How to compare three painting quotes that all say something different
20 May 2026 · 3 min read
Three quotes, three numbers, three formats and no way to line them up. A method for finding out what you are actually comparing.
Everyone is told to get three quotes. Nobody is told what to do when they arrive and none of them describe the same job.
Here is a way through it.
Step one: normalise the scope before the price
Put the three quotes side by side and list every surface any one of them mentions. Ceilings. Cornice. Skirting. Architraves. Doors and frames. Window reveals. Robe interiors. Eaves. Fascia. Gutters. Garage door.
Now tick which quotes include which. Almost always, the cheapest quote is missing two or three lines the others carry. That is not dishonesty — it is a different reading of a vague conversation — but it means the numbers are not comparable until you have fixed the scope.
Go back to each painter with the full list and ask them to confirm or re-price. A painter who will not do this is telling you something useful.
Step two: read the preparation paragraph
This is where the money is, and where quotes genuinely differ in value rather than in scope.
Look for: what they are washing with, whether they are scraping back to sound edges or just spot-sanding, whether filling and sanding is included or allowed for, whether gaps are being caulked, and whether bare areas are being spot primed.
| Quote says | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| "Prepare surfaces as required" | Unquantified. Ask what "as required" means here |
| "Pressure clean, scrape, sand, fill, caulk, spot prime" | Specified. You can hold them to it |
| "Two coats premium acrylic" | Says nothing about what is underneath |
| "Sugar soap, sand, undercoat, two finish coats" | A real system |
Step three: check the products
Get brand and product line from all three. Then look up the data sheets — they are public. You are comparing spread rate, recommended film build, and stated durability.
A quote using a builder-grade product is not automatically wrong. On a rental, or on a wall you plan to change in five years, it can be the right call. But you should know that is the trade being made, rather than discovering it later.
Step four: price the difference, not the total
Once scope and preparation are aligned, the remaining gap usually resolves into three things: labour rate, product quality, and access provision. Ask directly. "Your quote is $3,800 above the other one — is that preparation, product, or access?" A painter who can answer that in one sentence knows their own numbers.
The cheapest quote is sometimes correct
This is not an argument for always paying more. It is an argument for knowing what the difference buys. Sometimes the cheap quote is a lean operator with low overheads doing the same work. Sometimes it is half the preparation. The only way to tell is to make them describe the same job.
Step five: the things that are not on any quote
- Are they licensed and insured, and can they show you the certificates?
- Who is actually on your site — the person quoting, employees, or subcontractors?
- What is the warranty, in writing, and what voids it?
- How do they handle variations?
- Can they give you two recent addresses of similar work?
The red flags worth walking away from
A price only valid if you sign today. A deposit above a reasonable percentage. No written scope. No ABN. Cash-only. An unwillingness to put the warranty in writing. Any of these on their own is worth a question; two of them together is worth a different painter.