A painting quotation format prices the work per square foot, one line per stage: wall putty, primer, two coats of emulsion inside, weather coat outside, enamel on doors and grills, plus scaffolding and protection as lots, each with unit, quantity, rate and amount, then subtotal, tax, grand total and assumptions. Below: the format, a PKR sample and the file.
What does a painting quotation include?
A painting quotation must separate the preparation from the paint and name the number of coats on every line; those two things decide whether the finish lasts and whether the price is fair. The parts, in file order:
- Header: business name, contact and tax number; client and site; quote number; date; valid until; payment terms.
- Surface preparation in sqft: wall putty with the number of coats, sanding, crack filling, primer.
- Interior paint in sqft: emulsion with the finish, the number of coats and the shade class; ceilings as their own line.
- Exterior paint in sqft: weather coat with its primer, separate from interior work.
- Enamel on wooden doors in numbers, both sides, and on MS grills and railings in sqft with the red oxide coat stated.
- Scaffolding and protection and cleaning as lots; totals, then assumptions, exclusions and terms.
Coat: one full application of putty, primer or paint over the whole area. Two coats of emulsion means the wall is painted twice after the primer, and the rate per sqft covers both.
How do you price painting work?
Price each line per square foot as paint plus consumables plus labour plus margin. Paint cost per sqft comes from the coverage on the tin, divided by the number of coats, at your purchase price for the named brand. Labour is your painter's daily rate divided by the area finished in a day for that stage; putty and sanding take longer than a coat of emulsion, so they are priced separately. Exterior work carries scaffolding and weather risk, so its rate is higher. The rates in the sample are indicative. The guide to construction estimating methods explains why unit rates protect the margin when rooms are added.
What does a sample painting quotation look like?
The sample below is the interior and exterior painting of a two-storey house in Pakistan, priced in PKR with standard shades. Large areas and small rates are normal for painting, so the arithmetic matters.
| Item | Description | Unit | Qty | Rate (PKR) | Amount (PKR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wall putty, two coats, sanded to a smooth finish, interior walls | sqft | 2400 | 28 | 67,200 |
| 2 | Primer sealer, one coat, interior walls and ceilings | sqft | 3000 | 14 | 42,000 |
| 3 | Emulsion paint, two coats, interior walls, matt finish, standard shades | sqft | 2400 | 38 | 91,200 |
| 4 | Ceilings: putty, primer and two coats of emulsion, white | sqft | 600 | 55 | 33,000 |
| 5 | Exterior primer, one coat, after surface cleaning and crack filling | sqft | 1800 | 16 | 28,800 |
| 6 | Weather coat, two coats, exterior walls, standard shades | sqft | 1800 | 48 | 86,400 |
| 7 | Enamel paint, two coats on wooden doors and frames, both sides, including sanding | nos | 8 | 3,800 | 30,400 |
| 8 | Enamel on MS grills, gates and railings, one coat red oxide and two coats enamel | sqft | 320 | 65 | 20,800 |
| 9 | Scaffolding for exterior work: erection, hire for the duration and removal | lot | 1 | 35,000 | 35,000 |
| 10 | Masking and protection of floors and fittings, cleaning and removal of debris | lot | 1 | 12,000 | 12,000 |
| Subtotal | 446,800 | ||||
| Sales tax / GST @ 17% (editable in the file) | 75,956 | ||||
| Grand total | 522,756 | ||||
How do you fill in the template?
The file opens with the sample lines in place. Overwrite them with your job; the Amount column and the totals recalculate. Five steps:
- Replace the header placeholders. Business details, client and site, a fresh quote number, the date and a validity date. Thirty days is normal.
- Measure the walls and ceilings room by room. Length times height for walls, length times width for ceilings, in sqft, deducting only large openings. Keep interior and exterior separate.
- Enter one line per stage. Putty, primer and paint as separate lines with the number of coats, then ceilings, then exterior primer and weather coat.
- Count the doors and measure the metalwork. Doors in numbers, both sides; grills and railings in sqft of face area.
- Add scaffolding and protection, set the tax cell and complete the second sheet. Type 17, 5 or 0, write the assumptions and exclusions, and save under the quote number.
What should the assumptions say?
Painting quotations fail on the condition of the surface and on what "standard shade" means. State both, and say what happens when the wall under the old paint turns out to be damp.
- Areas measured from the drawings, openings over 20 sqft deducted; site measurement may change them.
- Existing surfaces sound; loose paint scraped, but plaster repair, crack stitching and waterproofing excluded.
- Standard shades from the named brand's shade card; premium shades priced separately.
- Additional coats and shade changes after the first coat priced per sqft before the work proceeds.
- Warranty on peeling caused by application; dampness and structural cracks excluded.
The BOQ format example explains the six columns, and why clients reject quotes covers the vague "painting, complete house" quotation that this format replaces.
How is the area measured for a painting quotation?
Wall length times wall height for each room, in square feet, with door and window openings deducted only when they are larger than about 20 sqft, because the painter still cuts in around the smaller ones. Ceilings are length times width. Doors are counted in numbers and priced for both sides; grills and railings are measured by their overall face area. Write the method in the assumptions so the client measures the same way you did.
Should putty and primer be separate lines from the paint?
Yes. Putty and primer are where surface preparation lives, and a quotation that only says 'two coats emulsion' leaves the client to assume preparation is included and you to find out it was not. Separate lines let the client drop putty on walls that are already smooth, or add a third coat where a dark shade is being covered, without renegotiating the whole price.
How many coats should a painting quotation state?
The exact number on every line: two coats of emulsion, one coat of primer, one coat of red oxide plus two of enamel. 'As required' is not a specification. Shade changes from dark to light, new plaster and exterior weather coats often need an extra coat, so the terms should say that additional coats are priced per sqft before the work proceeds.
Generate it with AI instead
Describe the job in a sentence or two and the free BOQ generator drafts the itemised lines with local rates for Pakistan or the UAE, in this same six-column format. No account needed. Save it in EstimateQuote to price it from your own rate library, add your logo and terms, export the PDF, and send the client a link they can accept online or on WhatsApp.
Co-founder of EstimateQuote, based in Islamabad. Builds the product, including the AI pricing and BOQ features, and writes these guides.
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All templates: free quotation and BOQ templates.