Painting and decorating quote template
Decorating quotes get underpriced more than any other trade quote. Customers see a finished wall and forget the day of filling, sanding and masking that came before. The template below shows how to break the work down so prep is paid for and the finish actually looks like the brochure.
A decorating quote that just says "Paint living room and hallway - £750" loses on credibility and almost always loses on margin. The customer compares it to a competing quote that lines out prep, paint coats and finish quality, and assumes the cheaper one is doing the same work. Half the time it is not, but the customer cannot tell from the page. The losing quote was usually doing more work, but the page did not show it.
Painting also gets quoted from photographs more often than other trades, which means surface condition surprises are common. A wall that looks fine in a phone photo can have damp staining behind the wardrobe, blown plaster around the radiator, or a hundred small dings that will pull through the topcoat unless they are filled and sanded first. The wording on the page is what determines whether you absorb the extra prep time or charge fairly for it.
The article below is the template: the eight line items every UK painting and decorating quote should carry, the coverage and coats maths most decorators do in their head and forget to put on the page, the wording for surface-condition discoveries, the trade-vs-retail paint pricing decision, and worked examples for a single living room, a full ground floor, and a sash window restoration.
The eight line items every decorating quote needs
A good decorating quote separates prep, paint, labour and finish-quality choices into their own lines. The customer should be able to see what they are paying for and choose where to spend more or less. Eight lines cover most domestic decorating jobs.
- Preparation - sanding, filling, caulking, masking, sheeting, removing hardware. Always its own line, never bundled into labour. Prep is the work the customer most underestimates, so showing the hours puts a fair value on it.
- Labour - hours x rate, or days x rate, clearly stated. "3 days @ £280" reads as one big number; "24 hours @ £35/hr" lets the customer compare it against other trades they know.
- Paint materials - itemised by brand, finish, and litre count. "Dulux Trade Diamond Matt, Brilliant White, 5L x 2 = 10L" beats "paint". Trade paint brands (Dulux Trade, Crown Trade, Tikkurila, Johnstone's Trade) signal that you are not bulking out the job with retail-grade emulsion.
- Other materials - filler, caulk, masking tape, sandpaper, dust sheets, sundries. List as a single line ("Sundries, fillers and consumables: £45") so the customer sees there is a real cost there but does not need each item.
- Coats and finish quality - state the number of coats (typically mist coat + 2 finish coats on bare plaster, 2 coats on previously-painted walls, 3 coats on woodwork including primer and topcoat x 2). Customers comparing quotes need this line because "2 coats" and "3 coats" produce visibly different finishes.
- Access and protection - moving furniture, lifting carpets, protecting flooring, working at height. Always its own line on bigger jobs. Customers underestimate the half-day spent moving furniture and protecting the floor before the first brush goes near a wall.
- Disposal and clean-up - dust sheet shake-out, tape and filler offcut removal, dust hoovering, final wipe-down. Customers expect the room to be left clean; quoting it as a line item makes clear the time it takes.
- Total, guarantee and payment terms - subtotal, VAT (if registered), grand total, your workmanship warranty (typically 12 months on the finish, though specifically excluding marks, scuffs and damp staining caused after handover), payment schedule, accepted methods.
Coverage and coats maths most decorators forget to put on the page
The fastest way to under-quote a decorating job is to estimate paint quantities in your head and forget to write the maths on the page. The fastest way to win a customer on credibility is to put the maths on the quote so they can see you have actually thought about it. The breakdown below is the standard UK calculation.
- Wall area - measure each wall (width x height) and sum. For a typical 4m x 3.5m living room with 2.4m ceilings, that is roughly 36m² of wall before window and door deductions, around 28m² after.
- Coverage per litre - trade emulsion typically covers 12-14m² per litre per coat on a smooth, previously-painted surface. Bare plaster, heavily textured walls, or covering a dark colour with a lighter one all drink more paint - drop coverage to 9-10m² for those.
- Coats needed - 2 coats on previously-painted walls (or mist coat + 2 coats on bare plaster). Woodwork is typically primer + undercoat + 2 topcoats = 4 coats total for skirting and architrave.
