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How do you write a quotation for painting work?
Measure each surface on site and price it per square foot (or square metre): interior walls and ceilings, exterior walls, doors and windows, grills. For each line, state the surface preparation, the number and type of coats, and the paint brand, range and finish, and whether the rate includes material. Then add GST if you are registered, how the area will be measured and what is deducted, the timeline, payment stages, warranty and validity.
- One rate per surface type, with preparation and coats written into the description.
- Say how openings are treated: which are deducted and whether jambs are added.
- Name the paint product and finish, or the client cannot compare quotes.
- Registered painters charge 18% GST, with or without material; small painters may not charge GST at all.
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On this page
- What a painting quotation needs that others do not
- How to fill in this painting quotation
- Measuring the area: walls, ceilings and openings
- Example: repainting a house, with material
- Surface preparation and coats
- Brand, finish and shades
- GST on painting work
- Timelines and terms for painting work
- Mistakes to avoid
- Key terms
- Questions people ask
What a painting quotation needs that others do not
Numbering, validity and how acceptance works are covered on the main quotation format page. Painting quotes go wrong in a narrower way: two painters quote "₹24 a sq ft" and mean different things. One includes two coats of putty and a primer; the other paints straight over the old finish. One measures the floor area; the other measures the walls. The quote has to pin down three things:
- The area: which surfaces, how they are measured, and what is deducted.
- The system: the preparation and the coats, in order.
- The product: brand, range, finish and the number of shades.
How to fill in this painting quotation
- Your business and the clientEnter your business, with your GSTIN if registered, and the client with the site address. Homeowners have no GSTIN; leave it blank.
- One line per surfaceInterior walls and ceilings, exterior walls, doors and windows, grills: each with its preparation and coats in the description, its measured area and your rate per sq ft.
- GSTRegistered painters use 18%. If you are not registered or are under the composition scheme, set the rate to 0% and say why in the notes.
- Notes and termsIn notes, write the measurement rule and the paint range and shades. In terms, write the work period, payment stages, warranty and validity.
- Sign in to send and billCreating here is free. Signing in numbers the quotation and turns it into the invoice when the work is done; issuing and sending need the Sales module.
Measuring the area: walls, ceilings and openings
Painters quote per sq ft of painted surface, not per sq ft of floor. Measure each room:
- Walls: perimeter of the room x height to the ceiling.
- Ceiling: length x width.
- Openings: deduct doors and windows by your stated rule. A common rule in private work is to ignore small openings and deduct larger ones in full, without adding the jambs.
- Doors, windows and grills: measured separately, by their area (both faces for doors), at their own rate, because they take enamel, not emulsion.
| Bedroom 12 ft x 11 ft, 10 ft high | Working | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Walls | 2 x (12 + 11) x 10 | 460 sq ft |
| Less door 3 ft x 7 ft | Above 5 sq ft: deducted | 21 sq ft |
| Less window 4 ft x 4 ft | Above 5 sq ft: deducted | 16 sq ft |
| Net wall area | 460 - 21 - 16 | 423 sq ft |
| Ceiling | 12 x 11 | 132 sq ft |
| Emulsion area for the room | 423 + 132 | 555 sq ft |
Public works measure painting to IS 1200 Part 13 (whitewashing, colour washing, distempering and painting of building surfaces), which has its own deduction rules by size of opening. Whatever rule you use, write it in the notes, as the example in the editor does, and bill on the area measured jointly after the work. Conversions: 1 sqm = 10.764 sq ft.
Example: repainting a house, with material
Marina Painting Contractors quotes a Chennai homeowner for repainting an independent house: interiors with putty, primer and two coats of emulsion; the exterior with primer and two coats of exterior emulsion; doors, windows and grills in enamel. The house is in Tamil Nadu and Marina is registered there, so GST is CGST + SGST. The homeowner is not registered, so no GSTIN appears for the client.
- Site visit date: the areas and condition the rates are based on.
- Work period, so the client can plan around it.
- Homeowner without a GSTIN: the place of supply is where the house is.
- One line per surface, with the preparation and coats in the description.
