What painting actually costs — and why quotes differ.
The same 3-bedroom job gets quoted thousands apart. That’s rarely dishonesty — it’s three painters pricing three different scopes. Here’s roughly where the numbers sit, what moves them, and how we make ours something you can actually compare.
Rough range before you pick up the phone.
Four taps for an indicative figure. It is a ballpark, not a quote — the real number comes after a walkthrough.
Get a rough range in four taps.
A ballpark from the same maths behind our quotes. Indicative only — your real figure is tied to your surfaces and prep.
Indicative only, not a quote. We give a fixed, itemised seven-line quote after a walkthrough.
Get my itemised quote3-bedroom home, Northern Rivers, 2026.
| Cheap quote (no prep, 1 coat) | $2,800 – $4,500 |
| Mid-tier (light prep, 2 coats, mid paint) | $5,500 – $8,500 |
| Premium (full prep, branded paint, 2–3 coats) | $9k – $14k |
| Heritage / lead-paint / two-storey | $15k – $30k+ |
| Exterior (weatherboard or render, 3BR) | $8k – $22k |
Six things that decide where your quote lands.
None of them show in the finished wall. All of them decide what you pay — and how long it lasts.
Six levers. One honest range.
Prep depth
The biggest single lever. Sound walls need a wash and light sand; failing paint needs stripping, filling and spot-priming first.
Number of coats
Two is standard. Dark-to-light changes and problem walls need three — and a tinted primer underneath.
Paint grade
Trade white vs a named premium line (e.g. Dulux Wash & Wear) is a real cost difference, and a real lifespan difference.
Ceiling height + access
Cathedral ceilings, stairwells, and two-storey exteriors needing scaffold over ladders all add labour.
Colour change
Staying in the same family is cheap. A bold or dark-to-light change adds a coat and sometimes a primer.
Surface + condition
Render, steel and pre-1970 lead-painted surfaces each need a specific system — and lead-safe prep is a costed step, never skipped.
Every quote splits into the same seven lines.
So the figure you’re comparing is tied to a scope you can read — not a single number with nothing behind it.
The cheap quote is the expensive one.
- 1 Wash + clean. Sugar-soap removes oils and residue — without it, paint lifts.
- 2 Sanding + filling. Nail holes, cracks, surface roughness. Finish quality lives here.
- 3 Masking + drop sheets. Floors, fixtures, edges. Skip it and you pay in cleanup.
- 4 Primer (surface-specific). New plaster, old enamel and steel each need a different primer.
- 5 Number of coats. Two is standard. One means you’ll see the old colour through it.
- 6 Paint brand + product. Named on the quote — Dulux Wash & Wear, not “trade white”.
- 7 Cut-in + edges. Ceilings, skirting, architraves — visible for the next 10 years.
What you get from us
- ✓Itemised quote, 7 lines
- ✓Primer always specified
- ✓Paint brand + product named
- ✓Licence + insurance on request
- ✓References in your suburb
- ✓Quote on letterhead
Cowboy tells
- ✕“No prep needed”
- ✕No primer line in the quote
- ✕Cash discount, no invoice
- ✕“Whatever paint you like”
- ✕No insurance certificate
- ✕Quote by text — “$4,500 the house”
We’ll tell you the smaller one if that’s the honest answer.
Patch + touch-up
Fix marks and problem walls, colour-matched from the original tin.
Wrong when: faded everywhere, colour change wanted.
Room refresh
Repaint specific rooms with light prep — walls, ceilings, sometimes trim.
Wrong when: whole-house overhaul needed.
Full repaint
Interior + exterior, full prep, new colour scheme.
Wrong when: paint mostly sound.
Read deeper before you compare quotes
Get a fixed, itemised quote — no surprise number.
Tell us what you need painted. We’ll book a walkthrough and send a quote you can actually read.