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Is my painting quote complete?

Check that your painting quote lists each room or exterior side, every surface, the prep, the paint line, sheen and coat count, who picks colours, wood rot exclusions, cleanup, schedule and payment terms, plus the four elements FTC guidance names for a written estimate: a description of the work, the materials, a completion date and a price.

Source: Federal Trade Commission consumer advice on hiring a contractor, read 14 October 2026.

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

Paint cans, rollers, brushes and a folded drop cloth on a patio.

Key facts

What should a written painting quote list?

Start with a written painting quote that names each room or exterior side of the house and the surfaces on it, such as walls, ceilings, trim, doors, cabinets, siding or soffits, then states the prep steps, paint brand and product line, sheen, number of coats, a finish date, colour choices and cleanup.

According to consumer guidance from the FTC, "A written estimate should include a description of the work to be done, materials, completion date, and the price." Map those elements onto painting: surfaces and prep go under the work, and product, sheen and coat count go under materials. The numbered questions below fill in the rest.

Source: Federal Trade Commission consumer advice on hiring a contractor, read 14 October 2026.

  1. Rooms and sides: Which rooms, ceilings and exterior sides are included, and which are named as excluded?
  2. Surfaces: Are trim, doors and frames, window sills, closets, cabinets, railings, soffits or a garage door part of this job?
  3. Prep: Which steps are included, such as washing, scraping loose paint, sanding glossy areas, patching holes and cracks, caulking gaps, and spot or full priming?
  4. Product: Which paint brand and product line, which sheen for walls, trim and ceilings, and how many coats over each surface?
  5. Colours: How many colours, who picks them, are sample patches included, and what happens if you change a colour after work starts?
  6. Room setup: Who moves furniture, covers floors, masks fixtures, outlet plates and hardware, and puts everything back at the end?

If your home was built before 1978, EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Program page states: "Any renovation, repair or painting project in a pre-1978 home or building that has lead-based paint can easily create dangerous lead dust." EPA's Renovate Right pamphlet states: "Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renovating more than six square feet of painted surfaces in a room for interior projects or more than twenty square feet of painted surfaces for exterior projects or window replacement or demolition in housing, child care facilities and schools built before 1978." Its list then includes: "Homeowners and tenants: renovators must give you this pamphlet before starting work." Ask each painting bidder whether its quote describes the lead-safe work practices it would use in your home.

Source: EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, read 14 October 2026.
Source: EPA Renovate Right pamphlet, revised September 2011, read 14 October 2026.

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Which items are often left out?

Look for missing lines in your painting quote, such as wood rot repair, caulking, primer on bare or stained spots, moving furniture, masking floors and fixtures, leftover paint and disposal, and touch-ups after the walk-through. Use the list as prompts, and request a written yes, no or not included beside each item.

Ask how the painter handles soft or rotted wood on trim, fascia, sills or door frames. A quote can fill small spots, replace a board, or exclude carpentry altogether. Any rot found after scraping should be shown to you in a photograph and approved as a written change order before anyone paints over it.

Ask whether patching means filling nail holes and hairline cracks only, or repairing larger damaged areas of wall. Replacement of drywall bundled with plumbing, electrical, air conditioning or load-bearing wall work is a separate scope from this painting checklist, so keep that work out of the painting quote and ask about it separately.

For a home built before 1978, EPA's Renovate Right pamphlet says: "The contract should specify which parts of your home are part of the work area and specify which lead-safe work practices will be used in those areas." The pamphlet also says: "When all the work is done, the area must be cleaned up using special cleaning methods before taking down any plastic that isolates the work area from the rest of the home." Ask whether the painting quote names the work area and that cleanup step.

Source: EPA Renovate Right pamphlet, revised September 2011, read 14 October 2026.

The same pamphlet says: "If you decide that you want lead-dust testing, it is a good idea to specify in your contract, before the start of the job, that a lead-dust test is to be done for your job and who will do the testing, as well as whether re-cleaning will be required based on the results of the test." Ask for that line in writing if you want testing.

Source: EPA Renovate Right pamphlet, revised September 2011, read 14 October 2026.

For exterior work, ask how the house is washed before painting, how plants, outdoor furniture and windows are covered, and how rain or wind changes the start date. Ask who keeps leftover paint, whether labelled cans stay with you for later touch-ups, and who takes away empty cans, tape, drop cloths and scraped paint chips.

Ask whether the quote includes any written warranty on the finish, what that warranty covers, such as peeling or blistering, how long it runs, and what it excludes. Keep the warranty wording attached to the same written scope instead of a spoken promise.

What should the payment terms say?

Treat each painting payment as tied to work you can see, such as paint on site, prep done on a named floor or side of the house, final coats applied, and touch-ups signed off on your closing walk-through. Find out what a first payment pays for, and get the approval route for a rot-repair change order on paper.

On payment, the FTC's consumer guidance, read on 14 October 2026, advises: "Don’t pay the full amount for the project up front." The same guidance says: "And never make the final payment until the work is done and you’re satisfied with it." Ask the bidder to tie its last payment line to your walk-through list.

Source: Federal Trade Commission consumer advice on hiring a contractor, read 14 October 2026.

Split paint purchase, prep, coats and touch-ups into their own payment lines, so you can see quickly whether a stalled side of the house has been paid for already.

Does the quote say who pulls the permit?

Ask whether the painting bidder expects any permit for the work on your written scope and, if so, who applies, who schedules any inspection and who gives you the final sign-off paperwork. Request a written answer either way rather than leaving the permit question to an assumption about your address.

If a painting bidder asks you to take out a permit in your own name, ask it to explain that request in writing, including whose name the permit record would carry.

Among the hiring tips on Palm Beach County's Contractor Regulations page, read 14 October 2026, is this one: "Make sure a permit is pulled (if applicable - click here)." A second tip on that page reads: "Do not make the final payment until the permit is closed out." When a bidder does name a permit, set your last painting payment against that second tip.

Source: Contractor Regulations, Palm Beach County Code Compliance, read 14 October 2026.

What should my request include?

Describe every room and outside wall in a single written scope with photographs: each wall, ceiling and trim run to be painted, plus close-ups of peeling paint, stains, cracks and soft wood. Note the year your home was built if you know it, your chosen colours and any furniture that stays.

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

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

How can I compare it with other written quotes?

Check competing painting quotes surface by surface: rooms or sides covered, prep steps, product line, sheen and coat count, then cleanup, warranty terms and the finish date. Where a bidder's written scope departs from yours, have that bidder explain why before you pick a response.

  1. Prep: Are the same washing, scraping, sanding, patching, caulking and priming steps listed in every quote?
  2. Product: Is a paint brand, product line and sheen named in every quote, or only a colour?
  3. Coats: How many coats does every bidder commit to for walls, trim and ceilings?
  4. Older homes: For a home built before 1978, which quotes describe lead-safe work practices and cleanup?
  5. Repairs: How will wood rot and wall damage found during prep be handled, according to each bidder?
  6. Timing: Which start date and finish date appear in every quote, and for how long is each room out of use?

Hold any different sheen, product line or extra colour as an add-on beside your first version, not a silent swap. When a question from a bidder changes the plan, revise the written scope and send that revision to all bidders, so every response still covers the same painting job.

Once the surface, prep and coat answers are recorded, send that same written scope out for competing written responses.

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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.

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