You are probably a new wall muralist who doesn’t know how much to charge for wall mural. Well, the simple answer to finding what you should be charging for murals is dependent on you as your level of skills and expertise might be quite different from another person’s.
Wallpapers
For ages, wallpapers and paints have been the go-to for many people. It is safe to say that wallpaper is relatively cheap, and the ease of just putting them on your walls can not be rivaled. Anyone can afford to buy wallpaper, but not everyone can afford a wall muralist to paint their walls. Many people will even argue in favor of wallpapers.
They’ll tell you that different types of wallpapers are available in the market, and there are also countless designs that you can purchase. Depending on how much you are willing to pay, you can go home with a wallpaper’s unique design.
Painted Walls
Many people also prefer the conventional painted walls because there’s ease attached to it, especially if you are not a fan of arts. You wouldn’t have to spend your money painting your walls since you can paint your walls.
Although every favor for wallpapers and paints is valid, you can not compare murals’ complexity to wallpapers or painted walls. You can transform how your home or room looks with a mural, and you can not achieve that kind of effect with wallpapers or painted walls.
The Uniqueness of Murals
First of all, an argument against wallpapers and in favor of murals is the fact that wallpapers can not last for a long time. You will have to change it when it starts to feel because it can start to look nasty and dirty on your wall.
Coming back to painted walls, they usually get quite dirty often, especially if much care is not given to them as needed. Wall paints are also prone to wear and tear end before you know it, a freshly painted wall is already cracking.
Murals can not be rivaled by either wallpapers or wall paints; they are unique. Over the years, the type of murals that people have evolved. Almost anyone can hire anyone to paint murals on their walls. Murals can be expensive, but you can have someone paint a basic design for a small fee on your wall.
Do Not Charge Uniform Prices
Now, what you should understand as a wall muralist is that you are different from other muralists. You can not compare yourself to others because your level of knowledge is different from them, and you should not be charging what everyone is charging. You will only be running your business at a loss eventually.
Many wall muralists usually make the mistake of charging a uniform price for their work. They feel that their level of expertise is the same as every other person, which is not quite right. If you have invested a lot in your craft, you shouldn’t be charging the same with someone who is still an amateur.
Cost of Materials
When you are charging for murals, you need to look at the materials you are using, consider the cost of these materials that include your paint and tools, and add it to what you will be charging a potential customer. Your materials can be quite expensive, and you shouldn’t downplay that at all. Attach the cost of materials to your overall cost from the beginning. It will help a potential client knows what he is up for.
Cost of Labor Hours
When you plan to charge a potential customer for a mural, you will need to add up your labor hours cost or the hours you will use to work. The cost of labor hours is the primary income that you will be getting from a job. The money you will be directly warning is from the labor hours and not even the cost of materials you will be using. Sure, you can still make a little profit from the materials you can use, but the ultimate profit you will accrue to you is from your labor hours.
Level of Expertise
Also, it would help if you considered your level of expertise and your head. What do we mean by this, you might ask? Well, if you are new into the industry, you wouldn’t be charging so much, mainly if you have not built a reputation for yourself or you just started your career. You might push people away with exorbitant prices. If you do not have the level of experience, too, you shouldn’t be charging so much for murals.
You should charge your customers or clients based on what you can offer them, not based on what you think you can offer. If you charge for a mural and end up making a mess of it, you will lose your customers.
Types of Designs
When charging for a mural, you need to consider the shape of the design you want to paint. If your customer is looking for abstract shapes that can be complex, you might have to charge more, or if you are only hired to design basic shapes, you shouldn’t be changing too much. Remember, you can easily be replaced with another wall muralist, and you want to give your customers a reason not to replace you.
When you search for a prospective customer or a client for a wall mural, you should charge based on the design you will be painting. Some designs call for a higher price because they can not quickly be done or completed in a day. Other mural designs can be relatively easy to do and can be finished working some hours. It would help if you considered how intricate the mural designs that you will be working in are.
Intricate designs take time and materials, and you should let your prospective client or customer know this before you go ahead to start painting the mural.
Size of Design or Work Area
What is the size of the area or the wall that you will be working on? Is it a small area? Is the size of the moral going to be big? You should consider all of these questions and ask your customer before you start working. Some customers will deliberately leave out the size of the workplace or the wall just to cut down on the cost or what they will be paying you. Imagine if the design you will be working on is intricate, and the wall is also quite significant. You will automatically be on the losing end.
Traveling Expenses
Will you be traveling to complete the job, or is the client hiring you to be in your locality? If you are traveling, you should consider including the extra cost of your traveling fees. Many wall muralist will not even travel if their clients won’t foot the traveling expenses. It would help if you considered all of these before agreeing to start a job.
Charging by the Hour
Many wall muralists usually charge by the hour. It is more profitable to charge by the hour, especially if it will be an intricate design. If you charge based on the whole job, you might not earn as much as you think you would. There are many chances that you will be painting might exceed the time you thought it would. Some wall muralist charge for fifty dollars per hour, and the price keeps going up depending on what type of job they will be undertaking
Many other muralists might even start to charge the client from about a hundred dollars. Remember that how much you will be charging a client is usually dependent on your design’s intricacy or complexity.
Complex and Intricate Designs
Let us face it; complex and intricate designs are quite expensive, and it will call for the client to pay based on the hour worked. You will be said for your human resources and labor hours since you will be spending your time working on the project.
Type of Surfaces You Will Be Working on
You might also want to ask the client or the customer what kind of surface the mural is going to be painted. Some wall surfaces can be a little harder to work on. Porous surfaces are usually more time consuming because of the texture. Smoother surfaces are easier to work on.
Wall Prepping
Before you agree on how much you will be paid for a mural, you should ask a client if you will be prepping his wall. Preparing his wall might include cleaning and priming the wall. Some clients might not be willing to pay extra for any prep work, so you need to be clear on that aspect with any client. If you can not prep his wall for free, you should let them know so that you don’t feel cheated at the end of the day.
Outdoor or Indoor Murals
Also, where will you be working on? Is it an outdoor mural or an indoor mural? Knowing the location of your mural will determine how much to charge for wall murals. Outdoor murals are usually more expensive than indoor murals because of the types of paints used.
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