Normally included
- Surface preparation — filling, sanding, caulking, degreasing
- Masking and floor protection
- Priming where required
- Finish coats to a stated number
- Clean-up
Interior finishing
Painting & decorating
The highest return per dollar of any work you can do before a sale, and the easiest place to be quietly shortchanged. Almost all of the cost is labour and preparation; almost all of the difference in outcome is preparation too.
Scope
What the work is—and what it isn’t.
Most disputes begin with an exclusion nobody read. Confirm both columns against any quote you receive before comparing prices.
Normally excluded
- Drywall repair beyond minor filling
- Wallpaper removal
- Lead-safe work practices, unless quoted
What moves the price
Why two quotes for the same room differ.
These are the decisions and conditions that actually drive cost on this trade. Understand them and a wide spread between quotes usually explains itself.
- 01
Preparation, which is most of the labour. A quote that is cheap is almost always cheap here.
- 02
Number of coats, and whether a primer is included. Colour changes and bare drywall both need one.
- 03
Paint product and sheen. Higher sheen shows every substrate defect, so it also raises preparation cost.
- 04
Trim, doors and ceilings — cutting in is slow work, and trim is usually priced separately from walls.
- 05
Ceiling height and stairwells.
- 06
Occupied versus empty. An empty house paints faster and better.
- 07
Pre-1980 homes where sanding may disturb lead-based paint.
Cost ranges
What it costs in Halton.
Cost ranges for this trade have not been published yet.
Rather than repeat a national average that means nothing in Halton, this table stays empty until the figures are ones I have priced myself. The cost drivers above are the part that matters most anyway—they explain why the numbers vary.
If you want a real number for your property, that is what the walkthrough is for.
Book a free walkthrough →Before you sign
What the quote must contain.
If any of these is missing, ask for it in writing before you compare prices. A quote that cannot answer these questions is not a quote—it is an estimate wearing a suit.
- Paint brand, line and sheen by surface — 'premium paint' means nothing
- Number of coats, stated per surface
- Exactly what preparation is included
- Whether trim, doors, ceilings and closets are in or out
- Who moves and protects furniture
Walk away
Red flags on this trade.
None of these are matters of taste. Each one has a specific consequence, and each is visible before you commit any money.
- No product named
- 'One coat should cover it' on a colour change
- No mention of primer on bare or repaired surfaces
- Dry-scraping or power-sanding painted surfaces in a pre-1980 house
Before the final payment
- Check lines at ceiling, trim and switch plates in daylight
- Look along the wall, not at it — roller lap marks show at an angle
- Confirm the leftover paint and the actual product labels are left with you
The bench
Who I’d send you to.
No names here, deliberately — a published list is an endorsement I cannot stand behind on any given day, and the contractors on it were told they would not appear on one. Tell me the project and I’ll introduce you to whichever of these fits it.
Painter A
- Experience
- 12 years
- Set-up
- Two-man crew
If you are selling
What this does to a sale.
If a seller does one thing, it is paint — in a neutral, current colour, done properly. It is the cheapest way to move a buyer's estimate of a home's condition.
Ready to hire
I’ll give you one or two names, not a directory.
Contractors on the bench supply current WSIB, liability insurance and licence documentation, and I have walked their finished work. No referral fee is accepted from any of them.
A straightforward first conversation
Thinking about painting & decorating?
Tell me where you are in the process. We’ll discuss the property, the market, and the questions that matter most to you.