How to Quote Painting Jobs

Why painting quotes deserve more attention than they get

Painting is one of the most competitive trades in Australia. Homeowners typically collect 2-3 quotes for any job over a couple of thousand dollars. That means your quote is your sales pitch, your scope agreement, and your margin protection all in one document.

The painters who stay profitable share a common trait: they quote systematically. Same process every time, same line items, same way of grading prep. They spend 30 minutes measuring and assessing so they can price accurately instead of guessing from the driveway and losing $500 on a job they quoted too low.

This guide walks through the quoting process step by step, with current 2026 Australian pricing benchmarks you can use as a reference point for your own rates.

Step 1: Measure every surface properly

The most common pricing mistake in painting is estimating surface area from floor area. A room that is 4m x 5m has 20 m² of floor space, but with 2.7m ceilings that same room has approximately 49 m² of wall area plus 20 m² of ceiling. The paintable surface is more than three times the floor area.

Measure and record each of these separately:

Walls

Measure height x width for each wall in the room. Deduct window and door openings (a standard door opening is about 1.8 m², a standard window about 1.5 m²). Record the total wall area in square metres. For open-plan areas, measure each wall run individually.

Ceilings

Measure length x width. Ceilings take longer to paint than walls (working overhead, cutting in around lights and vents) and should be priced as a separate line item. Raked or cathedral ceilings add access difficulty and time.

Trim, skirting, and architraves

Measure in lineal metres. Skirting, architraves, window sills, and picture rails are detailed work that takes disproportionate time per metre. A standard 3-bedroom house has 80-120 lineal metres of trim. Pricing it separately stops it from silently eating your wall-painting margin.

Doors

Count doors and note whether they are hollow-core flush, panel, or French doors. Panel doors take roughly twice as long as flush doors. Include both sides if the quote covers hallways and rooms on each side.

Exterior surfaces

For exterior work, measure each elevation separately. Note the substrate (weatherboard, brick, render, fibre cement) because each requires different prep and absorbs paint differently. Record gutter and fascia lineal metres, bargeboard lengths, and any decorative features like window hoods or balustrades.

Pro tip: Take a photo of each surface as you measure. Mark the measurements on the photos. This becomes your reference when you price the job back at the desk, and your evidence if the client later disputes the scope.

Step 2: Assess the preparation required

Preparation is the single biggest variable in painting profitability. Two identical-looking rooms can have wildly different prep requirements. A freshly plastered new-build needs a mist coat and light sand. A 30-year-old fibro house with peeling paint, nail pops, and patched repairs needs hours of stripping, filling, sanding, and sealing before you pick up a brush.

Grade every surface during the site visit using a simple system:

Light prep (Grade 1)

Surface is in good condition. Existing paint is sound and well-adhered. Work involves a wash or sugar soap wipe, light sand to provide a key, spot prime any bare patches, and minor crack filling. Typical for recent repaints and new plaster. This adds 10-20% to your paint-coat time.

Medium prep (Grade 2)

Surface has moderate wear. Expect nail holes to fill, hairline cracks to tape and plaster, flaking paint in localised areas to scrape and sand, and a full prime coat. Common on homes 10-20 years since last paint. This adds 30-50% to your paint-coat time.

Heavy prep (Grade 3)

Surface is in poor condition. Large areas of peeling or bubbling paint need stripping (heat gun or chemical). Extensive plaster repairs, potentially full skim coat on damaged areas. Timber rot on exteriors needs cutting out and replacing before painting. May involve lead paint testing on pre-1970s homes and asbestos checks on pre-1990s fibre cement. This can equal or exceed the time spent painting. Price it as a major line item.

Record the grade for each surface group (walls, ceiling, trim, exterior) in your site notes. This grading directly feeds into your pricing: a Grade 3 room costs roughly 2-3 times a Grade 1 room of the same area.

Special conditions to note

• Lead paint: Homes built before 1970 may have lead paint. If you suspect it, factor in testing ($30-$80 per sample) and safe removal procedures. Lead-safe work practices add significant time and cost. In some states, disturbing lead paint above a threshold requires a licensed removalist.
• Mould and moisture: Surface mould needs treating with a fungicidal wash before painting, and the moisture source needs identifying. Painting over mould guarantees a callback. Note it in the quote and recommend the client address the source.
• Wallpaper removal: If wallpaper needs stripping before painting, quote it as a separate line. Removal time varies wildly depending on the paper type and how it was applied. Budget 1-3 hours per wall for removal and surface repair.
• High ceilings and access: Anything above 3m requires scaffold or elevated work platforms. Factor in scaffold hire ($200-$600/week for residential) and the extra time working at height.

Step 3: Choose your pricing model

There are three common ways to price painting work. Each suits different job types.