- GST at 18%, CGST + SGST, because the house is in the painter's state.
- Measurement rule, product and payment stages, the usual sources of dispute.
The numbers: quotation QT/2026-27/064, with material
| Item | HSN/SAC | Qty | Rate | Taxable value | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior walls and ceilings: 2 coats wall putty, 1 coat primer, 2 coats premium acrylic emulsion | 995473 | 2,850 | ₹24.00 | ₹68,400.00 | ₹12,312.00 |
| Exterior walls: crack filling, 1 coat exterior primer, 2 coats exterior emulsion | 995473 | 1,600 | ₹28.00 | ₹44,800.00 | ₹8,064.00 |
| Wooden doors and windows: sanding, 2 coats synthetic enamel over existing paint | 995473 | 220 | ₹32.00 | ₹7,040.00 | ₹1,267.20 |
| MS grills and railings: rust removal, 1 coat red oxide primer, 2 coats enamel | 995473 | 140 | ₹22.00 | ₹3,080.00 | ₹554.40 |
| Taxable value | ₹1,23,320.00 | ||||
| CGST 9% | ₹11,098.80 | ||||
| SGST 9% | ₹11,098.80 | ||||
| Total | ₹1,45,517.60 | ||||
The job comes to ₹1,23,320 before GST and ₹1,45,517.60 with CGST and SGST of ₹11,098.80 each. If the jointly measured interior area is 2,780 sq ft, the bill falls by 70 x ₹24.
Labour-only rates
If the owner buys the paint, quote labour rates for the same surfaces and list the material you need, with quantities worked out from the maker's spreading rate on the label. Say that delays caused by material arriving late, or by a product different from the one specified, are not yours.
The same house, labour only
| Item | HSN/SAC | Qty | Rate | Taxable value | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior: putty 2 coats, primer, 2 coats emulsion, labour only | 995473 | 2,850 | ₹11.00 | ₹31,350.00 | ₹5,643.00 |
| Exterior: primer and 2 coats, labour only | 995473 | 1,600 | ₹12.00 | ₹19,200.00 | ₹3,456.00 |
| Doors, windows and grills: enamel, labour only | 995473 | 360 | ₹14.00 | ₹5,040.00 | ₹907.20 |
| Taxable value | ₹55,590.00 | ||||
| CGST 9% | ₹5,003.10 | ||||
| SGST 9% | ₹5,003.10 | ||||
| Total | ₹65,596.20 | ||||
Labour comes to ₹55,590 before GST and ₹65,596.20 with it. Painting services are taxed at 18% whether or not you supply the paint.
Surface preparation and coats
Write the system into each line, in the order it is applied. These are the usual systems; the maker's data sheet for the product decides the details.
| Surface | Preparation | Coats |
|---|---|---|
| New interior plaster | Allow to dry, remove loose material, sand | Primer, 1 or 2 coats putty, primer, 2 coats emulsion |
| Repaint interior, sound surface | Wash or dust, sand, fill cracks and dents | 1 coat primer where patched, 2 coats emulsion |
| Repaint interior, flaking or chalky | Scrape to a firm surface, sand, fill | Primer, putty on patches or full, primer, 2 coats emulsion |
| Exterior walls | Wash, remove algae and loose paint, fill cracks | Exterior primer, 2 coats exterior emulsion |
| Wood | Sand, knot sealing, fill | Wood primer (new wood), 2 coats enamel |
| Iron and steel | Remove rust and scale | Red oxide or zinc primer, 2 coats enamel |
Brand, finish and shades
- Name the product range, not only the brand: makers sell economy, premium and luxury emulsions at very different prices, and the client will compare your rate with another painter's on the brand name alone.
- Finish: matt, low sheen or high sheen for emulsion; gloss or satin for enamel.
- Shades: say how many are included. Each additional shade costs time, and dark shades often need an extra coat.
- Texture, stencil and designer finishes are priced per sq ft of feature wall, as separate lines.
- Maker's warranties on exterior paints usually depend on the full system being applied as specified. If the client wants the maker's warranty, quote that system and keep the purchase invoices.
