Definition of preparation

[Aardvark]

For those Forum members who do this for profit- When you give the customer a coating price, does this include stripping and/or sandblasting, or do you charge additional rates for this service?

[pickleboy]

when quoting a price i give a price for the total job. if questioned about it i then detail all the prep and steps needed. as was told to me by a friend, when you tell them the price and the dont run away, but look like they just passed a kidney stone you are in the right range. this should not be a "cheap" alternative to paint for the customer, since in most cases it is a better finish than liquid finish anyway.

[Banditperformance]

Ya, I quote full price. Because, most times the customer will think his/her items are clean, even if they have a sandblaster, but unless you do your own prep, there's gona be oils/dirt in the substrate. I ask the condition of the parts, if any paint on them, or bare metal. Then go from there. Approx $40/Hr I charge. That includes sandblasting/chemical stripping time. Keep a log of how long it takes to blast certian parts, then you will become more familliar and be more accurate on your estimates. I setup a couple of exxcel spreadsheets that I have for the color's and volume of powder left in inventory, and times it took to coat parts. All broken down into the steps, then I can look back any time and see.

[bzer1]

I always give the full price. It always too much. Not really, but only about 1% of the people that I do work for have even a remote clue as to what actually goes into a job. In my area the biggest problem I have is that EVERYBODY is a powder coater, and their results show it. I pride myself on the quality of my work, and will not allow something to leave my shop if I don't like the finished product. In my shop "good enough" is not good enough. The problem comes when the "hobby" coater(no offence intended) around the corner will do the job at a much lower price. He's working for cash and has little ovehead so he can do a job for a lower price...Of course his final results are not up to standards, but there is a creepy acceptance of lower quality work in this industry that even extends to the onesy twosy customers. For some reason alot of people have no problem accepting lower quality work because they saw it on TV or because they believe that they have to give up a little of the look for the durability. I have seen work from several coaters in my area and am just not impressed with the results. I have examples of the competitions work hanging in my shop for comparison, and when you look at those pieces compared to what comes out of my shop you can plainly see the difference. I'm not saying that all hobby coaters are bad...in fact some are pretty good, but at least from what I see and from the reworks I've had to do there are alot that should not be charging at all for the work they do. We have a saying in my shop..."GOOD powder coating is not CHEAP and CHEAP powder coating is not GOOD!! Rant over

[Banditperformance]

..."GOOD powder coating is not CHEAP and CHEAP powder coating is not GOOD!!

Good words of wisdome here

[Aardvark]

I just Love this Place- Having never owned a business before and starting one at 45 (2nd job for now) I think I have to learn how to be a bit of a hardass and not give every customer a smokin deal or I will be out of business in short order...

[pickleboy]

Originally Posted by Aardvark

I think I have to learn how to be a bit of a hardass and not give every customer a smokin deal or I will be out of business in short order...

thats about the size of it. you can do everybody a good deal and work for peanuts as well as drive the rates down, or you can have someone pay for the service that the cant do themselves. it is no different than being a plumber or electrician etc. most people can cobble some stuff together but for a professional job they are willing to pay for it. the only thing you have to do is turn out very high quality work and give a good turn around time and mostly be honest with the customers and the work will come.

[bzer1]

Originally Posted by pickleboy

the only thing you have to do is turn out very high quality work and give a good turn around time and mostly be honest with the customers and the work will come.

That is the only way that this industry is going to thrive. If most up and coming coaters refuse to accept the current standards of quality. I have relationships with several coaters in my area...We trade powders, supplies and even jobs sometimes. Each shop offers different value added services and we trade off those services at a discounted rate and sometimes for free if it helps our cause. We work with each other not against. It's no different than coming here and offering tricks and tips. Sure in most cases we compete for business and it's not always evenly split but when I start falling behind I know a short term bail out is just a phone call away. It works the same with needing a pound of powder on a sunday...Just one call and a short trip to pick it up. My point here is that under cutting your competition is not good for either shop, and just leads fighting and name calling. Maintain a good reputation with your customers and your competition and you have a better chance of making a business out of powder coating. A quality job at a fair price beats cheap and dirty in the long run.

[Aardvark]

The nearest P/C shop is 30 miles away- I would not hesitate to send them stuff. But there is a retail shop in town that sells the usual pottery, iron furniture and metal wall **** art from Mexico... I had talked to him about shooting some of the nicer stuff - But he can now get some of it already coated from Mexico and China cheaper than I can get just the powder! Yes it looks like poo up close but the average customer will only look at the bottom line. I dont mind charging but I dont want to feel like a Bozo trying to charge mom and pop prices when the Big Box type Coater (out of the country) comes in and eats me alive.....

[pickleboy]

Originally Posted by Aardvark

I dont mind charging but I dont want to feel like a Bozo trying to charge mom and pop prices when the Big Box type Coater (out of the country) comes in and eats me alive.....

that is a very good point and if your market is to compete with production shops that have conveyor ovens and such you are doomed already, unless you have around 1/2 million setting around to start up a production shop. what we are talking about is starting off with a few car or bike guys, or the home owner that need something small and quick done. then the job you do will get around. i have a fellow coater that started out doing any part he could get and now only does calipers for high end cars. he turns away most other parts due to the volume of calipers he has. not to say that that is your niche, but you will find something that will be a good mover for you and then be the best in the state for that item and the work will be piled up.