Sources of Work for Paperhangers

       Walter Green is a 'third generation' paperhanger.  His grandfather, father, two uncles, and two brothers were paperhangers and painters. He has spent three decades installing wallcoverings, teaching paperhanging and writing about paperhanging.  This is just one of the many articles he has written for the benefit of other paperhangers from beginner to pro.  It is only a sample of the quality of information you will find in his publications.  If you feel you benefited from this article you will want to check out his other fine publications listed below.

 
The Joy of Paperhanging   Beginning to Intermediate paperhanging

The Pro View   Business Advice for Professional Paperhangers

The Wallcovering Calculator   A Fast Rollage Estimator

Sources of Work for Paperhangers

Builders will provide you with a lot of work, but usually at lower rates than private residential work. Builders are accustomed to paying 10% to 20% less than the prevailing rates for wallcovering installation. Builders also deduct about 15% of your gross taxable income for workman’s compensation insurance. They would be a desirable source except for the problems associated with them.

• Builders expect you to be on call at all times. Their schedule is all that matters. They will not keep you unless you give their schedule priority.
• They will not prepare walls to wallcovering manufacturer specifications. If there is a problem because of wall prep, it is the installer’s problem.
• Builders expect you to work in unheated houses in the winter and install wallcoverings at borderline temperatures or provide your own heaters and leave them until the wallcovering is thoroughly dry.
• Builders expect you to provide your own lighting and the drop cords to get to a power source.
• Builders expect you to install in houses with no water. You must fill buckets from a pipe in the ground and haul them to the house, sometimes though a muddy quagmire.
• Builders expect you to sand and patch the walls as a gift to them. If the cheap latex paint that he insists is a proper sizing, strains your integrity, you can size it at your expense.
• Builders expect you to work on top of other trades that have been scheduled at the same time. If you arrive and there are other trades working in the same space, you just lost a day’s income. If you are lucky, you can work around them, but at a much slower pace.
• Builders expect you to do free repair work. Should the wallcovering get damaged before closing, you will be making another trip to do the repair for free.
• Builders expect you to wait for payment until it is convenient for them. Builders have a deadbeat reputation when it comes to paying paperhangers. You might just be stalled for a week or two or a month. Sometimes a builder may even cut your check a healthy percentage. The builder knows it will cost you more in time and money to try to collect a small bad debt than it will be worth.

These are just some of the problems of dealing with new home builders. Not all of them are like this, of course, but plenty are. I encountered years of builders like this before I closed the door on them forever.

If you look around, you will notice that most installers working for builders are new to the business. Builders are weeded out by more experienced paperhangers. I am sure hundreds of paperhangers across America have suffered worse than my experiences, but it was enough for me. If new home builders were all there was, I would find a new career.

Remodelers are a good source of work, but rarely schedule well. Working over other crafts is a frequent problem. Changes are frequent on remodeling jobs, so expect surprises. Remodelers are better at paying because you usually have direct access to the client. You can even put a mechanic’s lien on their house and sour the whole job, so no remodeler wants an unhappy sub.

Some remodelers work on a formal level, requiring you to be licensed, insured, bonded, dress in uniforms and even more. Others are very casual. The formal ones are likely to pay more because they realize you have more overhead. I have had better luck finding responsible remodelers than I have had with new home builders.

A remodeler will send you sporadic work, but once you have a good rep with one, getting more remodelers is not difficult. They, too, are schedule specific, so you will need to plan so they don’t both need you at the same time.

Residential Architects are a good source, but may be more formal to deal with. In addition to already having a great reputation, you will need to be fully licensed, insured and bonded. You may even need a crew. Architects are likely to design very large homes, or commercial projects.

Architects will often work with a design house to do their big projects. This means that some areas are going to be very expensive materials. This is not a place to learn. If you do not know the wallcovering, hire someone who does. One bad room can cost you the job and your reputation.

These are the only projects that are large enough to justify their fees. The advantage is you can get in very early on the job and bid from blueprints. If you have not yet learned how to interpret blueprints, "get thee to a library" and learn. You will need that skill eventually.

You will also need some cash reserve. Draws may come slow on larger projects. Your crew will not wait past Friday. You will need operating cash. You will also need to keep good records or the IRS will take all your profit.

Commercial jobs offer the largest profit potential and the greatest potential for loss. If you would like to expand into commercial work, go to work for someone else and learn the business. Most commercial wallcovering is 54" vinyl. It is completely different from hanging light pre-pasteds.

There are many installers who prefer this kind of work because they do not have to deal with the more challenging personality types that occur in residential work. Some installers do not have a tolerance for dealing with "cranial-rectal-transposition-syndrome".

Don’t get the idea that these jobs demand less quality workmanship. Project managers can be very demanding on a job that they haggled you down to the last nickel on. Small commercial jobs like doctor and dentists and other small offices are called "light commercial". This is a good place to start if you are not experienced in the demands of hotels and buildings.

Painting, like most other trades, offers constant opportunities for referring other professionals. Usually we tell clients about other tradespeople we know because we have worked with them before, like them, etc. Since we do not make money out of these situations, we don't take them very seriously.

Most of us will not refer anyone because we are afraid their work will not satisfy the client and lead to complaints against us for recommending them. Although referrals are never risk-free, they can be developed into relationships that are profitable for everyone.

As a paperhanger, I have found painters to be great to network with. Frequently painters are called in long before wallcoverings are planned and they are often asked for a paperhanger referral. This gives me a direct link to bid a client with no middle-men.

I go out of my way to make these clients happy so that I keep getting these referrals. If the jobs produce a better than average profit, I share that with the painter who sent me the work. If not, then the painter still comes out ahead. Why?

• Because sometimes a turn-key offer will get the job when the client does not want to deal with multiple contractors.
• Because having a reliable installer on call can help the painter's scheduling.
• Because having a paperhanger who will go in and properly strip and prepare walls ahead of the painting allows easier painting and better quality finish work---which makes the painter look good!

In residential work, which is most of mine, I am asked for a painter referral on half the jobs I do. That is a lot of referrals each year! I have sent a lot of work to my favorite painters and never asked for any return. That has resulted in a lot of referrals for me as well.

Designers are not decorators. There are more "decorators" than there are paperhangers! This creates a special problem for the installer. Who really is a ‘Professional Interior Designer’ and who is an ‘interior decorator’.

Most every builder’s wife is an interior decorator. Many others pass themselves off as "decorators" when they have no schooling in the business at all. Weeding the professionals from the amateurs will take some effort.

A Professional Interior Designer is likely a member of ASID. They have been well educated in their business. They are much less likely to make mistakes that will cause you problems. On the other hand, they will also expect more of you. You must be capable of installing the most challenging materials made.

Professional Designers are hired by people with money for nice things---they don’t want cheap---they want fantastic! Keep in mind that the Professional Designer is at risk on every job you do. If you botch the job, they have a big problem. Designers are high profile, so they are easy to find. Be sure to make your best presentation when you call on them and follow up persistently.

They can be the most profitable source for an individual installer. If you choose to work for decorators, and you often will in your early years, be sure to educate them on every job. Few decorators make the effort (on their own) to learn about wallcoverings from the paperhanger’s perspective. You should consider decorators a good source when you first start your paperhanging business, but be prepared to weed through them and keep the better ones.

Conclusion: Every source of work carries drawbacks and advantages. You will learn which ones you like or can’t stand as you try each type of work. There is good and bad in every category, but the right combination of personalities can make one type of work seem more attractive than another.  You will know when you find the source that is right for you.

 Joy of Paperhanging    The Pro View    Wallcovering Calculator