This is the question I get asked all the time that EVERYONE wants an answer to.
Last week someone emailed me saying their room was 6m x 4m and asking what it would cost to paint. I had no idea as no other details were provided. I didn’t even know if the room was a lounge, a kitchen/family room, bedroom or even a landing at the top of a stairwell.
As you can see from these 3 rooms, they are all so different – which one of the photos here best represented the room to be painted?
Looking at these photos you can see how different they are to each other – the first one is modern and has angled ceilings and a bookshelf unit, the second one is of a period home with ornate ceilings and woodwork and the final photo is of a modern townhouse. These rooms are all so different to paint and will all take differing amounts of labour and materials and the quotes will vary significantly.
If you don’t have access to the property eg you haven’t moved in yet and would like a quote, even a ball park estimate, it would be great if you could provide some details such as:
- ceiling height (to calculate wall measurements and paint quantities)
- style of property – modern, Victorian, art-deco etc
- surfaces to be painted – ceilings, walls, woodwork
- current colour scheme
- new colour scheme
- current condition
- if painting woodwork – how much is in the room? i.e. how many windows and doors and what is their style
If you have just bought the property and need a quote just send us the link to realestate.com.au. This is a fantastic resource as it has photos and often a floorplan. We can get a feel for the style of the property eg modern vs a period home by viewing the photos. Some floor plans have measurements for some of the rooms such as the floorplan here. From this we can calculate an estimated price. We regularly prepare estimated quotes in this manner and confirm the price later when our client has access.
To obtain an accurate quote an inspection is a must!
What happens at the Painting Inspection/Quote Appointment?
The appointment will take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour depending on what is to be painted. Most appointments are for about 30 minutes.
During the appointment we will:
- Measure ceilings and walls or exterior surfaces to be painted
- Take note of woodwork such as windows and doors to be painted
- Inspect the current condition of the surfaces
- Discuss any issues you may currently have with the surfaces
- Discuss your required standards
- Determine the no. of coats required based on your new colour scheme
- Discuss your timing requirements
It is very helpful if you could have the following information readily available for your appointment:
- Advise items to be painted and in particular any exclusions.
- Your new colour scheme or at least an idea of the type of colours to be used
- The type of finish you require – this is particularly important if you require a perfect “as new” finish or even just a freshen-up for rental or sale.
- Your thoughts on paints to be used – do you wish to use a specific brand, would you prefer to use low-VOC (low odour) paints or eco-friendly paints?
- Your timing requirements – when would you like the painting to start and finish
We will usually email a quote to you within 1-2 days and follow up one to two weeks later to answer any questions.
Summary
- To provide an accurate painting quote we need to inspect
- To provide a painting estimate we need measurements and photos would be great
There are many elements involved with working out a price for painting. As you can see from our photos above, rooms can be very different from each other just as exterior of homes and commercial buildings – an inspection is critical!.
About Women at Work Painters
Women at Work Painters has been operating for over 20 years in Melbourne and we can be trusted to do what we say we will. You can visit us at: https://www.womenatwork.com.au/
On our site you will find great photos of previous interior and exterior painting, some videos and a project page for commercial projects. You will probably be surprised at the projects we tackle.
One of our stand out projects has been painting the Melbourne Athenaeum, a fabulous heritage building in the Melbourne CBD. We were awarded an Excellence in Painting Award for this. For more information on this project please click here.
If you would like a quote for painting please call us on 1300 200 700 or complete our Free Quote Request Form here
