Seven questions to ask before hiring a painting contractor

Two contractors look at the same 2BHK. One quotes Rs 32,000, the other Rs 61,000. Both say "premium paint, two coats". The difference is real and it is knowable — you just have to ask the right seven questions.

1. What is the measured paintable area, and how did you arrive at it?

A serious contractor measures. A casual one eyeballs the flat and quotes a lump sum.

Good answer: a written figure in square feet, with a breakdown by room, and a willingness to walk you through how it was measured.

Warning sign: "Approximately 1,000 square feet." Approximate becomes an argument later, usually mid-job.

Once you have measured area from two contractors, you can divide each quote by it and compare like for like. If the numbers are within ten percent of each other, good. If one is thirty percent lower, they have either under-measured or under-specified.

2. Which exact product, in which grade?

"Asian Paints" is a company, not a specification. Asian Paints sells everything from Tractor Emulsion at the economy end to Royale Health Shield at the top, and the price difference is more than double.

Good answer: the full product name and pack size for putty, primer and top coat. For example: two coats of Birla White wall putty, one coat of Asian Paints Primer, two coats of Apcolite Premium Emulsion.

Warning sign: vagueness, or "we will use good quality material". Also worth asking where they buy it — genuine paint from an authorised dealer, with the bill available, protects you from diluted or repacked material.

3. What surface preparation is included?

This is where the money hides. Preparation is typically 40 to 50 percent of the labour on a repaint.

Ask specifically: is the old paint being scraped, and how far down? Is putty being applied, and how many coats? Is sanding included between coats? Is there any damp treatment?

Good answer: a written prep sequence, and an honest note about which walls need more work than others.

Warning sign: "One coat putty where required." Where required, decided by whom, and measured how?

4. How many coats, and what happens if coverage is poor?

Dark shades, or a light shade going over a dark one, often need three coats. A quote for two coats on a deep red wall will look patchy and you will be told the third coat is extra.

Good answer: coat count stated per surface, with a commitment that full, even coverage is the deliverable regardless of coat count.

5. Who is actually on site, and is there a supervisor?

Many contractors sub-contract to a labour group they have never worked with. The person who gave you the quote may never return.

Ask: are the painters your own employees or sub-contracted? Will a supervisor be present daily, or only for inspections? Who do I call at 11 AM on a Tuesday when something is wrong?

Good answer: a named supervisor with a phone number, and a clear statement of the crew size and how many days they will be on site.

6. What is covered, protected and cleaned?

Painting is a messy trade. The difference between a good crew and a bad one is mostly visible in what happens to everything you are not painting.

Ask what gets covered — furniture, floors, electrical points, fans, wardrobes. Ask whether the site is cleaned daily or only at the end. Ask who removes the debris and whether society lift charges are included.

Good answer: floor sheeting and furniture covering included, daily sweep-up, debris removed by the contractor.

7. What is the payment schedule and the warranty?

Good answer: a staged schedule — typically 20 to 30 percent advance for material, progress payments against completed phases, and a final 10 percent held back until you have signed off the snag list.

On warranty, be realistic. Interior emulsion is usually warranted for workmanship defects — peeling, blistering, poor adhesion — for one to two years. Some paint companies offer their own performance warranty on premium exterior products if applied to their specification. Nobody warranties against your children drawing on the wall.

Warning sign: a demand for a large advance in cash with no written scope. Never pay more than 30 percent before work starts.

The paperwork to insist on

Before any work begins, you should have a single document that names: measured area, product names and grades, preparation sequence, coat count, crew and supervisor, start and end dates, payment stages, and what is excluded. One page is enough. Verbal understandings are what turn into disputes on day nine.

One last thing

Ask for two references from jobs done more than two years ago, not two months ago. Fresh paint always looks good. Paint that has been through two Mumbai monsoons tells you what the contractor is actually worth.

We give written, itemised quotes after a free site visit across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai — measured area, brand, coats and dates, before anything starts.