Answered3 months ago
Is 20,000 Baht for Painting a Small House in Rural Thailand Reasonable?
I have a small two-bedroom one bathroom small kitchen house that is being painted just the inside walls and ceiling. They want 45 baht per square meter. They're trying to say it's 444 square meters which is about $4,700 square feet which is 80% bigger than my 2800 square foot home. Five bedroom two and a half bath house in America. I think it's faron pricing. Any thoughts?
And this is in the middle of the country in the boonies very small rural town
And this is in the middle of the country in the boonies very small rural town
Answer summary
The original poster questions the reasonableness of a 20,000 Baht estimate to paint the interior of a small two-bedroom house in rural Thailand. There is confusion about the measurement of 444 square meters being quoted for the painting, which they feel is disproportionate compared to their experience with their larger home in the USA. Community comments suggest checking measurements, clarifying the quote (whether materials included), and compare prices/working conditions. Many suggest measuring the space themselves and considering doing the work personally to save money.
57 repliesnewest first
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Richard ************
Paint it yourself
Peter ******
What visa do they have, did you check?
Allan *******
Do it your bloody self then. You need a 1 or 2 man operation cos you need to stay on the room where they are working.
Dar *****
you’re talking linear wall feet versus the square footage of your floor back in America. Totally different. You’ve got approximately 2.5 times more wall space in a house then you have floor space. I can’t believe I have to say that. 
Keith ********
Tell them to do one, and watch the price come down, even if it takes a couple of no,s , or either do it yourself or find someone else
Carlos *********
Paint it yourself. Every painter Ive seen splatters paint all over everything.
Luc ************
Go to the shop,buy your paint and tools yourself. Pay him 600baht/day.
Ian **********
Luc De Clerck My labourers in Udon Thani get 300 baht per day
Dave ******
About 80sqm per room at 4mx4m including ceilings and no apertures, so nowhere near 440sqm
Alexander *******
If 100m2 house maybe more than
That, just measure
That, just measure
Mick *****
Entire house 20,000 Baht, under $1000 - seems real cheap. I would not even bother looking at the measurements or for another quote.
Ian **********
Mick Lor, that might be cheap where you come from, but that is not cheap in Thailand
Mick *****
Ian Morrison I'm from Chon Buri cost me 45K to get this house painted but it's probably a lot bigger. I'm not a cheap charlie so If I got a quote to paint an entire house for 20K Baht for me thats cheap. I also like to see a worker get a fair days pay for doing good work, so beating them down to the lowest possible price just isn't in my wheelhouse.
Ralph *******
For your house in America you are quoting the floor space only. The Thai house is all walls and ceilings. Ceilings are the same as the floor space - you will have to assess the walls.
John ********
Probably wouldn't exceed 300 sq meters with ceilings if just interior. I'm being generous.
Andrew *******
If it includes paint not bad at all
Lee *************
First thing is you need to go check their work, cause from my observations of painting work here in Thailand,is they tend to get paint everywhere.
Ian **********
Lee Pornsuwan, you are correct, and that is because they are farmers and not qualified house painters.
Tim ***********
Lee Pornsuwan plus they do not remove picture hooks nor fill in holes, they just paint!
Ossie *********
Be careful they love to water the paint down by a good
*****
% suggest you paint the property yourself that’s what I do and I’m 75 years young it’s good exercise: )Ralph *******
Ossie Cassidy I’ve also seen them add plaster to paint to thicken it after diluting!
James **********
Ralph Tyson no doubt you went with the cheapest quote
Ralph *******
Ossie Cassidy Yes. We did our place ourselves last year. Very low cost indeed but April wasn’t the month to choose!
Barney ********
20,000 bht to paint 2 bed house interior?
Tony *******
Pay 2 workers per
day buy your paint
day buy your paint
Proficient**********
It is 20,000 baht if that includes paint then a great deal, if you think you can do it cheaper then go buy all the materials and do it yourself and save maybe 5000 baht.
Tomas *********
How many square meter did you get when you measured the ceiling and all the walls that shall be painted? Easy to do the calculation by yourself, if you have a measure tape.
GreenAlli*********
Does that 45B per sqm include materials, ie paint, rollers, brushes, etc?
