TGIF-The Price is Right

That's Good In-Faux

 

 

 

By far, the question I am asked the most is about pricing.  When I visit on-line discussions, pricing is once again a hot topic. So how do you become a winner in pricing?

 

 

 

 

Let's start by agreeing that pricing is not about luck...

 

Or seeing what sticks....

It is about taking the guess work out of coming up with a bid.

What it really takes is knowing your budget, some time, and basic math.

Before you can price anything, you have to know what you need to make to earn a living and cover your expenses.

Now, creating a budget is a whole other post but for this exercise you have to decide on an hourly and a daily rate. These rates are determined by where you live and how you live. It is different depending on your market and how much money you need or want.

 In general, if you are getting 100% of your bids, your hourly/daily rate is too low.  If you are getting 50% of your bids, then your pricing may be high for your area.  A good goal is to get 60%-70% of your bids.

You need an hourly/daily rate to make comparisons with square footage pricing.

We are going to use a 350 square foot room as our example. This is a standard size for a dining or gust room. It is an easy size to half (a large powder room or guest bath) or double (a standard hearth room).

For our sample, I've selected a 3-step finish...

This is a straight-forward finish that uses not custom mixed tints or glazes. The base is Royal Taupe Setcoat, a high-low coat of Tiger's Eye Venetian Gem, and a tight skim on Charred Gold Lustersuede.
Where many people start to stumble on pricing is figuring out product costs and coverage. With Faux Effects, Setcoat covers about 400 square feet per gallon since it tends to be thick and it may be thinned 10% with water. Most paint companies suggest a gallon covers 350 sqft.  A troweled plaster product covers around 200 sqft for a low build coat with some trowel lines and 90% base coverage. A tightly skimmed product (like the Lustersuede used here) can be stretched to 250 sqft per gallon.  When in doubt, budget for more product-the cost difference is only a few cents more per square foot and will often guarantee you free shipping from studios offering minimum purchase options.

Many studios and manufactures also offer on-line stores where you can check product prices. For our 350 square foot room, we would need the following:

1 gallon Royal Taupe Setcoat.............................................$61.91
2 gallons of Tiger's Eye Venetian Gem..............................$148.18
1 gallon and 2 quarts of Charred Gold Lustersuede...........$78.95 + $45.40 (2 @ $22.70)

Product..............................................................................$334.44
Plus tax (if you are in state)...............................................$30.18
Total...................................................................................$364.62

or rounded-up to $1.05 a square foot.  To cover tools, tape, and misc. supplies, let's add 10% bringing our grand total to $1.15 per square foot. Now, $402.50 sounds like a lot until you break it down into a price per square foot.  I looked up tile on 2 big box store sites and came up with plain white as my choice in this price per square foot range.

Now let's look at labor.  This is a 3 step finish, so let's start with $1 per layer per square foot. That would be $3 plus the cost of the materials or $4.15 a square foot.  350 x $4.15 = $1,452.50 total.
$1,452.50 - $402.50 (product/supplies) = $1,050.  Now this finish for this amount of space should be completed in 2 days.  $1,050/ 2 days = $525 a day. $525/16 hours or $32.81 an hour.  This would low since you have to take taxes, gas and other expenses out of that $32.81 an hour.

Compare that to making $600 a day minimum.  $600 x 2 = $1,200 or $75 an hour.  $1,200 + $402.50 = $1,602.50 or $4.58 a square foot.

Troweling is hard work.  If you doubled you price on the troweled layers (there are 2 in this finish) then you base price per square foot would be $5.00 plus the product costs or $6.15 a square foot.  $6.15 x $350 = $2,152.50.  $2,152.50 - $402.50 = $1,750.  $1,750/2 = $875 or $109.38 an hour.

The point is you need parameters.  Give your self an hourly and a daily goal.  Then assign your tasks a dollar value.  Start with $1 per layer and see what you get.  Some people charge .50 a square foot to roll paint and $3 a layer to trowel.  Then they add $1 a square foot if the surface is a ceiling or a floor.
This will also give you a way to start taking your samples and assigning them a price.  When you visit a client you may shown them boards already marked with suggested pricing per square foot. Let the client compare what the finish is worth to them.  Just like a restaurant where the prices are listed.  The customer has to decide if they want to pay for hamburger or a Ribeye. The hamburger and Ribeye can both BE GOOD but they are not the same thing.

Sure it takes some time but congratulations- You have graduated from Magic to Math!

Don't let your budget be cut short.  Bob Barker knew this. And so should you!

Summer Leaves

 

Let us contemplate the LEAF in design

 

 

What is the meaning of this?

