How to Choose a Painter in Phuket and Read a Quotation

How do you choose a painter and read a painting quotation?

The method that works for choosing a painter in Phuket is to ask for written quotations from painters who have visited and measured the property, then compare the quotations line by line on the same terms. Seven items need comparing: the measured area, the number of coats, the paint grade, surface preparation listed as separate lines, scaffolding, the written warranty terms, and the payment terms. A lower total is not better value if the scope of work is not the same. This article is part of the house painting guides for homeowners in Phuket.

The advice on this page is neutral. The same checks apply to any painter, and to a quotation from Phuket Pro Painters as well.

What should you prepare before asking for a quotation?

Giving every painter the same information makes the quotations comparable.

1. Define the scope clearly: for example the whole exterior, or the interior of the ground floor only; ceilings included or not; boundary walls and steelwork included or not.
2. Decide provisionally how you want to hire: labour only, buying the paint yourself, or labour and paint together.
3. Decide the paint grade you want, or ask the painter to quote two grades for comparison.
4. State any constraints, such as a completion date, the hours when work is allowed, and the rules of the housing estate or the juristic person, the body that manages a Thai condominium or estate for its owners.
5. Arrange for the painter to see the property, because the condition of the walls decides the surface preparation.

Owners who live abroad can ask a property manager to attend the survey, as long as the same written scope goes to each painter.

Which items must a good painting quotation contain?

Use the table as a checklist when a quotation arrives.

How do you read each item in a quotation?

How is the painting area measured?

Most painting is priced by wall area in square metres, not by the floor area of the house. Painters may measure differently, for example deducting door and window openings or not, and including eaves soffits or not. Ask how the area was measured and ask for the figure to be written in the quotation. A lump-sum quotation that gives no area is hard to compare with others.

What should you look for in the number of coats and the primer?

The general standard is one coat of primer and two top coats. The quotation should say clearly which primer is used and how many top coats are applied. The price gap between two painters often hides here.

What should you look for in the paint grade?

With labour and paint together, the quotation should state the grade or product of both the primer and the top coat, so the cans can be checked when they arrive on site. With labour only, the quotation should state who works out the paint quantity and who supplies the tools. For interior work, the paint grade affects odour and washability, as explained in the guide to choosing interior house paint. For exterior work, the paint grade affects resistance to sun and rain, as explained in the guide to exterior paint for a hot, humid climate.

Should surface preparation be listed separately?

Yes. Surface preparation means washing the walls, scraping loose old paint, sanding, filling holes and hairline surface marks, and priming. The amount of this work varies widely from house to house. When preparation is listed as separate lines, the owner can see what is being paid for and the painter is committed to doing the work.

How are scaffolding and work at height charged?

Houses of two storeys or more, hillside houses, and walls above a lower roof need scaffolding or equipment for work at height. The quotation should list this item separately and say which parts of the house are covered.

How should the warranty be written?

The warranty terms should be in the quotation in writing. The terms should give the period, what is covered, such as paint peeling because of workmanship, and what is not covered, such as damage from water entering the wall or from cracks in the structure. Ask how a repair request is made as well.

What should the payment terms be?

Paying in instalments tied to progress is common practice. The quotation should state the number of instalments, the condition for each, and a final instalment paid after the work has been inspected and accepted. Ask for a receipt for every payment.

How do you compare several quotations fairly?

1. Draw up a comparison table, with each item from the previous section as a row and each painter as a column.
2. Check that the areas used are close to each other. If they differ widely, ask how the area was measured.
3. Bring the scopes level. If one painter includes primer and another does not, ask for the missing price until the scopes match.
4. Compare paint of the same grade.
5. Look at what is excluded from the price, because those items are costs that will follow.
6. Compare the totals last, once you are sure the scopes are equal.

Comparing in this way shows where a price difference comes from, without judging any painter on the total alone. For reference figures before talking to painters, estimated rates are on the painting prices in Phuket page.

What should you ask a painter before deciding?

• Who will actually do the work, and who is the supervisor that can be reached throughout the job?
• How will floors, furniture, plants and cars be protected during painting?
• What happens if rain falls during exterior work, and how does the completion date change?
• If a problem outside the quotation is found, such as a damp wall or a crack, how is the owner told and what is agreed before work carries on?
• Which work does the painter not take on, so that the owner can find a specialist for that part in good time?
• Which languages can the team communicate in, where the owner or the house manager is a foreigner?
• After handover, how is the site cleaned and what happens to leftover paint?

A painter who answers these questions clearly and is willing to write the answers into the quotation usually works in an organised way.

Which terms should be put in writing before work starts?

The terms that belong on paper are the scope and area, the paint system and number of coats, the paint grade and shade, the items charged separately, the schedule, the payment instalments and the warranty terms. If anything changes during the job, such as extra area or a different shade, agree the price of the change in writing before the work is done.

How does Phuket Pro Painters work along these lines?

Phuket Pro Painters has painters with more than 10 years of experience and an English-speaking team. We survey and measure the site free of charge and issue a written quotation before work starts, every time. Surface preparation and scaffolding or work at height are shown as separate lines, and the workmanship warranty after handover has its period and terms stated in the quotation. Customers can choose labour only or labour and paint together.

How to book a visit and what the document contains are explained on the free site survey and quotation page. The scope of work is described on the house and villa painting in Phuket page.