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How many painting bids should I compare?

Get more than one written painting estimate, as FTC home improvement advice recommends, then judge each one against the same surface list of prep work, primer, number of coats, named paint product and sheen, caulking, wood repair and cleanup, because extra bids help little when each one describes a different job.

Source: FTC home improvement hiring guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 14 October 2026

A stepladder on a drop cloth beside a stucco wall.

Key facts

Why do bids for one job differ?

Compare painting bids by the prep each one promises, because much of the difference sits before the first coat: scraping, sanding, caulking gaps, patching holes, repairing soft wood, pressure washing exterior walls and spot-priming bare areas. Two bids for the same colour can describe very different amounts of written scope.

The FTC's home improvement advice says: "A written estimate should include a description of the work to be done, materials, completion date, and the price." It continues: "Don’t automatically choose the lowest bidder. And ask for an explanation if there’s a big difference among the estimates." Ask each painter to name the product, sheen and coat count for every surface.

Source: FTC home improvement hiring guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Ask what year your home was built before comparing prep methods. EPA's lead program page says: "Any renovation, repair or painting project in a pre-1978 home or building that has lead-based paint can easily create dangerous lead dust." The same page says: "Old or worn lead-based paint, especially on surfaces subject to constant friction like doors or window sills, can produce chips and dust that become a hazard when inhaled or ingested." For an older home, ask each painter how scraping and sanding dust will be contained and cleaned up.

Source: EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, read 14 October 2026.

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When is a comparison less useful?

Choose your exterior colours, and get any homeowners' association answer on them, before you gather more painting bids. Extra estimates add little while the colour, the sheen or the list of walls keeps changing, because each company ends up bidding on a different written scope.

If you live in an association, ask for its published standards on exterior colours and give every painter the same copy.

Keep repairs behind the paint separate. If a ceiling stain or blistering wall traces back to a leak, ask about the water source as its own job first.

How can I ask several companies the same questions?

Use one surface list for every painting company, pairing each room or exterior wall with its prep, primer, coat count, product and sheen. Send the same list and photographs to each bidder, so every written scope answers your walls instead of a guess made during a walk-through.

  1. Walls and ceilings: name each room, its colour and sheen, and whether ceilings are included.
  2. Trim, doors and cabinets: say which ones get paint, and ask whether doors come off their hinges.
  3. Exterior: list each side of the house, eaves, fascia and the garage door, and ask whether pressure washing and mildew treatment come first.
  4. Repairs: ask how cracks are caulked, holes patched and soft wood handled, and whether replacing wood is its own line item.
  5. Moving and masking: say which furniture you will move yourself and which items stay in the room under cover.

EPA's lead-safe list for do-it-yourself work in older homes includes this step: "Remove all furniture, area rugs, curtains, food, clothing, and other household items from your work area until cleanup is complete." For a pre-1978 interior, agree in writing who moves those items and when they come back.

Source: EPA lead-safe renovations for do-it-yourselfers, read 14 October 2026.

Should I ask whether a quotation has a charge?

Ask whether a painting company treats colour samples, test patches or a lead test as part of its estimate or as separate booked work, and get that answer in the written scope, so an assessment visit stays apart from painting you have not yet chosen.

If a bid assumes a colour consultation or a lead test you did not request, ask the company to show that assumption as its own line item.

What should my request include?

Describe your painting request with photographs of each room and exterior wall, close-ups of peeling paint, cracks and soft wood, plus a written scope listing surfaces, colours, sheen, coats wanted, the year your home was built and the furniture you will move yourself.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 14 October 2026.

What should I do when written bids arrive?

Compare written painting bids against your surface list first: the same rooms and walls, prep steps, primer, coat count, and a named product and sheen for each surface. Then read any warranty terms in writing and ask how leftover paint and disposal are handled before choosing.

EPA's indoor air page says: "Paints, varnishes and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing and hobby products." For interior rooms, ask how each space will be aired out and when you can use it again.

Source: EPA volatile organic compounds and indoor air quality, read 14 October 2026.

Florida's Department of Environmental Protection says: "Hazardous waste exhibits one or more characteristics of ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity, making it dangerous. Paint products, pool chemicals, household cleaners, and pesticides are typical examples." It also says: "Every county in the state of Florida has a household hazardous waste (HHW) program." Ask whether leftover paint stays with you for touch-ups, labelled by room, and how the rest leaves your property.

Source: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, household hazardous waste, read 14 October 2026.

The deciding line is the prep-and-coat schedule. If one bid names a primer and a coat count for every wall and another leaves those lines blank, return your surface list to that second company and ask it to complete each line before you look for another painting estimate.

Next: How InstaBids works, Florida hiring checklist.

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Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 14 October 2026.
Source: Pilot FAQ, read 14 October 2026.

Sources for the facts on this page

Sources checked: 14 October 2026.

Parent: InstaBids home.