Per square metre

The most transparent and scalable model. You set a rate per m² based on the prep grade and number of coats, then multiply by the measured area. Clients can see exactly what they are paying for and can easily compare quotes. This model works well for medium to large jobs (whole houses, multi-room repaints) and for commercial work.

The advantage: your quote scales directly with the job size, and you can adjust the per-m² rate for prep difficulty rather than guessing a lump sum.

Per room

Simple and easy for clients to understand. Works best for standard residential rooms with similar ceiling heights and conditions. The risk is that "a room" varies enormously. A 3m x 3m bedroom and a 6m x 8m open-plan lounge are both "a room" but one has three times the paintable area. If you use per-room pricing, define what a "standard room" means in your quote (e.g. "up to 12 m² floor area, 2.7m ceiling, two coats, light prep").

Fixed price (whole job)

A single all-inclusive number for the complete scope. Best for repeat work where you know your costs precisely (e.g. you repaint the same style of apartment for a property manager every few months). For one-off jobs, a fixed price is just a per-m² price with the maths hidden. Do the measurement and calculation anyway so you know your margin.

Avoid: hourly rate for the whole job

Quoting an open-ended hourly rate for a painting job is a red flag for clients. It gives them no certainty on cost, and it gives you no incentive to work efficiently. Use hourly rates only for genuinely unpredictable work like stripping unknown paint systems or repairing damage discovered mid-job. If you do use hourly rates for a component, cap the hours in the quote so the client has a ceiling.

Whatever model you choose, always do the full measurement and calculation. The difference between quoting accurately and eyeballing it is often $500-$2,000 on a standard residential job.

Step 4: Build detailed line items

A painting quote with one line that says "paint 3-bedroom house: $6,500" tells the client nothing and gives you no margin control. Break the quote into visible activities so the client understands the value and you can track cost against each item.

Here is a standard set of line items for a residential interior repaint:

For exterior work, add line items for scaffold or elevated work platform hire, gutter and fascia painting (lineal metres), bargeboard and eaves, and any timber repairs.

For commercial jobs, add line items for out-of-hours work (if painting occupied spaces), traffic management (if the building is in use), and induction and site-specific safety requirements.

Step 5: Price each line with current benchmarks

These are 2026 Australian industry benchmarks. Your actual rates depend on your location, experience, overheads, and target margin. Use these as a sanity check, not a substitute for knowing your own numbers.

Interior painting rates

Exterior painting rates

Hourly rates (for reference)

All rates exclude GST. If you are registered for GST (mandatory above $75,000 turnover), add 10% to the quote total and show it as a separate line.

Calculating your own rate

Work backwards from what you need to earn. Add up your annual costs: vehicle, insurance, tools, paint supplies, phone, accounting, licensing fees, superannuation, and the profit you want to take home. Divide by your billable hours per year (typically 1,400-1,600 for a sole trader after admin, quoting, travel, and holidays). That gives you your minimum hourly rate. Then convert it to a per-m² rate by tracking how many square metres you consistently paint per hour (a common range for interior walls is 8-15 m²/hr depending on conditions).

Step 6: Specify exclusions and variations clearly

More painting disputes come from what was assumed than what was agreed. A quote that says "repaint interior" means different things to the painter and the homeowner. One thinks it means walls and ceilings. The other thinks it includes every cupboard, skirting board, and door in the house.

Protect yourself and the client by listing exclusions explicitly.

Common exclusions for interior jobs

• Moving and covering furniture (or specify you will cover but not move heavy items)
• Wallpaper removal
• Structural repairs (plaster damage beyond cosmetic filling)
• Built-in wardrobes (interior shelving and doors)
• Cupboard interiors
• Garage or shed
• Accent walls in different colours (unless specified per wall in the line items)

Common exclusions for exterior jobs

• Roof painting (separate trade and licence in some states)
• Deck staining or oiling
• Fence painting (unless quoted separately)
• Timber replacement (quote repairs as a separate line if visible during inspection)
• Pressure washing (or include it as a priced line item in prep)
• Asbestos removal

Variation clause

Include a simple variation clause in every quote. Something along these lines:

"Any work outside the scope described above will be quoted as a variation. Variations require written approval before work begins. Variation rates: labour at $[your rate]/hr plus materials at cost + [your markup]%."

This protects both parties. The client knows they will not be surprised by extra charges, and you know you will be paid for any additional work they request. It also gives you a mechanism to handle genuine discoveries (hidden damage, extra coats needed for coverage) without absorbing the cost yourself.

A note on licensing and insurance

In most Australian states, you need a painting and decorating licence for residential work above a set threshold:

• NSW: Licence required for work over $5,000 (incl. GST). Issued by NSW Fair Trading. Requires Certificate III in Painting and Decorating.
• VIC: Licence required for work over $5,000 (incl. GST). Issued by the Victorian Building Authority.
• QLD: Licence required for work over $3,300 (incl. GST). Issued by QBCC. Requires Certificate III plus the QBCC Trade Contractor Course.
• SA, WA, TAS, ACT, NT: Requirements vary. Check your state or territory building authority for current thresholds.

