What should a commercial painting quote include?

Give every bidder the same starting point

For a Saskatoon office or retail repaint, start with a room-by-room scope rather than the building’s floor area alone. Walls, ceilings, doors and trim are separate quantities. Photograph each room and label the images so a contractor can connect the scope to the walkthrough.

Create one shared brief and send changes to every bidder. If one contractor includes moving furniture and another assumes empty rooms, their totals are not directly comparable. Keep optional work separate from the base scope so you can choose it deliberately.

• Location and room or zone name; surfaces included and excluded.
• Existing damage, stains and visible coating failures to assess.
• Colour changes, finish expectations and who approves samples.
• Operating hours, access restrictions and furniture responsibilities.

Ask for preparation and products in writing

A line that says “prep and paint” leaves important decisions unresolved. Ask what cleaning, repairs, priming and protection are included, and how newly discovered work will be priced. Product names, intended surfaces and application requirements should be specific enough to compare.

Sherwin-Williams identifies preparation and substrate compatibility as important to coating adhesion. That supports asking for a defined preparation scope; it does not tell you which system your particular building needs.

Reference: Sherwin-Williams: surface preparation

Use a comparison sheet, not a lowest-price shortcut

Make columns for each bidder and rows for surface quantities, repairs, coatings, access, protection, cleanup, schedule and exclusions. Mark an unanswered item “not stated”, not “included”. Ask bidders to resolve gaps before a decision.

For example, a reception-only repaint and a whole-suite repaint can both be described as “office painting”. That is an illustrative scope mismatch, not a PainterzRus estimate. Confirm taxes, payment milestones, change approval and any proposed warranty in the actual contract.

Can I compare quotes by price per square foot?

Only after confirming what area is measured and what work is included. Floor area, paintable surface area, repair needs and access can produce very different scopes.