Areas measured room by room and multiplied out by the coat schedule, with paint volumes worked from the product's own spread rate. Trim, doors and external work all on their own lines.
Painting is one of the few trades where the same square metre gets charged more than once, and that is exactly what most quick quotes miss. Two coats on new plasterboard over a sealer is three passes, not one.
We measure the area once and then multiply it out by the coat schedule for each substrate, so the labour reflects the passes. Paint volumes come off the product's stated spread rate rather than a flat litres-per-square-metre figure, because a sealer, a low-sheen and an enamel do not cover the same distance.
Walls and ceilings are measured room by room off the floor plan and the sections, with openings deducted at actual size. Areas are grouped by substrate — new plasterboard, existing painted surfaces, render, masonry, timber and metal — because each carries a different preparation and a different coat build-up.
Trim is measured on its own: skirting and architrave by the metre, doors and door frames by leaf and face, windows by unit and type. Trim is the item most often absorbed into a wall rate, and it is slow, detailed work that deserves its own number.
External work is measured separately again by substrate and exposure, plus preparation items — pressure washing, sanding, filling, stain blocking and priming — each with its own area, so a repaint over a failing surface is not priced like a new build.
Nothing here is an allowance. Each line is measured off your drawings in its own unit, so you can check it against the plan yourself.
| Item | How it is measured | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Wall area | Room by room, openings deducted, grouped by substrate | New board and existing painted walls need different preparation and coats |
| Ceiling area | By room, with raked ceilings measured on the slope | Ceilings are usually a different product and often a different number of coats |
| Coat schedule | Each area multiplied by its coats: sealer, undercoat, topcoats | Three passes on the same square metre is three lots of labour |
| Preparation | Wash, sand, fill, patch and stain block by area | On a repaint the preparation can exceed the painting itself |
| Trim | Skirting and architrave by metre, doors by leaf, windows by unit | Slow, fiddly work that disappears when it is folded into a wall rate |
| Doors and frames | Counted by leaf and face, with the finish type | A two-pack or enamel door is a different job to a roller-applied wall |
| External areas | By substrate and exposure, with access noted | Two storey external work needs scaffold or a lift — a real line item |
| Paint volumes | Litres by product from the stated spread rate, plus waste | Spread rate varies a lot by product; a flat figure over-orders some and under-orders others |
| Protection and make good | Masking, drop sheets and cleanup | Consumable but not free, especially on an occupied repaint |
| Substrate | Typical build-up | Note |
|---|---|---|
| New plasterboard | Sealer plus two topcoats | The sealer coat is non-negotiable on new board |
| Existing painted wall | Preparation plus one or two topcoats | Condition decides the coat count, not the area |
| New render or masonry | Primer or sealer plus two topcoats | Absorbency cuts the spread rate substantially |
| Bare timber | Primer, undercoat and two topcoats | Four passes, and usually by brush |
| Galvanised or bare metal | Etch or metal primer plus topcoats | Wrong primer means the whole job comes back |
| Feature or dark colours | Extra topcoat | Deep bases commonly need a third coat for opacity |
A new build is measured off the drawings. A repaint has to be assessed on condition, because peeling, chalking or previously unpainted patches decide the preparation, and preparation is usually the biggest labour item on the job.
Where we are estimating a repaint from drawings and photos, we state the surface condition we have assumed. That way you know exactly which line to revisit after you walk the site rather than discovering it mid-job.
The same five steps on every job, whether it is a single slab or a full tender package.
Email the architectural and structural drawings, the specification and the scope of works in whatever format you have — PDF, DWG, or photos of a marked-up set. If something is missing we will tell you before we start, not after.
Walls and ceilings are measured room by room off the floor plan and the sections, with openings deducted at actual size. Areas are grouped by substrate — new plasterboard, existing painted surfaces, render, masonry, timber and metal — because each carries a different preparation and a different coat build-up.
Every measured item gets its own colour and legend entry on the drawing. When the takeoff comes back you can see exactly what was counted and what was not, so you are never asked to trust a number you cannot trace. This is the part clients tell us they did not know they needed until they had it.
The takeoff is delivered as a working spreadsheet, not a locked PDF. Your rates sit in their own column, so you can change a supply price or a labour rate and watch the total move. Plug in your own numbers and the sheet is yours to reuse on the next job.
Quantities are re-measured independently and cross-checked against the drawing before anything leaves here. You get the marked-up plans, the priced spreadsheet and a plain-English note on anything we flagged as unclear or excluded.
The takeoff arrives as a live Excel spreadsheet with the colour-coded marked-up plans beside it. Your rates go in your own column, so you can plug in your own supply and labour numbers and reuse the sheet on the next job. Nothing is locked.
First estimate free. After that the fee is confirmed in writing as a fixed amount before any work starts. No retainer, no subscription, no lock-in contract. Full pricing detail here →
Ground-floor external painting is a ladder job. Anything above that needs scaffold, a lift or a swing stage, and the hire cost and duration can be a large share of the total.
We read the elevations for wall heights and the site plan for access, then note where access equipment is required and for roughly how long. It stays a separate line so you can price the hire properly instead of hoping the square metre rate stretches.
Quantities are measured against the standards and the specification for your job. Where a drawing and a standard disagree, we flag it rather than quietly picking one.
| Standard | Covers | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| AS 2311 | Guide to the painting of buildings | Surface preparation and coating systems |
| AS/NZS 2589 | Gypsum linings | The finish level the paint system has to sit on |
| AS/NZS 2312 | Guide to the protection of structural steel | Protective coatings for steel |
None of these are unusual. They are the things that get missed when a quote is put together at 9pm after a full day on the tools.
If your question is not here, email it through and you will get a straight answer, not a sales call.
From the measured area, the coat schedule and the stated spread rate of the actual product, plus a waste allowance. Every product gets its own line, so a sealer, a ceiling flat and a trim enamel are calculated separately rather than at one average rate.
Yes. Each area is multiplied out by its coats, so a sealer plus two topcoats appears as three passes of labour on the same square metres. It is the only way the labour on the estimate matches the labour on site.
Yes, on its own lines — skirting and architrave by the metre, doors by leaf and face, windows by unit and type. Trim is slow brush work and it never belongs inside a wall rate.
We can measure a repaint from plans, but the preparation depends on condition, which drawings do not show. We will state the surface condition we assumed and keep the preparation as its own line so you can adjust it after walking the site.
Yes. External areas are measured by substrate and exposure, and protective coatings to steel and metalwork are priced against the specified system rather than a generic paint rate.
The floor plan, the elevations, the sections for ceiling heights, and the room finishes or colour schedule. The specification matters most here, because it sets the coat build-up.
Most residential painting packages come back within 24 hours of the plans arriving. Large commercial or multi-unit repaints take longer, and we confirm the timing up front.
Most jobs cross more than one trade. We can price the whole package in one spreadsheet.
Your first estimate is free. Email the drawings and the scope, and you will have a marked-up takeoff and a priced spreadsheet back within 24 hours on most residential jobs. Prefer to talk first? Reply with "KEEN" and your number.