- Total paint litres - net area x coats / coverage. For the 28m² living room above: 28 x 2 / 13 = 4.3L, round up to 5L (one full tin) to avoid a second trip to the merchant mid-job. Add 10% wastage for cutting in, brush loading and the bottom inch that will not pour - so 5.5L.
- Cost per litre - trade paint is typically £12-£22 per litre depending on brand and finish (Dulux Trade Diamond Matt sits around £15/L, Tikkurila around £20/L). Retail paint is cheaper per litre but covers less, runs worse, and produces a visibly inferior finish. State the brand and finish on the quote so the customer can see they are not buying retail.
- Put the maths on the page - "Walls 28m² (after door/window deductions) x 2 coats / 13m² per litre = 4.3L, round to 5L Dulux Trade Diamond Matt = £75 paint." Customers comparing quotes who see this line trust the whole quote more than they would with "Paint - £75".
Wording for surface-condition discoveries and prep that grows on you
Three situations recur on decorating jobs and cause more dispute than anything else: damp staining or blown plaster found behind furniture, surfaces that need significantly more filling than the photo suggested, and lead paint awareness on pre-1992 properties. The wording for each one belongs on the quote.
- Surface-condition discovery clause - "This quote covers prep and paint based on the surface condition visible at survey. If on starting we find significant additional filling, damp staining that needs sealing, blown plaster requiring make-good, or surface contamination requiring more than a wash-down, we will stop, photograph the issue, and send a separate quote for the additional prep before continuing. Nothing extra is charged without your written go-ahead." Sets the customer up for a likely variation rather than springing one on them.
- Quote-from-photo qualifier - "Where surfaces were not physically inspected at quote stage (e.g. behind wardrobes, sofa-side walls, areas covered by personal effects), prep allowances assume the surface is in similar condition to the visible walls. If condition differs, prep will be reviewed on day one and any additional work agreed in writing before proceeding."
- Damp staining clause - "Existing damp staining will be sealed with an appropriate stain-block primer (Zinsser Cover Stain or similar) before topcoat. This quote does not include investigating or fixing the cause of damp. If staining returns after handover due to ongoing damp, additional work is required and quoted separately."
- Lead paint clause (essential on pre-1992 properties) - "Older painted woodwork and walls may contain lead paint. If lead paint is suspected at sanding or stripping stage, work stops, the area is sealed off, and additional safe-handling procedures apply with costs quoted separately. The customer is responsible for confirming the build year if known."
- Materials volatility clause - "Materials prices are based on supplier rates as of [date]. If trade paint prices move more than 5% before materials are ordered, the materials line is repriced and reconfirmed before any order is placed."
How to lay the decorating quote out so it sells the work
A decorating quote with clear prep hours, named paint brands, coat counts and a colour-approval line gets read and signed. A wall of text gets skimmed. The layout below is what works for UK domestic decorating quotes between £400 (single room) and £6,000 (full ground floor).
- Top of the page - business name, any scheme membership (Dulux Select Decorators, Painting & Decorating Association, TrustMark), customer name, job address. Quote reference and valid-until date in the top right. Scheme membership in the header is a strong credibility signal on decorating quotes specifically because the cowboy-end of the market is large.
- Scope summary - two or three sentences describing the work before any prices. "Prep, mist coat and 2 finish coats Dulux Trade Diamond Matt to walls of living room and hallway. Primer + undercoat + 2 topcoats Dulux Trade Satinwood to all woodwork. Caulk and fill as required. Move furniture to centre of rooms, protect flooring with dust sheets, leave rooms broom-clean. 5 working days estimated. 12-month workmanship warranty."
- Itemised table - description, quantity, unit, price per row. Customers compare decorating quotes by scanning the table; readability wins on clarity.
- Colour-approval line - "Final colour selection to be confirmed in writing before mist coat goes on. Customer to supply colour name and reference code (e.g. Farrow & Ball Cromarty No. 285) or sign off on a sample patch on-site." This is the line that prevents the "I wanted a slightly warmer white" conversation halfway through.
- Exclusions box - wallpaper stripping (unless explicitly quoted), structural plaster repair beyond the prep allowance, replacing damaged or rotten woodwork, repairing damp causes, lifting and re-laying carpets, removing or refitting fixed shelving. Decorating exclusions are the most-missed line in the trade and the biggest source of "but I thought that was included".
