Painters Servicing Sydney
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Sydney painting quotes, explained
If you have a Roberts Trading quote in front of you and another one that is lower, this page is for you. It sets out exactly what our price pays for, so you can check any other quote against it line by line.
In short: A Roberts Trading quote is a fixed price for a measured, written scope. Every surface is listed with its preparation, product, number of coats and finish. Preparation is most of the job, Dulux is our standard paint, two full topcoats is our minimum, access is its own line, and every job carries our NSW contractor licence, full insurance and a 5-year workmanship guarantee. If a lower quote does not state these things in writing, it is not pricing the same job.
We are a family-run painting company in Matraville, working across Sydney with a focus on the Eastern Suburbs, the North Shore and the Inner West. Read it, compare, and call Dougall on 0438 300 403 if anything on your quote is unclear.
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Most of every job is preparation, and it is the part you never see once we leave. That is why every line on our quotes describes the prep first and the paint second: that is where the time goes.
These steps are in every quote we write.
The steps nobody sees afterwards: the sanding between coats, the caulking, the spot priming, the undercoat under the enamel, painting the tops and bottom edges of doors, and making sure windows still open when we leave.
Dulux is our standard. We are a Dulux Accredited Painter, which means Dulux has trained and audited us, and jobs using Dulux systems can qualify for Dulux's own warranty programme. When an architect or designer specifies another brand, such as Porter's Paints or Resene, we price and apply exactly what is specified.
Every surface gets two full topcoats as standard, over the right primer or undercoat. A two-coat job is never stretched to one.
Normal surface repair is in the base price. Every line says "patch and repair as required": filling cracks and holes, sanding, caulking, spot priming, minor render patching, resealing junctions with Sikaflex, and treating surface rust.
Bigger repairs are shown as their own line so you can see them. Render repairs beyond minor patching are an hourly rate plus materials, with the estimated hours written on the quote. Carpentry (rotten timber, garage posts, re-beading windows) and plaster repairs are a provisional sum at an hourly rate, done by a carpenter or plasterer we bring in.
Access is always its own line on the quote, so it is never a surprise later.
Before a brush is picked up, floors are covered, furniture is moved or covered, fittings are masked, and gardens and paths are covered. Stone, sandstone, marble and other porous surfaces are fully covered with taped edges, because they stain permanently. Protection is checked every morning.
The site is left tidy and safe every evening, not just on the last day: tools and chemicals locked away, ladders down, gates as we found them. One client wrote that they had never seen such clean workmanship, spotless every day over an 8-day job.
Our own team of around 15 painters, run on site by our Operations Manager, Helio, with Dougall Roberts as Director. Everyone on site, employee or subcontractor, is inducted on our written procedures and holds a White Card. New starters work beside an experienced painter for their first two weeks.
Every area is checked by the lead painter, then inspected by the Operations Manager against the quote and colour schedule before you see it.
A walk-through with you, then a final clean: protection removed, floors and surfaces cleaned, furniture returned, all rubbish and paint waste taken away. On exterior house repaints we also clean the gutters and external glass at no charge.
You get a labelled touch-up tin of each colour if you want one, after-photos on your file, a call within a week, and a maintenance check at 12 months.
Two painters can look at the same house and both write a price that is honest for the work they plan to do. The difference is the work. One quote might include washing, sanding, spot priming, an undercoat, two topcoats of a named product, scaffold and a written guarantee. Another might be a quick wash and one coat off a ladder.
Comparing the totals tells you which is smaller. It does not tell you which job lasts. To compare fairly, check that both quotes name the preparation, the product, the number of coats and the access for each surface. If a quote does not say, it is fair to assume it is not included.
Every Roberts Trading quote includes all of the following, without exception. Tick them off against any other quote you have.
