Free Painting Contract Template

A painting contract sets terms between a property owner and the decorator doing the work. It records the rooms or elevations, the colors, the products, and how much preparation the price covers.

Preparation explains almost every price difference. Two quotes for the same house can differ by half. One includes filling, sanding, and priming, and the other does not.

Color causes the other half of the trouble. A shade chosen from a small card behaves differently across a whole wall in the room’s own light.

The work also happens around people. Furniture moves, rooms come out of use, and the building smells of paint for a while afterwards.

Write the scope down before anyone opens a tin. Once the wall carries two coats, discussing what should have happened underneath is academic.

Scale changes the schedule rather than the terms. One room and a whole exterior both need agreed colors, a stated prep scope, and a coat count.

Settle the visual decisions in writing, since these are the ones people feel strongly about.

Choosing Colors

Record the exact color name, code, and manufacturer for every surface. “Off-white” describes hundreds of products.

Test Patches

Paint sample areas and look at them across a full day. Light changes a color more than most people expect, and this step costs almost nothing.

Sheen Levels

Agree matt, eggshell, satin, or gloss for each surface. Sheen affects durability and how visible imperfections become.

Ceilings, Trim, and Doors

Say what color each element takes, including inside edges and door frames. People overlook these until the decorator asks mid-job.

Changing Color Later

Set out what a change of mind costs once work starts or the tins arrive. Custom-mixed tins rarely go back.

Feature Walls and Details

Where one wall or element differs, mark it on a plan. Verbal descriptions of which wall get remembered differently.

Recording the Formulas

Keep the color codes and batch details after the job. Touching up in two years is far easier with them.

This section is where a painting contract earns its keep.

What Prep Is Included

List it explicitly: washing, filling, sanding, caulking, and priming. A quote that stays silent has probably priced very little of it.

Filling and Sanding

Say how the decorator treats holes, cracks, and dents, and to what standard. Perfectly flat walls cost more than acceptable ones, so agree which you want.

Caulking and Gaps

Confirm whether the crew seals gaps around trim and skirting. Skipping this shows up sharply once the paint dries.

Stripping and Repairs

Flaking or failed paint needs removing rather than covering. Agree the method and the price where the extent is unclear.

Sealing and Undercoat

Ask whether the quote includes an undercoat, and on which surfaces. This is the first item a thin quote quietly leaves out.

Mould and Damp

Painting over damp or mould hides a problem briefly. Agree who investigates the cause before anyone covers it.

Anything Excluded

Name what falls outside: wallpaper removal, plaster repairs, or rotten timber replacement.

The product and the number of coats decide how long the work lasts.

How Many Coats

Write the count into the quote for every surface. A price that omits it can mean almost anything.

Covering a Dark Color

Going lighter, or over a strong shade, often needs an extra coat or a tinted primer. Agree the cost before the job rather than during it.

Product and Line

Name the manufacturer and product line, not just the brand. Ranges differ enormously in durability within one maker.

Supplying the Tins

Decide whether you buy the paint or the decorator does. Then confirm who keeps any full tins at the end, since you will want them for touch-ups.

Application Method

Confirm brush, roller, or spray. Spraying is faster and needs far more masking, so it changes the day rather than only the finish.

Coverage and Touch-In

Require even coverage, with no thin patches or visible roller lines. Check it before the crew leaves.

Most interior painting happens around a household that carries on.

Furniture and Contents

Agree who moves and covers furniture, and who takes down pictures and curtains. Then say who puts everything back.

Masking and Floor Protection

Require proper masking of floors, fittings, and hardware. Paint on a carpet is a much bigger conversation than the price of a dust sheet.

Working Hours and Rooms

Set daily hours and the order of rooms, so the household knows which space to use each day.

Ventilation and Drying

Paint and solvent fumes need airing out. Agree how the crew ventilates rooms, and how long each needs before normal use.

Re-entering Painted Rooms

Confirm when rooms are safe to use again, particularly bedrooms. Where children, pets, or anyone pregnant lives in the property, allow generous drying time. Keep them clear until the room has aired.

Daily Tidying

Require the site left tidy each evening, with lids on and brushes cleared away.

Two things sit outside anyone’s control: what is already on the wall, and the weather.

Paint on Older Buildings

Paint applied before the late 1970s may contain lead. Sanding, scraping, or heat-stripping it releases dust and fumes that are hazardous, especially to children and anyone pregnant. Test first, then confirm what your location requires. Rules on disturbing lead paint differ, and many places mandate certified handling.

Exterior Temperature and Damp

Paint applied in the cold, or onto a damp surface, fails early. Agree the conditions under which work pauses and who makes that call.

Season and Scheduling

Exterior work runs to the weather rather than the calendar. Build slack into the schedule and agree who absorbs a delay.

Working at Height

Confirm who provides ladders, towers, or scaffold, and who is responsible for erecting it safely. Height is where painting injuries happen.

The Daylight Walkthrough

Inspect together in daylight rather than under a bulb. Drips, missed patches, and lap marks hide beautifully in evening light.

Touch-Ups and Warranty

Agree a period for returning to fix defects, and what that covers. Keep leftover paint labelled by room for later repairs.

People buy painting on a quote and judge it on the preparation nobody sees. A painting contract template puts that detail in writing before the work begins.