The same 3-bedroom interior gets quoted between $3k and $15k — the widest honest spread of any trade. Indicative ranges for interior, exterior, heritage and roof, and why the difference is almost entirely prep depth, primer and coats.
The same 3-bedroom interior gets quoted anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000 — the widest honest spread of any trade. That’s not usually dishonesty. It’s three painters pricing three different scopes. The cheap one skipped the prep, primer and a second coat. The dear one priced all of it, plus branded paint that holds up. Here’s roughly where the numbers sit.
| Cheap quote (no prep, 1 coat) | $2,800 – $4,500 |
| Mid-tier (light prep, 2 coats, mid paint) | $5,500 – $8,500 |
| Premium (full prep, branded paint, 2–3 coats) | $9k – $14k |
| Heritage / lead-paint / two-storey | $15k – $30k+ |
| Exterior (weatherboard or render, 3BR) | $8k – $22k |
A cheap quote isn’t cheaper labour for the same job — it’s less job. The savings come out of prep depth, the primer, the second or third coat, and the grade of paint. Each of those is invisible on handover day and decisive two years later. That’s why a quote you can read line by line matters more than the headline number: it tells you whether you’re comparing like with like.
A “no-prep” quote saves you money. Two years from now, when you’re paying a second painter to strip and redo it, you find out exactly how much.
Ask this, exactly
“What does your quote assume for prep depth, primer and number of coats — and what would move it to the top or bottom of the range?”
The detail behind the number is the number. A range with the scope attached is worth more than a precise figure with nothing behind it.
Brushline quotes against the same seven lines every time, so the figure you see is tied to a scope you can read. If your job only needs a partial repaint, we’ll tell you — the honest number is the one that matches the work, not the biggest job we could sell.