Compare painting quotes properly
Painting is the easiest trade to quote low and deliver thin — the difference between two coats over sealer and "a coat and a promise" is invisible on paper unless the spec is written down.
Tick the items each quote explicitly prices. Not sure or can’t find it? Leave it blank — that’s the point.
| Scope item | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation spec written (sanding, gap filling, defect patching) | |||
| Sealer/primer coat on new plasterboard | |||
| Number of top coats stated per surface | |||
| Paint brand and product line specified | |||
| Ceilings included (and stairwell/void access solved) | |||
| Doors, frames, skirtings and trims counted in enamel | |||
| External painting scope defined (or explicitly excluded) | |||
| Number of colours included | |||
| Post-trade touch-ups before handover |
General guidance only — the checklist covers the most commonly missed items, not every line your painting package needs. Your drawings and engineering are always the final scope.
The items painter quotes most often leave out
A blank in a quote is not "included" — it's "unpriced", and unpriced work comes back mid-build as a variation with no competition on the price. These are the lines to hunt for in every painting package quote before you sign:
Preparation spec written (sanding, gap filling, defect patching)
Prep is half the job and the first thing a cheap quote silently drops — finish quality follows prep, always.
Sealer/primer coat on new plasterboard
New plaster needs sealing before top coats; skipping it shows within a year as patchy sheen.
Number of top coats stated per surface
"Paint throughout" without coat counts is unpriceable — two coats vs one is a third of the labour.
Paint brand and product line specified
Trade-grade vs premium lines differ in coverage and washability — and in what you are actually paying for.
Ceilings included (and stairwell/void access solved)
High voids need platforms or scaffold; quotes silent on access are quotes that have not planned it.
Doors, frames, skirtings and trims counted in enamel
Trim work is slow enamel work — the classic difference between painting quotes that "should" match.
External painting scope defined (or explicitly excluded)
Eaves, fascias, external doors and render — vague boundaries here are four-figure variations.
Number of colours included
Most quotes include 2–3 colours; every extra colour is cutting-in time someone will charge for.
Post-trade touch-ups before handover
Every following trade marks the walls; who returns to fix it, and is that visit priced?
How to read your result
The comparison above is the first pass of the levelling method: make every quote answer the same scope list, then compare. When the tool finds blanks, don't cross that quote off — send each painter their blank lines and ask for prices in writing. An honest contractor fills them in quickly; evasion ("we'll sort it on site") is information too. For the full line-by-line version across every item in your drawings, use the free levelling spreadsheet — and the quote comparison guide walks the whole method.