Skim Coating
I need to skim coat and paint a pre-war coop apartment (as part of a much larger job). I have so far received one quote, which is charging 60K for skim coating and painting. Walls are not in such terrible shape considering the apartment is pre-war. We are talking about 1200 sq. ft. give or…
I need to skim coat and paint a pre-war coop apartment (as part of a much larger job). I have so far received one quote, which is charging 60K for skim coating and painting. Walls are not in such terrible shape considering the apartment is pre-war. We are talking about 1200 sq. ft. give or take. This seems extraordinarily high. Does someone have any good recommendations? Because it is a coop, I believe that the person would have to be licensed.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Greg Glarke (347) 922-0329. When we moved into our townhouse on Bergen St. We also got insanely high bids. 20K for the parlor floor, etc. Greg’s bid was so much less I was nervous about hiring him, but we were house poor, and he seemed competent, so we hired him. He ended up knocking out lots of crumbling plaster, rebuilding the walls in places with Structolite, applied Plasterweld and skimmed over fiberglass mesh so no cracks would reappear, sanded them museum-wall smooth, then did an expert paint job. That was eight years ago, and since then he’s skim coated and painted nearly every room in our house, and we’ve realized he’s the best contractor we’ve had. He was punctual, clean, and his guys were terrific. I think his rates have increased with his popularity, but it’s worth getting a bid if you can.
If anyone wants to see the work he did at my house, contact me off list (adambeckman@mac.com) although the paint looks a little worse for wear since we have 2 small kids now!
-Adam Beckman
151 Bergen Street
I always get three quotes. I got a $45,000, a $30,000 and a $10,000 bid for a 5000 SF job on Broadway, which included a lot of architectural details. I was most interested in the $30,000 bid, and I went with the contractor to three locations where he had worked as taper and painter. He also introduced me to his happy clients.
The job was a little tense because he underestimated the time on the details, and as his project manager I held money back until he got the place looking perfect. Skim coating is not anything anyone can do. It requires a high level of patience and finesse. Take your time and find the right contractor.
masterbuildernyc@gmail.com
I plaster and paint, skimcoat in brooklyn for over 20 years. Brownstones, Churches, apt buildings etc.. Have as many references as you need. You can call me if you would like an estimate – 917-204-4990. Your quote is way too high! Jim
…but maybe the skim coater’s kid is studying rocket science at university….
I should correct an early statement.
When I said “pretty much anybody can skim coat,” I didn’t mean to downplay advantages of experience.
The more experience the better, but you still shouldn’t get ripped off. We’re talking about a fairly common skill. It’s not rocket science by any means. . .
I will do it for 40k … Just kidding……That is a 10k-15k job by the best of them.
Assuming it’s $6k . . .
There’s skimcoating and there’s skimcoating. Paid my contractor about $4k to do my old apartment. Neighbor paid $2k. But mine lasted 5 years. Hers was cracking in the first.
Trick is to dig all the cracks out thoroughly, seal ’em and then refill and then skim. Can be a tough gig.
I’ve skim coated many apartments. The best people are expensive, but not THAT expensive. Two years ago I had a (very shabby) 1600 sq ft classic six done and it was about 15k and that didn’t include the paint job.
BTW, nothing transforms a place like an excellent skim coat and paint job. GL!
It has to be a typo. It must be $6k. Which is high, but not overly so…
I got a quote to paint of of my rental units. About 900 sqf but the walls are fine and wouldn’t require much work. The quote was $1,200.
For 1200sqf I’d think the quote/expense should be no more than $5k or so, and that is if the walls need some decent work.