Quote Checklist
Hiring a Painter and Decorator
Hiring a decorator in Nottingham is easier when you know what to look for.
This page explains how to compare quotes, what a good quote includes, and which questions to ask before you say yes.
Robin Decorators connects people in Nottingham with a trusted local decorator.
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.
Put the quotes side by side and check them room by room. Look at the gap between them before you look at the totals.
- Filling and sanding throughout. One quote may include it.
- The painting alone. Another quote may price just that.
- What is included. If neither quote says, ask that first.
Until they match, you are comparing two different jobs.
For a big job set out in detail, see whole-house decorating in Nottingham.
What To Include
What Should a Painter and Decorator Quote Include?
A useful quote spells out what decides whether the finish lasts. Look for these eight things.
- Surfaces. Every wall, ceiling and piece of woodwork, listed room by room.
- Preparation. What filling, sanding and sealing is done, and where.
- Paint. The products named, not just “trade paint”.
- Access. Ladders, towers or scaffolding 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.
When a quote has all eight, you can compare it line by line. A quote with only a total and a start week cannot be compared. Ask for the detail in writing. A real price needs someone to see the rooms, so a good quote starts with a visit.
Why Choose Us
Why Compare Quotes This Way
Work Before Price
Two prices only compare when they cover the same surfaces, preparation, coats, paint and exclusions.
Preparation Questions
Specific questions about filling, sanding and sealing tell you more than a promise of a professional finish.
Evidence In Writing
Insurance, references and who does the work are fair things to ask for before you commit.
Fixes Agreed Up Front
The quote should say how small fixes are spotted, written down and put right before the final payment.
Ask Preparation
Which Questions Show Whether Preparation Has Been Missed Out?
Specific questions tell you more than a promise of a “professional finish”. Preparation is where most of the hours go. It is also 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 surfaces 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 can answer these from the quote in front of them. One who has not will talk about the finish instead.
Ask for a quote that spells out the preparation room by room
Insurance Checks
How Do You Check Insurance, References and Who Does the Work?
Three checks tell a careful decorator from one who only sounds confident. Each takes a few minutes. Each is fair to ask for before you commit.
Insurance. Your decorator carries public liability insurance. Ask them to confirm it in writing, and check the dates on the certificate.
References. Ask about a recent job, or for photos of finished work in similar rooms. What the decorator has done on jobs like yours is theirs to show you. The quote visit is the time to ask.
Who does the work. Ask who will be on site each day. Ask 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.
Payments
How Much Deposit Should a Decorator Ask For?
There is no standard deposit. Use the figure to start a conversation, not as a test. What matters is that the payment stages are in writing and each one pays for something real.
A fair talk 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 is done by then.
- The final payment. When it falls due, and what you check before paying it.
- Work that stops part way. What happens if the job is interrupted.
A decorator with a clear answer to each has had this talk before.
Property Mix
How Should a Quote Reflect Nottingham’s Property Mix?
Homes in Nottingham vary, and the quote should describe your actual building. Two local facts show the range. Neither one changes how you compare quotes.
The Park: Older Homes
Nottingham City Council describes The Park as a historic residential estate of national interest, just west of the city centre. It calls it a Victorian suburb of national importance, with a planned landscape and grand villas.
For homes like these, ask for more detail on preparation, not less. Many layers of paint, patched plaster and high ceilings each add hours. The council’s description sets no rule for pricing a job. The Victorian property painting page covers older homes in more detail.
The Local Plan: New Homes and Growth
The council’s Local Plan guides where new homes, jobs and services will go as the city grows. It describes future growth. It does not say any particular home is finished or ready.
A newer building can raise different questions about surfaces and condition from an older one. The quote should come from the building the decorator has actually seen. Neither council source changes that.
They arrange a free site quote, so the price comes from your rooms and not from a template.
Planning a refresh across the whole house? The house painting page shows how one job is planned.
Small Fixes
What Happens If the Finish Needs Fixing?
Small fixes after the main work are normal on decorating jobs. Hardly any decorator finishes with nothing to fix. A good one finishes with a list and a date for the fixes.
The quote should say how small fixes are spotted, written down and put right before you make the final payment.
Ask three questions before you commit. When is the walk round, and who checks the rooms against the quote? How is each fix recorded, in writing or in a message you both keep? When are the fixes done, compared with the final payment?
The answers take a minute to give. They save an argument later. Hold back the final payment until you have walked the rooms and the list is closed.