 

Did you know that a single leaf was a sign of happiness in ancient times

 

 

And modern day Colorado?

 

 

 

My "Summer Leaves"  wall is inspired by the many dresses from the spring/summer runway shows that featured leaf motifs.

 

Temperley London

 

Bluemarine

 

 

 

 

                                                             Alexander McQueen

 

 



 

Marchesa

 

 

 

House of Rebecca

 

 

The base of my finish is Faux Effects Silver Palette Deco that is troweled in a high/low coat.

 

 

This is a beautiful acrylic metallic plaster.

 

Palette Deco usually dries well within 2 hours. I have noticed with humidity and air conditioning it make take longer. The surface should not feel tacky before you proceed to the next layer which is Lusterstone Tint Base.

I am applying the Lusterstone Tint Base by putting it on with the blade almost flat to the surface and then pulling the Lusterstone tight with the trowel edge.

And yes, I use Faux Effects products in my demos. It is what I teach, sell, and know. So if you want your project to look like mine that is what you have to use.  I can't tell you what using other product lines will look like or how to get this look some other way.

 

 

The Lusterstone over the Palette Deco is a very pretty finish.

 

 

Next I apply my leaves. I buy skeleton leaves from Save On Crafts. They are also available at Easy craft. These are delicate leaf fossils that come in a variety of colors, metallic, sizes, and styles.

 

 

There are several ways to apply leaves to plaster. One is to trowel the plaster, stick the leaf in, and trowel some more product over it.  I didn't want to loose the metallic sheen of my leaves, which are gold, silver, and a few natural. You can also use the leaves the make impressions in wet plaster.

 

I rolled a thick coat of C500 Satin in areas and stuck the leaves in.  You can gently roll over the leaves with a separate dry roller head-a wet roller head picks up the leaf.

 

Arranging the leaves is most of the challenge. Once the leaves are wet they become fragile. I would layout an idea on a styrene board and photograph before sticking in leaves willy nilly.  Each pack of leaves comes with 15-20 pieces.

I like to group more at the ceiling line and have them trail down the wall.  When the leaves are dry-overnight is best-mix more C500 Satin with our Bright Gold Laser Cut Fine Glitter.

 

I select a pattern that is gentle and will fade in and out around the leaves. This is Swirl City Reverse Stencil from Wallovers Stencils.

 

I think we have loved this pattern to death! Time to re-order.  I roll my glitter C500 over the pattern not worrying if I have 100% of the pattern filled. The glitter won't offload solid in this application.

 

The C500 Glitter should dry over-night. The next day I glaze with 1 pint Aquacreme (Faux Crème Clear if you are a gold label user) mixed with 1/4 cup Dark Brown Faux Crème Color. Your glaze will bead up slightly but pad it with a cloth to soften.  The colored glaze will highlight and darken the leaves slightly and bring out the glitter pattern. You do not need to seal the finish again.

 

Palette Deco covers about 250 square feet per gallon and the Lustersuede for the tight trowel covers 300 square feet. C500 rolls out almost 400 square feet.

And that "leaves" my post for the day!

 



 

Hopefully this finish grows on you!

 

(Don't worry, I won't quite my day job)

 

 

 

 





All that Glitters...with Lusterstone

 

I have a confession to make...I was not a Glitter Girl until my 40's. It wasn't until I found a way to incorporate my more tomboy tendencies with some sparkle....

 

 

that I went full-on bling!

 Look how cheerful I am to be running 6.2 miles in 90 degree heat.

That is the power of glitter!

 

Now whenever I run a big race, I always wear a sparkly skirt.

 

 

Even my tiara is glitter...is there any other kind?

 

My finish today uses glitter in Lusterstone. This is the easiest way to apply subtle glitter in a non-messy form.  I started by troweling the New Nu'Villa Plaster from FE. I will be glad when this is not new because New Nu'Villa doesn't roll off the tongue.  As I trowel a section, I roll through with our Threads Specialty Roller. This is not wallpaper printing so I roll it up and down several times.

 

 

As the Nu'Villa sets up, I use an almost flat blade to compress the texture slightly.

 

 

Nu'Villa is a relatively inexpensive way to create an interesting background for under $50 a gallon. On top of the Nu'Villa plaster, I skimmed a tight coat of Palette Deco Silver plaster.

 

 

When you tight pull one plaster over a textured base, you will get chatter. See those little cross hatch marks?

 

 

This is chatter. To get rid of it, just chase across your surface with a folded cotton rag or terry towel.  It can be barely damp but not wet.

 

 

 

 

 

I brushed on a glaze mix of  1 pint FX Thinner + 2 TBSP Van dyke Brown Stain & Seal + 2 TBSP American Walnut Stain & Seal.  Use a damp cloth to soften and remove some of the glaze.

 

 

 

You could stop right here with the finish and have a great look. In fact this makes on easy 3 step treatment for a ceiling to compliment the next few steps.

 

 

For a wall finish, mix fine silver or hologram silver glitter into Silver Taupe Lustersuede.  One 5.5oz glitter bottle is plenty for a gallon. Use a Japan blade to pull this tightly over the dried glaze. Use your rag or terry towel to soften the chatter lines.

 

 

For smaller rooms or an accent wall, I am using Silver Taupe Lustersuede mixed with Hologram Silver and some Black Glitter.

 

 

I am rolling my glitter Lustersuede over Cutting Edge's Acanthus Leaves.  If I wanted more glitter to show, I could mix twice the amount of glitter with Lusterstone Tint Base.

 

 

Now you have 3 ways to coordinate spaces. The Base with no Lustersuede. Glitter Lustersuede over the texture (or without added glitter), and a Glitter Lustersuede Pattern over the base. I guess you could add a 4th finish and pull the Glitter Lustersuede over the base and then apply a glitter pattern too. Now we are getting crazy!

 

 

This is Silver and fine Turquoise glitter added to Lusterstone Tint base and pulled over foiled Venetian Plaster.  The Royal Design Stencil is Highlighted with Rich Gold Sharkskin.  I love Acanthus Designs-they always sell well!

 

 

Here is a close-up. The base is Tiger Eye's Venetian Plaster with Teal and Bronze Foil.

 

 

Glitter for base. Glitter for topcoat. Glitter for patterns.

 

 

Glitter...it's what's for winners!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Going Grey: Three DIY Projects

 

 

There are several ways to go grey...

 

 

You can go grey young

 

 

 

You can go grey as you mature

 

 

or just testify before Congress!

 

 

Grey is having a moment. I like to think it's due to grey being a modern neutral and not that book 50 Shades of Stockholm Syndrome  Grey.  Our Faux Woe In-Box had 3 separate questions regarding different grey finishes.  One question was about a shiny grey that could hold up to a steamy bathroom (maybe it's steamy because they are reading that 50 Shades book in the tub?).  The 2nd question involved matching a linear wallpaper in silky sheen greys. And the final question referenced an old world type plaster in blue greys.

 

 

Finish One:  The Steamy Grey

 

Preparation is key in a wet room with no ventilation. Check the sub-straight  for bonding and signs of water problems like bubbled surfaces. These need to be repaired before base coating.  I use Setcoat as my base-any darker shade will do.

 



Trowel a layer of Stuco Lux Grey Skies 100%.

 

 



 

This will dry about 30-40% lighter. 

 Next pop in Putty Stuco Lux and more Grey Skies. Gently blade to mix the two.

 

 

This is what the wet half looks like compared to the dry side.

 

When the wall is all the same color, trowel on Stuco Lux Sealer.  This has a slight gold cast but you can tint with colorant if you want to kill some of the gold.

 



Let the sealer dry. You can polish at this point but I like to skip trowel in more of the Putty Color for depth. Then I use a rotary brush to polish.

 

Finished sample

 

 

Second Finish: The Woven Wallpaper.

 

 

Trowel a layer of Moonstone Grey Venetian Gem Plaster in a long stripe down your wall.

Then use a Bark Roller and roll vertically down the wall. I do this several times to break up the patters.  Surfaces has carried specialty rollers for over 3 years and this is the most versatile pattern.

 





 

When this is dry, thin Silver Stain & Seal and trowel tightly over the plaster. 

Use a cloth to soften chatter lines.

 

After the stain dries, tight trowel Queen Anne's Lace Lustersuede over the pattern

Again, use a cloth to soften chatter.

 

Finished Sample!

 

 

Third Finish: The Old World Plaster

 

Trowel a high/low coat of Nu'Villa Plaster in Pewter.

 

 

When this is dry, I tinted some O'Villa with Williamsburg Blue Stain & Seal.  I popped this over the base. I also popped in some O'Villa that I left untinted. Gently blend with trowel.

 

 



 

 

When the plaster is dry, brush on a glaze made with Dark Brown Faux Crème Color

and soften with a damp cloth.

 

 

And the finished Old World Blue-Grey Plaster

 

 

Here are the 3 shades of Grey I worked with for the finishes:

 

 

Only 47 more to go!