How do I quote a repaint differently to a new build?

The core difference is prep. A new build starts on clean plasterboard with minimal preparation. A repaint means assessing every surface for peeling, cracking and previous coatings before you pick up a brush. Prep typically consumes 50 to 70 per cent of total labour hours on a repaint¹, compared with roughly 20 per cent on a new build. If your quote does not price that gap, you are working for free on the hardest part of the job.

Updated 23/09/2026

Why is quoting a repaint harder than a new build?

On a new build, every surface is the same: fresh plaster, new timber, or clean render. You know the substrate, you know the coating system, and you can estimate hours per square metre with confidence. A three-bedroom new build interior is roughly the same job whether it is in Geelong or on the Gold Coast.

A repaint is the opposite. Two identical-looking houses on the same street can have completely different prep requirements depending on the original paint system, the substrate condition, moisture history and the number of coats already on the surface. One might need a wash and a light sand. The next might need full scraping back to bare timber on every window frame and fascia.

The painters who consistently underquote repaints are the ones who estimate from the driveway instead of walking every surface.

How much prep should I price into a repaint?

Walk every surface before you quote. Note which walls, ceilings, doors, frames and external surfaces need each level of prep:

• Light prep (clean substrate, minor marks). Wash, light sand, spot-fill. Roughly 10 to 20 per cent of coating time. This is typical of new builds and well-maintained interiors.
• Medium prep (aged but sound paint, hairline cracks, minor peeling). Wash, sand, fill cracks and nail holes, spot-prime. Roughly 40 to 60 per cent of coating time. Most residential repaints fall here.
• Heavy prep (peeling, flaking, moisture damage, multiple old coats). Full scrape, chemical strip or heat gun, extensive filling, full prime coat. Can equal or exceed coating time. Common on pre-1990 exteriors and wet-area ceilings.

Price prep as its own line in your estimate, not buried inside a per-room or per-square-metre rate. When the customer asks why a repaint costs more than they expected, your itemised prep line is the answer.

What about lead paint on older homes?

Approximately 3.7 million Australian homes built before 1997 are likely to contain some level of lead-based paint². Homes built before 1970 carry the highest concentrations (lead content was capped at 1% in 1970, then tightened to 0.1% in 1997). If you are quoting a repaint on any pre-1997 home, or any home where the paint history is unknown, you need to account for lead management in your price.

Under AS/NZS 4361.2:2017, dry abrasive blasting and dry mechanical sanding of lead-painted surfaces are prohibited. Your options are wet scraping, chemical strippers, or encapsulation (painting over with an appropriate sealer system). Each adds time and cost that a new-build quote never includes.

Add lead paint assessment and safe removal as a separate, visible line item. If the scope is uncertain, quote the assessment first, then provide a follow-up price for the removal method once you know the extent. Trying to absorb the cost quietly is how painters lose money on these jobs.

How do I set my rates for repaints vs new builds?

Interior wall painting typically costs $25 to $50 per square metre including prep and labour¹. Exterior work runs higher, typically $40 to $70 per square metre (directional), and can reach $100 or more per square metre on timber or heavily deteriorated substrates (estimate, varies by condition and access).

Those ranges cover both repaints and new builds, which is exactly the problem. A rate at the low end of the range that works on a new-build interior (where prep is 20 per cent of time) will lose money on a repaint (where prep is 50 to 70 per cent). Instead of quoting a single rate, build your price from hours:

1. Estimate prep hours per surface (from your site walk).
2. Estimate coating hours (typically more predictable).
3. Multiply total hours by your charge-out rate (covering wages, super at 12 per cent from 01/07/2025³, insurance, vehicle, overheads).
4. Add materials with a handling margin (typically 15 to 25 per cent on top of trade cost, varies by supplier arrangement).
5. Apply your profit margin (30 to 50 per cent on labour for a sustainable business, directional).

Present the final number however the customer expects (per room, lump sum, or per square metre), but always build it from hours and materials so you know the job is profitable before you send the quote.

What should a repaint quote include that a new-build quote does not?

A new-build quote can be relatively simple: surfaces, coating system, number of coats, timeline, price. A repaint quote needs more detail to protect both you and the customer:

• Surface condition notes. Describe what you found on each surface: sound, minor cracking, peeling, moisture damage, unknown paint type. This sets expectations and limits disputes about extras.
• Prep method per surface. State what you will do (wash, sand, fill, scrape, prime) and what is excluded (removing wallpaper, repairing structural plaster damage, asbestos-related work).
• Coating system. Name the primer, undercoat and topcoat by product, finish and number of coats. A repaint over dark colours or patched surfaces often needs an extra undercoat that a new build does not.
• Lead paint clause. For any pre-1997 home, state whether lead testing is included, and what happens if lead is found (additional cost for safe removal or encapsulation, quoted separately).
• Exclusions. Be explicit about what the quote does not cover: structural repairs, asbestos, wallpaper removal, furniture moving, scaffold hire (if external). Every item you leave ambiguous is a potential argument at invoice time.

As the ACCC states: A business must be able to prove any claim they advertise. If your quote promises a specific coating lifespan or durability guarantee, you must be able to substantiate that claim under the Australian Consumer Law. Keep promises specific and backed by the paint manufacturer's data sheet rather than a round number you picked for the pitch.

If you are using a job management app such as ServiceM8 or Tradify, build these as template sections you can drop into any repaint quote. The detail takes five minutes to write and saves hours of dispute later. For a deeper look at pricing fundamentals, see our guide to pricing a painting job properly.

How do I stop underquoting repaints?

Most painters underquote repaints because they estimate prep time from memory instead of from the site. Three habits that fix it:

• Walk every surface. Never quote a repaint from photos alone. Touch the walls, check behind furniture if you can, look at the fascias and window frames up close. Five minutes on site saves five hours of unpaid prep.
• Track your actual hours. After each repaint, record how many hours went to prep and how many to coating. After ten jobs, you will have your own prep ratios by job type, which are more accurate than any industry average.
• Follow up sent quotes. Around 50 per cent of tradies never follow up a quote even once⁴. A structured follow-up within two business days (industry best practice) recovers jobs you have already spent time quoting. If you are losing track of sent quotes, an after-hours answering service or a CRM keeps them visible.

For painters building a pipeline, the same quoting discipline that stops underquoting also builds the reputation that wins more work. See our guide to getting more painting jobs in Australia for the growth side.