Flat Glass Installers: how much do you make per year?

[Rapsak39]

I’ve been a flat glass tint installer for about 10 years in Texas. I’m trying to gauge whether my pay is on scale with the market or if I should ask for a raise. I pull in about 60k and get paid by sq/ft. Auto installers, feel free to chime in as well. 
 

How much do you make?

 

What’s your experience?

 

Location?

 

Are you paid by sq/ft? Salary? Commission?

 

Would love to hear from you guys. 

Thanks. 

[TintDude]

It depends a lot on what kind of flat you are talking about. Is it mostly residential or big commercial jobs? Are you the one selling the work/giving estimates etc as well? Are you with anybody as a helper or the guy in charge?

[Dano]

A lifetime ago I would hand a box of film to an installer and payout 20-30% depending on the difficulty. Sales would get another 15-20% based on material and labor inputs. I would gross net about 25% after sales/labor/film and then start winding down my internal expenses like accounting, advertising and cost of waiting for payment. 

 

This was all on a w9 and subs had to carry their own liability with a cert proof before going on site. 

[Ryker]

I would love to know what they are paying you per sqft.  If it's less than a dollar then I would definitely be looking for more.  If it's more then I would be questioning how many sqft they are giving you. 

 

You should be able to do more than a couple hundred sqft per day easily. 

[TomTint]

This is such a vague question and impossible to answer without more detail as to the situation. Are you a hired gun or a sub working on a 1099. Do you have your own insurance and tools, your own vehicle ? ..Or are you a 40 hr a week employee that’s paid on performance ? A good hired gun will hang 750 sf or more on a daily basis. More if it’s commercial with large openings of similar size. When we hire a hired gun, We figure 1.50 for simple work, but we also have a prep person going in front of them and again behind them doing clean up. So basically the installer just cuts, and installs. No cleaning the glass no moving obstacles, and no picking up scraps. ..just lick and stick.