Painting · Commercial · Residential

Painting subcontractors, and the work they bid

Painting bids are decided by prep and coats, and both are easy to leave out of a number. Two coats over prepared substrate and one coat over whatever was there are the same colour on day one and a very different building in year three. Post the scope with your finish schedule, or find open painting packages to price.

Post painting work Bid on painting work

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What gets bid

Scopes painting bids usually cover

A posted scope can be any part of this. The more of it the drawings settle up front, the closer the bids come back to each other.

Surface preparation, patching and priming
Interior walls, ceilings and trim
Exterior coatings, including elastomeric and masonry systems
Epoxy and urethane floor coatings
Specialty finishes, stains and wallcovering
Line striping, curb and safety marking

Hiring painting crews

What to check before you award

Coats, product and mil thickness: Coating warranties are written against a specified dry film thickness over specified preparation. A bid that names neither cannot be held to either.
Lead-safe certification on older buildings: Any renovation disturbing paint in a pre-1978 building needs an EPA RRP-certified firm. This is a regulatory requirement with real penalties, not a preference.
Containment in occupied spaces: On an occupied building, how they contain odour, overspray and dust — and which hours they work — matters more to the owner than the price does.

Post painting work

Bidding painting work

What makes a bid win this trade

Write the prep scope down: Prep is most of the labour and the first thing a low bidder cuts. Describing yours in two lines is how a GC understands why you cost more than the other number.
Price the colour count: Accent walls and multi-colour schemes add cut-in time and set-up that a per-square-foot rate hides. Say what your number assumes.
Carry the touch-up: Final touch-up after every other trade has finished is unavoidable and routinely unpriced. Include it as a line and you'll be the bid that didn't produce a change order at closeout.

Find painting work

Where painting scopes show up

Commercial repaintsNew construction finishesExterior recoatsGarage coatings and striping

Whichever side you’re on, the record stays on the job — scope, bids, award, progress, invoices and the review at the end. See how a job runs, or what the plans cost.

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