Price a finish that can be handed over

Surface preparation and finish approval

Separate new plasterboard or plaster, existing painted walls, ceilings and internal woodwork. Identify damaged or contaminated areas and any work another trade must finish first. A nominal floor area does not describe all the surfaces being decorated.

Send colour references, product names and sheen levels for each location. Agree sample areas or approval steps where needed, together with the person authorised to accept them. The selected coating and background condition determine the preparation, and specialist coating performance needs its own confirmed specification.

Office painting in occupied workplaces

Office painting usually happens around people, desks and equipment. Mark occupied areas, stock, equipment, furniture and routes that must remain available. Agree who clears each area and how retained items are protected. We talk through separation, access hours and any service interruption before the sequence is fixed.

For several contractors on one site, identify who releases a room for decoration and who protects it afterwards. Later service work or furniture installation can damage a finished surface. Make return visits, remedial work and the final touch-up boundary visible in the package.

Use an area-release and completion register

A useful register has one line per room or zone: surface preparation ready, products approved, access released, decoration complete, inspection complete and protection handed over. Name the responsible person for each stage. This is a coordination tool, not a promise that occupied premises can remain fully operational throughout.

Tell us the opening or handover date, permitted hours, loading arrangements and any landlord or centre requirements. We discuss night or weekend work, equipment movement and specialist access for each job. Our commercial-finish scope sheet helps you compare preparation.

Compare the same commercial decorating package

Keep the measured finish schedule, access basis and completion condition together when reviewing quotations.

Quotation item	What to make clear
Quantities and products	Rooms, wall and ceiling areas, working heights, woodwork items, colours, sheen and coating references.
Background and readiness	Preparation, repairs, moisture or contamination concerns and work to be completed by others.
Site arrangements	Protection, furniture or stock movement, working access, storage, welfare and waste responsibilities.
Completion and changes	Approval process, inspection, touch-ups, later damage, exclusions, provisional items and applicable VAT.

A labour-only price and a supply-and-fit price need different supply matrices. Confirm who provides paint, preparation materials, plant and access equipment, and how changes to the finish schedule will be approved.

Use the existing commercial-finish scope sheet

Questions before you enquire

Can decorating be phased around the business?

Phasing can be reviewed once the occupied areas, access routes and work are known. Send trading hours and room-release windows. Separation, preparation and coating drying requirements need considering before any programme or continued use is agreed.

Can you work to our designer’s finish schedule?

Send the latest revision with room references, products, colours and the approval process. Identify substitutes that require approval and any undecided items. The quotation should state the schedule revision and the assumptions used.

Does a decorating package include wall repairs?

Only the defined preparation and repairs are included. Distinguish small preparation items from substantial plaster, board or leak-damage repairs. An assessed condition and agreed finish help prevent a low preparation allowance being mistaken for the same scope.

What to send for a useful quotation

Send the premises postcode, room or zone schedule, surface areas where available, photographs, specified products and desired finish. Include the site contact, occupation, access hours, approval process, package supply basis and required handover date.

If the work needs a site visit before we price it, our engineer's visit is free, with no obligation.

Related services and advice

Office refurbishment

Planning work in occupied premises

Plaster repairs

Commercial painting and decorating in London

Let’s define the finish and the handover.