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What should I pay an installer?

Salmoneye

New Member
What should I pay an installer? I know this thread could go anywhere but I am wondering 1: If I hire an hourly employee with let's say a year of experience what might a wage range be? 2: If I sub out my installations to an installer what would a good price be for an average size car and for let's say a passenger van? The installation would be at my location, car cleaned, panels printed and laminated ready to go.
 

heyskull

New Member
My question is why are you not doing the install?
I have subbed work out before too people who are supposed to be trained and too be honest it damaged my business.
If you employ someone to do it and if they are no good (not what they say they are) you can sack them!
I know this sounds harsh but at least you will not let the product go out of your door without being right.
As for what to pay, well anything upwards from minimum wage!!
Some people move jobs just cause they think the grass is greener...LOL

SC
 

Craig Sjoquist

New Member
Hiring .. because you have so much design and print work that pays way better then installing a wraps

Hiring .. because you need a better wrap installer.

Now where do you want to put yourself in the community
casual business..serious business, premier business ..that reflect's your hiring personnel
 

Bigdawg

Just Me
We use some local installers on the bigger wraps - good guys that do an excellent job. For the smaller stuff us girls do it :smile: I won't discuss pricing or payment in the open forum though...

But we are not a "wrap" shop, although we'll do it. So hiring an installer is not practical for us. You need to weigh the amount of hours an employee will be doing what you need him to do vs. the cost of an installer at a per piece price that you pay only when you need them.

The latter was best for us, but only you know what's best for your business.
 

kstompaint

New Member
Stacy's right. You need to weigh your options. If you hire somebody, is there something productive for them to do when they're not installing a wrap? If you are really doing that many wraps and can find a qualified person at a reasonable price, you may be better off hiring somebody. Wages are like anything else, negotiable and you'll probably get what you pay for. As for Craig's concern about who exactly you hire... you're not hiring a sales guy. If he's covered in tattoos and piercings, what difference does it make if he's back in the install bay?
 

Salmoneye

New Member
I am getting lots of good information but not the information I am looking for. What does it cost. Are guys getting $10 or $1,000 ???
 

Adam Bennett

New Member
We pay our installer upwards of $20/hr because he is VERY fast and we are able to keep him VERY busy.

There are way too many variables to just tell you what to pay someone.
 

grafixemporium

New Member
Post in the Premium section and I'll be glad to tell you the going rates for freelance installers in my neck of the woods. I will say that paying a contract installer by the hour is a bad idea. You should pay by the square foot on a sliding scale depending on complexity of the install.
 

ProWraps

New Member
Post in the Premium section and I'll be glad to tell you the going rates for freelance installers in my neck of the woods. I will say that paying a contract installer by the hour is a bad idea. You should pay by the square foot on a sliding scale depending on complexity of the install.


not necessarily true. one can yeild inadequate productivity and one can lead to inadequate quality. either way has its place and much like any other employer/employee situation, a keen eye will yield good results when it comes to weeding out the schleps either hourly or by sq/ft.

we do lots of contract work, and we hire lots of contract work. we have different arangments and agreements in both directions. as the owner of your business, its your responsibility to make sure that what you do yields the best results.

as mentioned above, there is no way you will get pricing information in the open boards. most if not all installers worth their rocks will give you a price for their services whether hourly or by sq/ft. see my advice above to determine whether they are worth it and move accordingly.
 

cartoad

New Member
We do both, use an install company on larger jobs, or full wraps, partials we do ourselves. As to why, time... the guys that do it everday, all day are far faster than I am. If you hire an experienced wrapper as an employee, be prepared to pay a good rate, but unless you have enough high value work for him/her you will have a problem.
As for what we pay for installers, join the premium section, you will gain much more than just this information, well worth the money spent. And post there and I will be happy to tell you what we paid on the last wrap we sub'd out the install for.
 
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