Woodwork is priced differently
Walls are priced by area. Trim, doors and windows are priced by the piece and by the hour, because they're slow, detailed work done mostly with a brush. A room with plain walls and lots of woodwork can cost more to paint than a bigger room with little. If your quote seems high for the size of the house, the trim count is often the reason.
This guide covers what moves that price. It gives no figures: rates vary with the house, the firm and the season, and only a painter who has seen the work can price it.
A city with a long record
Washington County was created from Frederick County on September 6, 1776, and Hagerstown was incorporated in 1813, according to the Maryland State Archives. That's the town's record, not your house's. Whether your woodwork carries one coat or many depends on its own history, which the painter will judge on site.
Counting the pieces
A painter pricing woodwork usually walks the house and counts:
- doors, one side or both, and whether the edges are included;
- door frames and casings;
- windows, with their sashes, stops, stools and aprons;
- baseboards, crown and chair rail, by length;
- built-ins, mantels and stair rails or balusters, which are slow.
The more pieces, the more cutting in, and the more time. Paneled doors take longer than flat ones; balusters take longest of all.
Surface condition
- Sound paint needs cleaning, a scuff sand and filling of dents and holes.
- Alligatored or built-up paint may need heavy sanding or stripping before it can take a smooth coat.
- Gaps where trim meets the wall get caulked so the new paint line looks clean.
- Previously varnished wood going to paint needs a primer that grips the old finish.
Ask the painter which category each area falls into. The surface preparation guide explains why patching and sanding take the time they do.
Oil-based to water-based
Many older trim coats are oil-based. Water-based paint over glossy oil can peel unless the surface is sanded and primed with a product made to bridge the two. Expect a painter to test the old finish and to add primer to the scope if it's oil. That extra coat is a real cost and a real benefit.
Windows
Window sashes are among the slowest items in any paint job. Stuck sashes may need freeing, loose glazing putty may need replacing before paint, and the crew has to keep paint off the glass and out of the tracks so the window still opens. Ask whether sashes are painted in place or removed, and whether freeing stuck windows is included.
Older paint on woodwork
Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. The EPA also says it runs the RRP program in states it has not authorized and lists the states that run their own authorized programs; Maryland is not among the states on that list. Both statements appear in the cards below as the agency gives them.
Woodwork is where older paint is often thickest, and sanding and scraping it is exactly the kind of work the rule covers. Lead-safe setup adds plastic sheeting, containment, special cleanup and time, all of which show in the price. If your house was built before 1978, ask the painter whether the firm holds RRP certification.
Coats and sheen
Trim usually gets a primer where needed, then two finish coats in a satin or semi-gloss sheen that wipes clean. A glossier sheen shows every flaw, so it needs more careful sanding first. The sheen guide explains how sheen affects both looks and labor.
Scheduling and access
Doors may need to come off their hinges, and exterior doors need dry days. Rooms stay in use more easily when woodwork is done one area at a time. Ask how long each door and window will be out of action and whether the crew will rehang and adjust doors at the end.
What to ask for in writing
- A piece count or room-by-room list of woodwork.
- The preparation for each area, including any stripping.
- Primer type over old oil finishes.
- Number of finish coats and the sheen.
- Lead-safe methods for a pre-1978 house.
- Whether sashes, stuck windows and hardware removal are included.
See interior painting and the pricing guide for more.