GST on painting work
| Situation | GST |
|---|---|
| Painting a building with your paint and labour | Works contract for immovable property: 18% on the full value |
| Labour-only painting (client buys the paint) | Painting service: 18% |
| Paint, primer or putty sold without application | Rate of the goods: 18% for paints, varnishes and putty |
| Painter not registered (turnover below the threshold) | No GST charged; the quote should not show GST |
| Painter under the composition scheme for services | Cannot charge GST to the client; the quote says "composition taxable person" |
Registration is compulsory for a service provider once aggregate turnover passes ₹20 lakh in a financial year (₹10 lakh in the special category states). Below that, many small painters are unregistered and quote without GST, which is a real price difference for a homeowner, who cannot claim input tax credit. A business client generally cannot claim credit either when the painting is part of its building, because section 17(5) of the CGST Act blocks credit on works contracts and goods and services used for construction of immovable property, which includes renovation capitalised to the building. Routine repainting charged to the profit and loss account is a different case; your client's accountant will decide.
Timelines and terms for painting work
| Term | What to write |
|---|---|
| Work period | Working days from start, assuming rooms are cleared as agreed; drying time between coats as the maker specifies |
| Site conditions | Furniture moved or covered by whom; power and water by the client |
| Protection and cleaning | Floors, fittings and furniture covered; site cleaned daily and at the end |
| Measurement | Final bill on area measured jointly after completion, by the rule in the notes |
| Changes | Colour changes after application charged as an extra coat |
| Payment | Advance for material, a stage after preparation, balance on completion |
| Warranty | Workmanship (peeling, flaking, blistering) for a stated period; damp and structural cracks excluded |
| Validity | 15 days; paint makers revise prices several times a year |
Mistakes to avoid
- A per sq ft rate with no system. Write putty, primer and coats into the line.
- No rule for openings. The client will measure net; you measured gross.
- Floor area instead of wall area. A 1,000 sq ft flat has roughly three times that much wall and ceiling to paint.
- Brand without the range. Every major brand sells emulsions at several price points; name the product range.
- Showing GST when you are not registered, or charging it under the composition scheme. Neither is allowed.
- Painting over damp. Quote the repair or exclude it in writing.
Key terms
- Putty
- A filler applied to walls before painting to give a smooth surface.
- Primer
- The first coat that seals the surface and helps the finish coats adhere.
- Emulsion
- Water-based wall paint, sold in economy, premium and luxury ranges.
- Enamel
- A hard, glossy paint used on wood and metal.
- Spreading rate
- The area one litre covers per coat, stated by the maker.
- Composition scheme
- A simplified GST scheme for small businesses; they cannot charge GST to clients.
Questions people ask
How is painting work measured for a quotation?
By the area of the surfaces painted: wall perimeter times height, plus ceilings, less openings by your stated rule. Doors, windows and grills are measured and priced separately.
Should doors and windows be deducted from the wall area?
Larger openings usually are and small ones are not, but there is no single rule in private work. Write yours in the quotation; public works follow IS 1200 Part 13.
What is the GST rate on painting work?
18%, whether you paint with your own material (a works contract) or labour only. Paints, primers and putty sold on their own are also 18%.
Does a painting contractor need GST registration?
Once turnover passes ₹20 lakh in a financial year (₹10 lakh in special category states). Unregistered painters must not show GST on their quotations or bills.
How many coats should a painting quotation include?
Usually two finish coats over a primer, with one or two coats of putty on interior walls that need it. Write the full system into each line so quotes can be compared.
What is the difference between labour-only and with-material painting quotes?
With material, your rate covers paint, putty and primer as well as labour. Labour-only, the client buys the material and you list what is needed. Both are taxed at 18% if you are registered.
How long does it take to paint a house?
It depends on area, preparation and drying times between coats. State working days from the start in the quotation, and that the period assumes rooms are cleared as agreed.
What warranty should a painter give?
A workmanship warranty against peeling, flaking and blistering for a stated period, excluding damp and structural cracks. The paint maker's warranty, if any, depends on its specified system.