Stephanie ********
Would honestly do it yourself or have someone else come look thats ridiculous
Phil *******
You are mixing floor sqm paintable area is the sqm, which would only be the ceiling, then you have the walls, say 4x4x2.8=44.8 plus ceiling = 60.8 for that one room
Sylvia ********
Phil Lewis and possibly 2 coats?
John ******
In any case, be sure to hold some money back in case they do a crappy job. Examples from my personal experience are: blotches of paint on the window screens, not masking trim or door frames, not cleaning up after themselves, dumping waste water from cleaning brushes in the flower beds. Etc.
Arild *********
Take rouhgley 100m2 off for celling. Divide with wall hight 2.6m then you left with 132 m wall.. just a 4 by 8 m livingroom is about 32 m wall.
Wayne ******
Pay guys by the day and supply paint and equipment
Chris **********
Wayne Moss We pay our worker 700B every day plus paint and free Pepsi. If electricity worker 1000 -1200B
Brian ***********
45 B a meter sounds ok.
So they are painters , not mathematicians. Help them our with a tape measure and calculate the area , if you can.
So they are painters , not mathematicians. Help them our with a tape measure and calculate the area , if you can.
Dean *********
Why not measure it ?
John ********
2800 sq ft for a "small" two bedroom one bathroom home isn't making sense unless the rooms are all very large.
Ralph *******
John Tidona That’s the house in the USA, not Thailand.
John ********
Ralph Tyson I understood that but he was mixing things up. He was talking about square footage of his home in America and the painter's estimate of the square meters on the walls and ceiling which is different than floor square footage.
Proficient**********
John Tidona it is the printable areas, each room has multiple walls it is not the size of the actual house unless it was a house with just 4 walls.
John ********
ProficientTurtle7614 that's not what he is saying he's comparing it to his 2800 square foot home in America that was Five bedrooms and two and a half baths. He's talking about floor square footage with that statement. I understood the assignment.
John ********
Thomas Kuse yes he did but it still seems pretty high for a two bedroom home. I'm not really talking about the price I'm talking about the number of square meters
Thomas ******
John Tidona obviously the original poster misinterpreted what the company meant by their sq. meters assessment
สก็อต *********
20k well spent , oh god I hate painting
Ant ***********
Join this group and ask
Plenty of good info
Plenty of good info
************************************************************
John *********
Comes out to a little less than $600 USD. Get more quotes as others have said. Also ask about moving furniture, and time to complete. If it is one guy and it takes him 2 days (2 days of inconvenience) vs a crew that knocks it out in a day, I would spend a little extra.
Mike **********
Definitely
Painted surface square ? Ft or meters
Will be a lot bigger number than floor sq
You don’t clearly say
How much IS the total estimate =
Labor and materials and related consumables
That would help US give an opinion-
Reasonable or not
Painted surface square ? Ft or meters
Will be a lot bigger number than floor sq
You don’t clearly say
How much IS the total estimate =
Labor and materials and related consumables
That would help US give an opinion-
Reasonable or not
Guy ******
Get your tape measure out and measure the walls and ceilings yourself room by room. Do a diagram and send that to the decorators. They will agree with you if you’ve done it right, it’s how the Thais work.
Karl *********
I usually get three quotes for a project. If you are living with a Thai you will do well to let them deal with contractors.
TaupeRasp*********
What has the size of your house in “America” got to do with labour costs here ? Do they supply their own hot dogs.
GreyEle*******
The sqM is probably painted surface rather than floor area. Floor area is pretty much the same as ceiling area but each room has walls that need to be painted also. The cost seems to be around ฿20,000 which is AUD$900. I am from Australia and formerly a painter. Out of touch with current Australian pricing but I guess this sized house in Australia would cost around $5000-6000.
More if there is woodwork and doors to paint.
More if there is woodwork and doors to paint.
Steve ********
Are they talking 45 Baht per sq meter of paintable surface?
James **********
Steve Parker that's an average price, walls and ceiling, 2 coats
PinkCroc*********
Steve Parker obviously they are
Rae ******
ever thought of measuring it?
Are ********
Have you tried an calculator and converting metres to feet ? Exchange rate for Bath to $
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