When we see a quote well below ours for the same scope, it is usually because one or more of these has been cut.
| What to check | On our quote | How a cheaper quote often gets there |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | On our quoteNamed on every line: wash, scrape, sand, fill, caulk, spot-prime, undercoat | A cheaper quote often"Patch and repair" becomes a quick wash and paint. No sanding, spot priming or undercoat on doors and trims |
| Coats | On our quoteTwo full topcoats over the right primer or undercoat | A cheaper quote oftenOne coat, or a second coat that is thinned or skipped |
| Product | On our quoteDulux named on the quote, or the brand your architect specifies | A cheaper quote oftenA cheaper trade-grade paint, or no brand named at all |
| Access | On our quoteScaffold or lift priced as its own line | A cheaper quote oftenNot priced, so high work is done off a ladder, or scaffold turns up later as an extra |
| Scope | On our quoteEvery surface listed, including doors (tops and edges), windows, eaves and gutters | A cheaper quote oftenDoors, windows, eaves, gutters, door edges or the back of the house quietly left out |
| Paperwork | On our quoteLicence 374219C, ABN, insurance certificates, written contract and written 5-year guarantee | A cheaper quote oftenNo licence number, no insurance certificate, no written contract or warranty, a cash price |
Water-based paint over old oil-based paint
Without sanding and an undercoat it looks fine for a year or two, then peels off in sheets. We see it often enough that our terms price for it.
Steel not cleaned back and primed
Rust bleeds through and the paint lifts within two to four years. That is what happened at Cremorne, and on a steel door we quoted recently where the last paint job had not lasted three years.
No wash before an exterior repaint
Paint goes over chalk, grime and mildew, loses adhesion, and the mould comes back through.
Patches not spot-primed
The repairs show through the finish as dull patches.
Junctions not caulked, or cheap caulk
The cracks reopen.
Door tops and bottom edges left bare
Moisture gets in and the timber swells.
Thin coats
The colour fades and chalks years early.
These are real costs on every job. A cheaper operator may not be carrying them, and if something goes wrong, you find out the hard way.
Held by Roberts Trading Pty Ltd for the Painter and Decorator classes. Current since 28 September 2021, runs to 27 September 2031, no conditions, and no disciplinary action, penalties or claims on the public register. Dougall Roberts is Director and nominated supervisor, and holds his own individual contractor licence. ABN 29 840 343 484.
Check it free on Verify NSWFully insured, with public liability and workers compensation renewed every year and on our annual compliance checklist. Certificates are supplied on request for every job and verified through EBIX and Trades Monitor for strata and corporate clients. Subcontractors must show their own public liability, and workers compensation or personal accident cover where required, before they start.
NSW law requires Home Building Compensation cover when a licensed contractor contracts directly for residential work, painting included, worth more than $20,000 inc GST. The certificate must be given to you before any deposit is taken. It does not apply when we work under a licensed builder, because the builder's cover applies.
We assume any home built before 1970 has lead paint until it is tested. Wet sanding and wet scraping only, no dry sanding or heat guns. The area is sheeted and sealed, occupants (especially children, pregnant women and pets) kept out, P2 respirators at minimum, and all dust, flakes and sheeting bagged and removed. Lead work changes the method and cost, so it is priced as a variation and agreed before we start.
Common in homes built or renovated before 1990. We paint over sound sheeting only and never sand, cut, drill or water-blast it. If anything looks damaged, work stops until it is confirmed safe.
Never in your bin, down a sink or into a drain. Brushes are washed out only where you agree, never into stormwater or garden beds. Leftover paint is labelled by job, room and date, and solvent rags are dried flat or sealed in a metal container because they can self-ignite.
Every project carries a 5-year workmanship guarantee: if our preparation or application fails, we come back and fix it. It does not cover failure caused by water getting in, rust, settlement cracking or movement, timber rot, old paint or substrate delaminating underneath, general wear and tear, or colours fading over time.
Members of the Strata Community Association (NSW), registered with EBIX and Trades Monitor. Site inductions on every commercial site, a SWMS signed by every painter for work above 2 metres, signs, barriers and drop zones in public areas, and work order numbers on every invoice.
From your first call to a written quote, every number is measured on site, not estimated from the kerb.
Every enquiry is logged the day it arrives and we call you back the same business day. Website and email enquiries get a phone call, not just an email.
Inside, outside or both, the size and age of the property, timing, access, and whether a builder, designer or strata manager is involved. Homes built before 1970 (lead) or 1990 (asbestos) are flagged so the visit is planned properly.
Before we visit, we look up the property profile, the sales listing floor plan and a satellite trace of the roof. It cross-checks the size and flags heritage zones, which can limit colours and prep.
