Quote Checklist
Hiring a Painter and Decorator
Choosing a decorator in Cambridge can feel like guesswork, especially when quotes look very different.
Here is a simple guide to what to check, what to ask, and what to get in writing before you book anyone.
- How do I compare quotes that are not like for like?
- What should a quote include?
- What if the finish needs small fixes?
Cambridge Decorators connects people in Cambridge with a trusted local decorator. Call 01223 912776 for a free quote.
Compare Quotes
How Do You Compare Decorating Quotes That Are Not Like for Like?
Two prices only compare when they cover the same work. That means the same surfaces, preparation, coats, paint and exclusions.
Until those match, you are comparing two different jobs, not two prices.
Put the quotes side by side and check them room by room. Look at these things:
- Surfaces.
- Preparation.
- Coats.
- Paint.
- Exclusions.
One quote may include filling and sanding throughout. The other may price the painting alone. Look at that gap before you compare the totals.
If neither quote says what is included, that is the first thing to ask. Want an example of a job set out in detail?
The page on whole-house decorating shows how one job is broken down.
What A Quote Includes
What Should a Painter and Decorator Quote Include?
A useful quote spells out the things that decide whether the finish lasts. Look for these eight things:
- Surfaces. Every wall, ceiling and piece of woodwork included, listed room by room
- Preparation. What filling, sanding and sealing will be done, and where
- Paint. The products named, not just “trade paint”
- Access. Ladders or towers for high walls and ceilings
- Protection. Floors, fixtures and furniture covered before work starts
- Schedule. Which rooms are done in which order, and over how many days
- Payment stages. What you pay at each stage, and what it covers
- Exclusions. Any repair or surface the price does not cover
You can compare quotes line by line when they include these eight things. A quote that gives only a total and a start week cannot be compared, so ask for the detail in writing. A real price for your job needs someone to see the rooms first, so your quote should start with a visit.
Why Choose Us
Why Choose Us
A local introduction beats a national directory: someone sees the rooms before any price is written.
Quote In Writing
The quote sets out surfaces, preparation, coats, paint and exclusions before you compare totals.
Preparation Priced
Filling, sanding and sealing are named, and the person quoting can answer preparation questions from the quote.
Payment Stages Agreed
The stages, what each payment covers and what happens if work stops part way through are settled in writing.
Fixes Listed
Small fixes are spotted, written down and put right before the final payment is made.
Missing Preparation
Which Questions Show Whether Preparation Has Been Missed Out?
Specific questions about preparation tell you more than a promise of a “professional finish”. Preparation is where most of the hours go, and it is where a cheap quote hides its savings.
Ask these before you accept any price:
- What will you do about old, flaking paint on the woodwork?
- How will you deal with cracks and filled areas before painting?
- Which rooms need sealing, and what will you seal them with?
- How many coats are included, and what goes underneath the first coat?
A decorator who has priced the preparation properly can answer these from the quote in front of them. A decorator who has not will talk about the finish instead.
Need this checked on your own walls? Cambridge Decorators connects Cambridge homeowners with a trusted local painter and decorator for a free quote. Ask Cambridge Decorators to arrange a free site quote for your decorating project in Cambridge. Call 01223 912776.
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Ask about your own rooms before you compare another total
Insurance And References
How Do You Check Insurance, References and Who Does the Work?
Three checks tell a careful decorator from one who just sounds confident. Each takes a few minutes, and each is fair to ask for before you commit.
Insurance. Ask whether the decorator has public liability insurance, and ask to see the certificate. Check the dates on it rather than the logo.
References. Ask for the address of a recent job, or photos of finished work in similar rooms. A decorator who works locally can usually point to recent work nearby.
Who does the work. Ask who will be on site each day, and whether the person you speak to is the person holding the brush. The quote should also say who is responsible for each repair, so nothing is disputed halfway through.
Deposit And Payments
How Much Deposit Should a Decorator Ask For?
There is no standard deposit, so use the figure to start a conversation rather than as a test. What matters is that the payment stages are in writing and each one pays for something real.
A fair conversation about staged payments settles four things:
- The stages. What they are, and how much of the price falls at each one
- What each payment covers. Which part of the work has been done by then
- The final payment. When it falls due, and what you check before paying it
- Work that stops part way through. What happens if the job is interrupted
A decorator with a clear answer to each has had this conversation before.
Cambridge Homes
What Should a Quote Say About Cambridge Homes?
Homes in Cambridge vary, and the quote should describe the actual house. What matters on one street is not always what matters on the next. Two Cambridge examples show the range.
Newnham Croft and Trumpington: Conservation Areas
Cambridge City Council’s tree strategy names 11 conservation areas, including Newnham Croft and Trumpington. Homes in areas like these are often older. For older homes, a quote should have more detail about preparation, not less. Many layers of paint on woodwork, patched plaster and high ceilings each add hours.
The council’s document describes the areas in general. It sets no rule for pricing a job.
Trumpington: Older and Newer Buildings
The Trumpington appraisal records 16th-century cottages, manor houses and a historic village core. It also notes pressure from new building. Old and new homes can stand close together.
They raise different questions about surfaces and condition. A quote should come from the actual building the decorator has seen. Neither council source changes that.
For a painting and decorating company covering Cambridge, call Cambridge Decorators. They arrange a free site quote, so the price comes from your rooms rather than a template.
Planning a refresh across the whole house? The house painting page shows how one job is planned. Original walls and woodwork get their own treatment on the period property painting page.
Small Fixes
What If the Finish Needs Small Fixes?
The quote should say how small fixes are spotted, written down and put right before you make the final payment. This is normal on decorating jobs. Hardly any decorator finishes a job with nothing to fix. A good one finishes with a list and a date for the fixes.
Ask three questions before you commit. When is the walk round, and who checks the rooms against the quote? How is a fix recorded, in writing or in a message you both keep? And when are the fixes done, compared with the final payment?
The answers take a minute to give and save an argument later. Hold back the final payment until you have walked the rooms and the list is closed.
For decorating quotes in Cambridge, call Cambridge Decorators on 01223 912776 and speak to the decorator covering Cambridge.
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Talk through the list of small fixes before you release the final payment
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