- Accept-and-pay button - one click to accept; deposit clears through the portal. Decorating jobs are mid-value (£400-£6,000) and acceptance rates jump significantly when the friction is removed.
Three worked examples: living room, full ground floor, sash window restoration
The three examples below cover most of the volume in UK domestic decorating. Each follows the same structure: scope summary, prep, paint materials, sundries, labour, access, disposal, total.
- Example 1 - Single living room repaint (4m x 3.5m, 2.4m ceilings, previously painted, average condition). Scope: 2 coats Dulux Trade Diamond Matt to walls (28m²), 2 coats to ceiling (14m²), primer + undercoat + 2 coats Dulux Trade Satinwood to skirting, door, architrave and window cill. Caulk and fill as required. Move furniture to centre, protect flooring. Prep 6 hours @ £35 = £210. Paint materials: 5L Dulux Trade Diamond Matt walls (£75), 2.5L Diamond Matt ceiling (£42), 1L Satinwood woodwork (£28) = £145. Sundries (filler, caulk, tape, dust sheets) = £35. Labour 18 hours @ £35 = £630. Access and protection = £40. Disposal and clean-up = £20. Subtotal £1,080. VAT (if registered) £216. Total £1,296. Payment: full on completion (jobs under £2k).
- Example 2 - Full ground floor of a 3-bed semi (living room, dining room, hallway, kitchen woodwork only). Scope: walls in living room, dining room, hallway (76m² combined after deductions). Ceilings in all three rooms. Woodwork primed and twice-coated throughout including kitchen door frames. Wash, caulk, fill, sand throughout. Move furniture, protect flooring, leave broom-clean. 8 working days. Prep 20 hours @ £35 = £700. Paint materials: 15L Dulux Trade Diamond Matt (£195), 7.5L Diamond Matt ceiling (£105), 5L Dulux Trade Satinwood (£135) = £435. Sundries = £90. Labour 56 hours @ £35 = £1,960. Access and protection = £120. Disposal and clean-up = £60. Subtotal £3,365. VAT (if registered) £673. Total £4,038. Payment: 30% deposit on confirmation (£1,211), remainder on completion (£2,827).
- Example 3 - Sash window restoration (4 windows, paint-only, no glazing work). Scope: strip flaking paint from sash and frame, sand and feather edges, fill cracks with appropriate sash filler, prime bare wood with Zinsser BIN, undercoat, topcoat x 2 with Dulux Trade Weathershield Gloss to all external face. Reglaze with new linseed oil putty where loose putty found. 2 working days. Prep 14 hours @ £35 = £490. Paint materials: 2L BIN primer (£42), 2L Dulux Trade Undercoat (£28), 2L Weathershield Gloss (£44), linseed putty + glazing sundries (£30) = £144. Sundries = £35. Labour 16 hours @ £35 = £560. Access (low-level ladder, no scaffold) = £30. Disposal = £15. Provisional sum: replacement of significantly rotten sash members £150 (charged at cost if exceeded). Subtotal £1,274. VAT (if registered) £254.80. Total £1,528.80. Payment: full on completion.
Common mistakes that lose decorating quotes
A few patterns show up in decorating quotes that lose jobs they should have won, or that win jobs but at a price that loses money. Most have nothing to do with the bottom line and everything to do with how prep, paint quality and finish are presented on the page.
- No prep line - "Paint living room and hallway £750" hides the day of filling and sanding. The competing quote that lines out "Prep 8 hours £280" wins on credibility even at the same total, because the customer can see they are not getting a cheap paint-over-the-cracks job.
- No paint brand or finish named - "Paint - £75" reads as opaque. "5L Dulux Trade Diamond Matt - £75" reads as a real trade-grade material and prevents the comparison against quotes using retail paint.
- No coats count - "2 coats" vs "3 coats" vs "mist coat + 2 coats" produce visibly different finishes. Quotes that do not state the number of coats either lose to clearer competitors or land at a price that does not cover doing the job properly.
