Every homeowner who collects painting quotes hits the same puzzle: two painters look at the same house and come back thousands of dollars apart. The tempting read is that one of them is ripping you off. Sometimes that is true. More often, the quotes are not for the same job.
Price in painting follows time and materials, and time follows the condition of your surfaces and how the job is scoped. Once you can see what drives those, quotes stop being mysterious.
Preparation is the biggest driver
Paint is a thin coating, and most of the hours in a quality job go into what happens before it: washing, scraping, sanding, filling, patching, masking and priming. A house with peeling weatherboards, cracked render or stained ceilings needs days of preparation. A house in good condition needs far less.
This is also where quotes quietly differ. One painter prices full preparation. Another prices a quick sand and two coats. Both say "prep and paint" on the quote. The second job looks fine for a summer, then the paint lets go. When you compare quotes, ask each painter to list the preparation they have allowed. The answer tells you more than the total.
Surface area and surface type
Bigger houses cost more, obviously. But the type of surface matters as much as the size. Flat plaster walls are fast. Detailed trim, ornate cornices, colonial windows, textured render and weatherboard edges are slow, because they are cut in by hand. Two houses with the same floor area can be very different jobs.
Roofline work - eaves, fascia, gutters - adds time because it is ladder work with careful edges. So does any surface that needs a specialty approach, like aluminium window frames that need degreasing, sanding and adhesion primers before a finish coat.
Height and access
A single-storey house on a flat block is the cheapest shape to paint. Add a second storey, a sloping block, tight side access or established gardens against the walls, and the job slows down. Some two-storey work needs scaffolding rather than ladders, which adds real cost. None of this is a reason to avoid the job - it is a reason the site visit matters. A quote given without seeing the property is a guess wearing a price tag.
Condition of what is already there
Old paint in poor condition takes work to remove. Stained ceilings need stain blocking. Rotten weatherboards or failed render may need repair or trade work before painting even starts. Water stains mean a leak that must be fixed first, or the stain comes straight back through the new paint.
Honest painters point at these things when they inspect. If your quote lists repairs, that is usually a good sign about the painter, not a bad one.
Paint itself
Quality trade paint costs more per tin than budget paint and covers better, lasts longer and often needs fewer coats. The paint is a small share of the total job cost - labour dominates - so saving money on paint while paying for the labour to apply it is usually a false economy. Ask what product is allowed for, and be suspicious of any quote that will not say.
How to compare quotes fairly
Get the scope in writing from each painter: areas, surfaces, preparation, number of coats, products and price. Then compare like with like. The cheapest quote that excludes preparation, repairs or a second coat is not cheaper than the quote that includes them. It is just shorter.
And ask the practical questions: Who is actually doing the work? How long will it take? What happens if hidden damage appears once the old paint comes off? Clear answers before work starts are what you are really buying.
The short version
Painting prices follow preparation, surface type, access and condition. A good quote lists all of it in writing, and a good painter can explain every line of it. That is the quote to trust with your house.
Prime Painting Experts provides written quotes that set out the areas, preparation and price before work starts. Call 0420 596 677 for a free quote.