Why Are Painting Quotes So Different? (One Was $900, One Was $2,800)
Three painters, three wildly different numbers. Here is what is usually hiding behind the gap and how to compare quotes line by line.
It happens all the time. You get three quotes for the same rooms and they're nowhere near each other. Nobody's necessarily ripping you off. They're usually quoting different jobs.
What's usually behind the gap
- Surfaces. One quote is walls only. Another includes ceilings, trim, doors and closets.
- Coats. One coat vs. two coats is a big labor difference.
- Prep. Patching, sanding, caulking and priming are the slow parts. A low quote often skips them.
- Paint. Contractor-grade vs. premium lines.
- Insurance and registration. Registered, insured contractors carry real overhead. Someone working without them can come in cheaper, and you carry the risk.
- Moving furniture and cleanup. Included, or your job?
How to compare apples to apples
Ask every contractor to put these in writing:
- Rooms and surfaces included
- Number of coats
- Prep steps
- Paint brand and line
- Who moves furniture
- Start date and how many days
- Payment schedule
Once they're all written the same way, the "expensive" quote sometimes turns out to be the only complete one.
Red flags
- Big cash deposit before any schedule is set
- No written contract
- Can't give you a Connecticut HIC registration number
- Price changes after work starts with no written change order
Our quotes list every one of those items and the price doesn't change unless you change the scope.
Quick answers
Why do painting quotes vary so much?
Usually different scope: surfaces, coats, prep, paint quality, and whether insurance and cleanup are included.