What Goes Into a Professional Painting & Decorating Quote: Specification, Structure, and What Cheap Quotes Are Actually Telling You
A detailed guide to how professional painting and decorating quotes are structured, what a proper specification looks like, how to compare quotes fairly, and what to make of unusually cheap pricing.
Why Most Painting Quotes Are Not Comparable
When you ask three decorators to quote for the same job and receive three prices that vary by forty percent, the temptation is to assume they are all pricing the same thing and the cheapest is simply the best value. They are almost never pricing the same thing. The differences in price almost always reflect differences in scope — what is included in the preparation, how many coats are specified, what products will be used, and what happens when problems are discovered mid-job.
A quote that does not specify these things is not a quote. It is a single number, and you cannot make a sensible decision from it.
The Structure of a Proper Decorating Specification
A professional quote should be structured around rooms or areas, with each area broken down into surfaces, products, and coats. At minimum it should state:
Surface description. "All walls and ceilings" is acceptable if the scope is clear. "Feature wall only" or "ceiling only" must be explicit.
Preparation included. This is the most variable element between quotes and the one most often omitted by cheaper operators. Preparation should specify: whether filling is included (and to what standard — fine filling for a high-spec finish versus filling nail holes only), whether sanding is included, whether a mist coat is included for new plaster, and whether any stain blocking is included.
Product specification. Not "white emulsion" but "Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt, white" or "Farrow & Ball Estate Emulsion, Elephant's Breath No. 229." This matters because products vary significantly in opacity, durability, and coverage rate. A quote using own-brand emulsion will produce a different result from one using a trade-grade product, even if the labour content is identical.
Number of coats. This is where the largest differences occur. Two coats of emulsion over a prepared surface is a standard domestic finish. Three coats are necessary on dark or saturated colours (anything from the Farrow & Ball deep palette, for instance). One coat is only appropriate for maintenance work over an identical existing colour on a well-maintained surface.
Woodwork build. For skirting boards, architraves, doors, and window frames, the specification should state whether a primer-undercoat is included (essential on bare wood or anywhere existing paint is sanded back significantly) and how many topcoats. The correct minimum is one primer-undercoat and two topcoats.
Day-Rate Versus Specification Quotes
Some decorators work on a day-rate basis rather than quoting a fixed price. This approach is legitimate for genuinely unpredictable or exploratory work — stripping and repairing a heavily damaged Victorian ceiling, for instance, where the extent of the damage is unknown until the paint comes off.
For standard interior or exterior repaints, a day-rate quote is a problem. It transfers all the financial risk to you. If the job takes longer than expected, you pay more. If the decorator is slower than average, you pay more. And you have no agreed-upon standard of finish to hold anyone to.
For any job where the scope can be defined — which is most jobs — insist on a fixed-price specification quote.
What Cheap Quotes Are Telling You
When a quote is significantly cheaper than the others, it is worth understanding why before accepting it. The most common explanations:
Lower coat count. A decorator quoting one coat of emulsion on walls will always be cheaper than one quoting two coats. The finish will also be worse and the job will need repeating sooner.
No primer on woodwork. Skipping the primer-undercoat on joinery saves time but means the topcoat has insufficient adhesion and will chip within a year.
No stain blocking. If there are water stains, nicotine marks, or rust bleeding through existing surfaces, a decorator who has not included stain-blocking products in the quote is planning to paint over them and hope for the best.
Uninsured labour. Public liability insurance costs money. A decorator without it can price lower. If something goes wrong — a dropped tin on a stone floor, a fire from a heat gun — you are unprotected.
Unskilled labour. On larger jobs, a qualified decorator may sub out to less experienced workers once the quote is accepted. This is not inherently a problem if supervision is adequate, but it is a risk factor.
How to Compare Quotes Fairly
The correct approach is to ask all quoting decorators to price against an identical written specification that you provide. If you do not have one, ask each decorator to provide their specification in writing and compare them line by line, not just the total.
Specifically, check:
- Is filling and prep explicitly included?
- Are product names stated?
- Is the coat count stated for every surface type?
- Is scaffolding or access equipment included (for exterior work or high ceilings)?
- What is the payment structure?
A reputable contractor will provide all of this without being asked. If they resist providing it in writing, that tells you something.
The Right Questions to Ask Before Accepting
Before signing off on any quote:
- Are you VAT registered? (A sole trader below the threshold is not; a company is. The difference affects the final price and VAT recoverability for commercial clients.)
- What is your public liability insurance limit? (Minimum £2 million; £5 million is better for larger properties.)
- Who will be doing the work — you personally, or a team? If a team, are they your employees or subcontractors?
- What happens if the preparation reveals more work than quoted?
- When can you start, and what is your expected completion date?
A decorator who answers all of these confidently and in writing is worth paying a realistic price for.
Request a structured quote for your property or contact us to discuss your project.