BOQ format
How to quote painting work
How painting is quoted on an interior BOQ, why the number of coats belongs on the line, and what putty does to the rate.
The unit
Square foot of wall and ceiling surface
Surface area, not carpet area. Deductions for doors and windows are conventional but not universal — say whether you have made them.
What the BOQ breaks into
| Line | Unit | Why it is its own line |
|---|---|---|
| Surface preparation | sqft | Scraping and sanding. Separate because a repaint needs it and a new wall does not. |
| Putty | sqft | One or two coats. The single biggest swing in a painting rate. |
| Primer | sqft | — |
| Finish coats | sqft | State the number. Two and three are different jobs. |
| Texture / feature wall | sqft | Priced separately, per wall. |
| Enamel on woodwork and grills | sqft | Different product, different labour. |
The specs that decide the rate
- Product and sheen
- Emulsion grade and finish — matt, satin, sheen. The brand alone does not fix the price; the product within it does.
- Number of coats
- Two versus three changes both material and labour. A rate without a coat count cannot be compared to another one.
- Putty type
- Wall putty or POP punning, and how many coats. Decides how the finish reads in raking light.
A rate with no coat count on it
Painting is the easiest line to underquote, because the rate looks like a market rate and the coats are invisible on paper. Two quotes at the same figure can differ by a full coat of putty and a coat of emulsion. Put the count on the line and the comparison becomes honest.
Houscade writes this breakdown for you, room by room, and the client approves it on their phone. See a real quotation.