- No colour-approval line - "I wanted a slightly different shade" mid-job is the single most expensive moment in domestic decorating. The colour-approval line on the quote prevents it.
- No exclusions list - "I will sort the painting" sounds great until the customer thinks wallpaper stripping, repairing the broken architrave, fixing the damp behind the radiator and lifting the carpet are all included. Decorating has the longest exclusions list of any domestic trade quote; treat it as a feature, not a footnote.
Jednostavan radni tijek za bolju pripremu ponuda
Before sending the quote - itemise the eight line items (prep, labour, paint, sundries, coats and finish, access, disposal, total + guarantee + payment). The prep line is the one most customers underestimate; showing it earns the rest of the price.
Put the coverage and coats maths on the page in one or two short lines. "28m² walls x 2 coats / 13m² per litre = 4.3L, round to 5L Dulux Trade Diamond Matt." The maths is more convincing than the price.
Add the four wording clauses (surface-condition discovery, quote-from-photo qualifier, damp staining, lead paint on pre-1992 properties). Customers comparing quotes value seeing these.
Include a colour-approval line that requires written or on-site sign-off before mist coat. This is the single most useful clause on a decorating quote.
Send via a quote-acceptance portal where possible so the customer can click to accept and the deposit (on bigger jobs) clears before you order paint.
A good decorating quote does the credibility work before the customer ever asks the cost-per-square-metre question. The price is rarely the deciding factor on a domestic decorating job - what wins is the clarity of the prep line, the named trade-paint brand, the coats count and the colour-approval clause. The cheaper quote without those things loses on trust, even when it lands first by price.
Use the eight-line structure on your next quote, put the coverage maths on the page, copy the four wording clauses, and watch what happens to your acceptance rate. Most decorators find they win more jobs at full price after the template change than they ever did with "Paint front room - £750" and a verbal description of the prep.
Česta pitanja
What should a UK painter or decorator include in a quote?
Eight line items: prep (sanding, filling, caulking, masking, sheeting), labour (hours x rate), paint materials (named brand and finish, litre counts), sundries (filler, caulk, sandpaper, dust sheets), coats and finish quality (mist coat, number of finish coats, woodwork primer-undercoat-topcoat schedule), access and protection (furniture moves, floor protection), disposal and clean-up, and a total with VAT and warranty terms. Adding the coverage-per-litre maths in one or two lines lifts the credibility of the whole quote.
How do I calculate how much paint to put on a decorating quote?
Multiply the wall area (m²) by the number of coats, divide by the coverage per litre (typically 12-14m²/L for trade emulsion on previously-painted walls, lower for bare plaster or covering a dark colour), then round up to the next full tin and add 10% for cutting-in and brush waste. For a 28m² living room with 2 coats and Dulux Trade Diamond Matt: 28 x 2 / 13 = 4.3L, round to 5L. Show the calculation on the quote in one line; customers find it more convincing than the price itself.
Should I use trade paint or retail paint on a customer job?
Trade paint, always - and state the brand on the quote. Trade-grade emulsion (Dulux Trade, Crown Trade, Tikkurila, Johnstone's Trade) covers more per litre, sprays and brushes better, and produces a visibly better finish than retail-grade. The cost difference per square metre is small once you account for coverage. Customers who can see "5L Dulux Trade Diamond Matt - £75" on the quote stop worrying about being upsold retail paint at retail prices.
How do I handle finding additional prep work once I start the job?
Add a surface-condition discovery clause to the quote stating that if significant additional filling, damp staining, blown plaster or surface contamination is found on starting, work stops, the issue is photographed, and a separate quote is sent before continuing. Never carry out unquoted prep without written customer agreement. The clause is what makes the variation feel fair rather than feeling like an upsell.
How many coats of paint should a decorating quote include?
Two coats on previously-painted walls in reasonable condition. Mist coat plus two finish coats on bare plaster (the mist coat is essential - it lets the plaster absorb evenly and prevents the patchiness on the first proper coat). Three coats on woodwork: primer, undercoat, and two topcoats. Where the customer is changing a dark colour to a lighter one, add a coat. State the count on the quote; customers comparing "2 coats" against "mist coat + 2 coats" against "3 coats" should be told what they are getting.
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