Dougall walks every area with you and confirms what is in and out, room by room and wall by wall. He checks surface condition, heights, scaffold or lift needs, stone near the work, parking, and power, water and toilet access, and photographs everything.
Ceilings and walls in square metres, skirtings, fascias and gutters in lineal metres, doors and windows by the panel. On larger jobs with plans, our estimating partner does a measured take-off.
Labour, materials, access equipment and consumables are priced to our own rules, from the measured quantities.
It goes out with a short personal note, and where we can, Dougall talks you through it.
We check in at 2 to 3 days, 2 weeks, 1 month and 3 months, then we stop.
Over the last 12 months (about 360 quotes), the typical time from enquiry to written quote was 5 business days.
| Job size | Typical time to quote |
|---|---|
| Under $5,000 | About 2 business days |
| $5,000 to $20,000 | About 6 business days |
| Over $20,000 | About 9 to 10 business days, as these usually involve plans, a scaffold quote or a builder's tender |
The start date and expected duration are confirmed in writing when you accept.
Our quote is a fixed price for the scope written on it, valid for 30 days. It only changes if you ask for more, or we find something that could not be seen at the inspection, such as rot, lead or asbestos. When that happens:
Provisional sums, such as carpentry or render repairs at an hourly rate, show our estimate and are charged on the hours actually used, because nobody can know them until the old paint is off.
Agreed in the contract. Unless agreed otherwise:
Take these to every quote you get, including ours. A proper quote answers all five in writing.
“Can you show me, in writing, what preparation you will do and how many coats of which product you will use on each surface?”
The single most useful question. It turns two numbers into two scopes you can compare.
“What is your contractor licence number?”
Check it free on Verify NSW. In NSW, any home painting job over $5,000 (inc GST) must be done by a licensed contractor.
“Can I see your public liability and workers compensation certificates?”
If someone is hurt on your property and the painter is not covered, the problem can become yours.
“My house was built before 1970. How will you deal with lead paint?”
The answer should mention testing, wet methods, containment and disposal. Dry sanding lead paint spreads toxic dust.
“What is your warranty, is it in writing, and what does it exclude?”
A spoken promise is not a warranty. Ours is 5 years, in writing, with the exclusions listed.
The questions we are asked most about price, answered straight.
Put the two quotes side by side and compare them line by line: the preparation, the paint brand and product, the number of coats, whether scaffold is included, protection and clean-up, licence, insurance and warranty. Our quote states all of these for every surface. If the other quote does not say, ask, because what is not written down is usually not priced.
Yes. We come out, measure and put it in writing at no charge.
Every house, apartment and strata building gets a site visit from Dougall before we give a price, because the surface condition, heights and access decide the cost. Walk-through videos help us understand the scope, but they never replace measuring on site. The exceptions are builder and architect tenders, which we measure from the drawings, and small add-ons for existing clients, priced from photos.
Most quotes go out within about a week, and we give you the date at the site visit. Over the last 12 months (about 360 quotes), the typical time from enquiry to quote was 5 business days: about 2 for jobs under $5,000, 6 for $5,000 to $20,000, and 9 to 10 for larger jobs.
30 days.
It is a fixed price for the scope written on it. It only changes if you ask for extra work, or we find something that could not be seen at the inspection, like rot, lead or asbestos. Either way you get the reason and the price in writing before we do it. Provisional sums, such as carpentry or render repairs at an hourly rate, are charged on the hours actually used.
No. Two homes of the same size can need very different preparation, access and repairs, so a published figure would mislead more people than it helps. We measure your job and price it line by line instead, for free.
It depends on the size of the job. We confirm the start date and expected duration in writing when you accept.
No need to move out. We move or cover furniture. Please put away valuables and breakables.
Colours are confirmed in a written schedule before we start. A change after paint has been bought or applied is a variation.
Yes, for shops, offices and hospitality, so the business keeps trading. It is priced as after-hours work on the quote.
Yes. Our colour consultant comes to your home and walks each room with you in daylight.
Only if free parking is not available. Paid parking fees are added at cost. Fines never are.
We offer 100% non-obligational estimates and strive to be in constant communication with our customers until the job is done.
