Painting
Painting prep: the line items that protect your price
When a painting bid loses to a cheaper one-line quote, it's often because the customer could only compare totals. Put the prep in writing, line by line: wash, scrape, sand, spot prime, caulk, two full coats, and the exact product line and sheen. Bring photos of prep from past jobs. Customers aren't buying paint. They're buying how long the job lasts.
Your bid came in two grand higher, and they went with the other guy. You know your number was fair. You know the other painter won't scrape half of what you would have. But the customer didn't know that, because the other bid fit on one line, and a one-line bid leaves the customer nothing to compare except the total.
Why the vague bid wins
A homeowner holding two bids is trying to answer one question: which one is the better deal? If one says "Paint exterior, 2 coats, $6,400" and yours says "Exterior repaint, $8,400," the only visible difference is $2,000. They can't see the hours of scraping, the primer on bare wood or the caulk on every joint. So they don't count them.
The fix isn't dropping your price. It's making the work visible, so the other bid looks like what it usually is: half a job.
The prep lines to write out
Most of the value on a repaint happens before the first finish coat. These are the lines that belong on the bid, written in words a homeowner understands.
- Wash. Remove dirt, chalk and mildew so paint bonds to the surface, not to grime. Include drying time before prep starts.
- Scrape. All loose and flaking paint removed down to a firmly bonded edge.
- Sand. Scraped edges feathered so the old paint line doesn't show through the new coat.
- Spot prime. Every area of bare wood or repair primed with a primer suited to the surface.
- Caulk. Open joints at trim, corners, windows and doors sealed with a paintable caulk. Say which joints you leave open on purpose, like the bottom edges of lap siding.
- Two full coats. Say two, and say which surfaces get them. "Two coats" on the walls and one on the trim is a different job.
- The exact product. Brand line, sheen and color, per surface. A generic "premium paint" line can mean anything.
- Protection and cleanup. Covering plants, walkways and roofs, masking windows, and daily cleanup of paint chips.
Add carpentry as its own line or allowance, with a unit price for rotted boards found during scraping. That keeps surprises from turning into arguments halfway through.
Side by side: one line vs the full scope
Here's how the two bids look to the customer when you put them next to each other, which is exactly what you want them to do.
| Line | Their bid | Your bid |
|---|---|---|
| Wash | Not listed | Full house wash, dry 24 hours |
| Scrape and sand | Not listed | All loose paint, edges feathered |
| Prime | Not listed | Bare wood and repairs spot primed |
| Caulk | Not listed | Trim, corners, windows and doors |
| Coats | "2 coats" | Two full coats, body and trim |
| Product | Not listed | Named line, satin body, semi-gloss trim |
| Total | $6,400 | $8,400 |
Example numbers for illustration. Your scope and prices will differ.
Once the customer reads the rows, the question changes from "why is yours more?" to "is theirs doing any of this?" That's a question the other painter has to answer, not you.
Show the prep, then walk the bid
Words help. Pictures close. Keep a short album on your phone of prep from past jobs: scraped trim down to a sound edge, primed spots on bare siding, a caulked corner before and after. Customers have rarely seen what good prep looks like, and ten seconds of photos does more than a paragraph.
Then present the bid in person or on a call instead of just emailing a PDF. Something like:
YouBefore you look at the total, let me show you what's in it. The south side is peeling pretty badly, so we'll scrape all of that to a solid edge, sand it so the lines don't show, and prime the bare wood before any color goes on.
CustomerThe other painter just said two coats.
YouTwo coats is the last step for us too. It's worth asking them what happens before that. Paint over loose paint only lasts as long as the old paint underneath it.
You never have to criticize the other bid. The scope does it for you. If they still want time to think, a steady rhythm of check-ins keeps you in the running; following up on painting estimates covers what to say and when.
Keep the hours off the page
Itemizing the scope doesn't mean exposing your math. Leave production rates, labor hours and your markup off the bid. Customers who see "14 hours of scraping" start negotiating hours, which they can't judge. Show what will be done, the product, and a total, with optional add-ons priced separately so they can choose without cutting prep.
Your internal estimate is where the hours live, whether you work from a per-room method inside or elevation by elevation outside. The mechanics are in pricing interior painting and pricing exterior painting. On exterior bids written in late fall, note the temperature and dew limits you'll follow, as explained in painting in cold weather, so short days don't look like slow work.
Lead paint: on homes built before 1978, scraping and sanding painted surfaces for pay falls under the EPA's RRP rule. Put the lead-safe setup, containment and cleanup on the bid as their own line so the customer sees why they take time.
Rewrite your template this week
Pull your last three lost bids and read them as a homeowner would. If any of them could fit on one line, rebuild your template with every prep step, the product and the coats spelled out, and a spot for photos. Then send the next bid the new way and walk the customer through it. Nobody's really buying the paint. They're buying how long it lasts, and the prep lines are how they see it.
Common questions
Won't a detailed bid just help the customer shop my scope to a cheaper painter?
Sometimes, and it's worth it anyway. Most competitors who get handed your scope still won't do all of it, and the customer notices when the other painter shrugs at the list. Protect your time by keeping labor hours and production rates off the bid. The scope shows what you'll do, not how you calculated it.
Should I offer a cheaper option with less prep?
It can help, as long as the difference is spelled out. Two or three tiers, from light prep to full scrape and prime, let the customer choose instead of walking away. Tie the warranty to the tier, so a customer who skips priming bare wood isn't holding you to the same promise as one who paid for it.
How long should a painting bid be?
Long enough to list every prep step and the finish, short enough to read in two minutes. For most homes that's one page, organized by area or elevation, with the product, sheen and number of coats named. A three-page bid full of legal language reads like a trap, not a plan.
Do I need to mention lead paint on the bid?
On homes built before 1978, if your work will disturb painted surfaces, the EPA's RRP rule applies to paid work and requires certified firms and lead-safe practices. Noting it on the bid explains the containment and cleanup time you priced in. Check the current federal requirements and any stricter state rules.