Your licence number should appear on every quote. It signals professionalism and is a legal requirement in states that mandate it. Also include your ABN and public liability insurance details. Most residential clients and all commercial clients expect to see proof of insurance before accepting a quote.

Step 7: Present the quote professionally and follow up

Speed and presentation matter in painting more than most trades because clients collect multiple quotes and the job often goes to the first professional response.

Send it fast

Get the quote to the client within 24-48 hours of the site visit. Ideally, quote on the spot. The longer you wait, the more likely they have already accepted someone else's quote. If you use a tool like FlowSpec, you can speak the line items during the walk-through and have the quote in Xero before you leave the site.

Walk them through it

Whether you present in person, by phone, or by email, walk the client through the line items. Explain what prep involves and why it matters. Show them the different surface grades and what each costs. Clients who understand the quote accept it faster and dispute it less.

Use a branded format

Send the quote as a branded PDF or through your accounting software (Xero, MYOB). A quote on letterhead with your logo, licence number, ABN, and insurance details looks professional and builds trust. Handwritten quotes on scrap paper lose jobs to the painter who sends a clean PDF.

Follow up

If you have not heard back within 2 business days, follow up with a short call or text. Something like: "Hi [name], just checking you received the painting quote I sent through on [day]. Happy to answer any questions." Studies show that 35-50% of trade jobs go to the first person who follows up. A single follow-up message can lift your conversion rate by 10-15 percentage points.

If the client chose someone else, ask why (politely). The answer tells you whether your pricing, speed, or presentation needs adjusting. That feedback is worth more than the lost job.

Five quoting mistakes that cost painters money

1. Measuring from floor area

Floor area tells you almost nothing about paintable surface area. A room with 20 m² of floor has roughly 50-70 m² of paintable surface (walls + ceiling). Painters who price off floor area consistently underquote by 30-50%.

2. Underestimating prep time

Prep typically accounts for 40-60% of total job time on a repaint. Painters who price only the coats lose money on every job that needs more than a light sand. Grade every surface during the site visit and price prep as its own visible line item.

3. Forgetting overhead and profit

Your materials plus your hourly labour rate does not equal your price. You also need to cover vehicle costs, insurance, tools, accounting, phone, licensing, and the profit you are in business to make. A common target is 15-25% net margin after all costs. If you are charging materials + labour with nothing for overhead, you are working for less than an employed painter earning a wage.

4. Quoting too slowly

In residential painting, the first professional quote to arrive often wins the job. Waiting a week to send a quote because you are busy painting another job means the homeowner has already accepted someone else's quote. Build a system that lets you quote within 24 hours of every site visit. Voice quoting tools can cut this to minutes.

5. Vague scope

A quote that says "repaint lounge and hallway: $2,800" invites disputes. Does that include the ceiling? The skirting? The architraves? Both sides of the doors? Every surface should be named in the line items. Every exclusion should be stated. Clarity now prevents arguments later. See 7 Quoting Mistakes Tradies Make for more on this topic.

Worked example: quoting a 3-bedroom interior repaint

Here is what a structured painting quote looks like for a standard job: a 3-bedroom house in suburban Sydney, single storey, 2.7m ceilings, walls in fair condition (Grade 2 prep), ceilings in good condition (Grade 1). Client wants walls in a new colour (3 coats) and ceilings freshened up (2 coats white). Trim and doors included.

This quote is transparent. The client can see exactly where their money goes. If they want to reduce the cost, they can make informed decisions (e.g. "skip the door painting" or "we will do the ceiling ourselves"). And you can track your actual time against each line item to refine your rates for the next job.

How to quote painting jobs faster

The quoting system above is thorough, and thoroughness protects your margin. But it takes time. For a sole-trader painter quoting 3-5 jobs per week, spending 1-2 hours per quote means 3-10 hours of unpaid admin.

Here is how to cut that without cutting accuracy:

• Build a template: Create a standard quote template with your common line items pre-loaded. Adjust quantities and rates for each job rather than starting from scratch.
• Use voice quoting: FlowSpec lets you speak your line items as you walk through the site. "Lounge walls, 42 square metres, grade 2 prep, 3 coats Dulux Wash and Wear." The quote builds itself in Xero while you measure.
• Price on site: If your rates are set and you know your template, you can finalise the quote on your phone in the car after the walk-through and email it before you drive away. Same-day quoting wins more jobs than anything else.
• Track your actuals: After every job, compare quoted time vs actual time per line item. Within 10 jobs, your per-m² rates will be dialled in and quoting becomes a 15-minute task instead of a 2-hour task.

FlowSpec starts at $50/month for your first quoting seat. Speak the job, send via Xero, follow up in half the time.