Industry kit

Painting business templates for house and commercial painters

A painting business needs a quote that says how many coats and which surfaces, a contract with a colour schedule, a flyer for the streets it already works in, and invoices that match the stages. This kit links a finished example of each, written for invented Australian painters.

What a painter writes down

Painting looks simple to a customer and is full of decisions a painter has to put in writing: which surfaces are included, how they are prepared, how many coats go on, which product and sheen, and what happens to rotten timber found under old paint. A quote that leaves these out invites the cheaper painter to undercut it with less preparation and one coat. A quote that lists them shows the customer what they are paying for, and gives the painter a standard to point to if the finish is questioned later.

From quote to colour schedule

On a larger job the quote turns into a contract. The painting contract adds a colour schedule room by room or elevation by elevation, the coats standard, protection of floors and gardens, access and working hours, and a variation process for extra surfaces. Many disputes in painting are about colour, so the schedule should name the manufacturer, the colour and the sheen for each surface, and the customer should sign it before the first tin is opened. A signed schedule turns an argument about taste into a simple check of what was agreed, and it costs ten minutes at the kitchen table.

Who the kit is for

The kit is written for residential repaint businesses and small commercial painting contractors in Australia, priced in dollars with GST at 10%. In some states painting work above a set value is licensed, so check your state rules before quoting larger jobs. Each card opens the complete example, so the preparation steps, coats and prices can be read as a customer would read them, not as a list of headings.

The kit, piece by piece

Write the preparation into the price

Preparation is where painting quotes differ most and where customers understand least. Put each step on its own line: washing, scraping, sanding, filling, spot priming and full priming of new or bare surfaces. Then list the top coats by surface with the product and sheen. A customer comparing three quotes can then see why yours costs more, and the cheaper quote that skips preparation has to explain itself.

Colour schedules prevent repaints

The most expensive mistake in painting is the wrong colour on a wall. A colour schedule lists every surface, the manufacturer, the colour name and code, and the sheen, and the customer signs it before work starts. If the customer changes their mind after the first coat, the variation clause decides who pays. The painting contract in this kit carries a schedule and that clause together.

Getting paid for longer jobs

Exterior repaints can run for weeks with weather delays, so a deposit and a balance invoice are usual, with a progress invoice in between on bigger jobs. In the proposal builder, a customer accepts the quote online and the deposit invoice is issued at once. The final invoice shows the deposit already paid and carries a pay link; card payments need a paid plan and a connected Stripe account, and bank details work on every plan.

The tools behind the kit

Step by step in the builders: Create a quote with AI, then Add a pricing table with optional extras.

Questions people ask

What should a painting quote include?

A painting quote should list each surface, the preparation steps, the primer and number of top coats, the product and sheen, protection of floors and gardens, exclusions such as rotten timber replacement, labour, materials, GST and the total. Add the deposit, the expected duration and how long the price holds.

How many coats should a painter quote?

Two top coats over a correctly prepared and primed surface is the common standard for walls and trims, with a primer or sealer on new, bare or repaired areas. A colour change from dark to light may need a third coat. State the number of coats in the quote so the customer can compare like with like.

Do painters need a licence in Australia?

Some states license painting work above a set value, while others do not license painting at all. In New South Wales and Queensland, for example, painting work above a threshold needs a licence. Check the current rules with your state regulator, and put the licence number on quotes and invoices where one applies.

How do I handle colour changes after work starts?

Treat a colour change after the customer signed the colour schedule as a variation. Price the extra coats and labour, get the change agreed in writing, then do the work. The variation clause in this kit shows wording that makes this process part of the contract from the start.

What makes a painter flyer work?

A painter flyer works when it shows finished work, names the suburbs you cover and gives one or two starting prices, such as a room repaint. Add your licence number if your state requires one, and a single way to book a quote. Print at A4 for letterboxes and resize the same design for social posts.

Start the first piece of the kit

The button opens a generator with a starting description already filled in. Change the business details to your own before you run it.

Create a proposal with OneCraft

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Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .