificate. He feels he's too old to get any words in his head. Like my brother, most people learn to fix here and there at home at a young age and gain much experience as they grow older. They can do just as good of a job if not better.

My handyman is very detailed oriented, very careful and know what's he's doing. The price is very reasonable and I can trust him coming in and out of my home. (I can't say the same about contractors that use subcontractors.) He's done other repairs at my house for almost 2 yrs. now. I've never seen anyone as prompt and as hard at work as he is. I'm not sure I could get the same services from a licensed contractors. Look at HD and Lowe's so called licensed contractors, how many have complained?

Oops, so sorry for going off the topics :)

If it is $12.50 an hour times 2 guys...how does that add up to $400? It certainly doesn't take long to prime a bedroom. I would recommend that you hire a legal US painter. If you have a problem with the paint job, at least you won't have to run across the border to try to find them.

12.50 X 32 hours = $400.

Of course it only takes 8 hours to paint a bedroom unless it's huge and it really makes no sense to have 2 guys working in one bedroom ever...it's a one man job. Also, I agree that as a homeowner you are putting yourself at risk by having uninsured workers in your home. If they break anything, you pay and if they get hurt, you pay. I know that many people think it is a small risk and it happens every day, but some homeowners don't even consider these things. Bottom line here though is your illegal day labor price is more than a professional painter price so you may as well just hire the insured pro and then it's win-win for everyone.

I kinda think nanabella will not be responding anymore to this thread.