Start with the premises and the programme
A business repaint needs a brief that covers the people using the space as well as the surfaces. Send the premises location, photographs, the work you want considered and any operating restrictions. The team will need to confirm whether the particular scope can be taken on before a commercial booking is agreed.
This page helps you prepare that discussion. It does not promise a specialist system, out-of-hours crew or a confirmed programme from photographs alone.
Commercial repaint costs: define the work first
List rooms, circulation spaces, ceilings, doors and trim separately. Include approximate dimensions, height and the current finish. A total based on floor area alone can hide differences in preparation, occupied working, access equipment and the number of details to be painted.
Ask the written quote to identify materials, preparation, included surfaces, access arrangements and applicable taxes. Confirm which repairs are fixed items and which need assessment. No commercial rate or price per square metre is published here without an assessed scope.
A quote checklist for the premises manager
- The address and the person authorised to agree the work.
- Each space and surface, including anything excluded.
- Photos of defects and details of the existing coating if known.
- Operating hours, access, keys and any restricted areas.
- Furniture, stock, equipment and who moves or protects them.
- The required finish and any product specification.
- Programme, payment terms and the process for agreeing changes.
Confirm the contractor’s actual identity, relevant insurance and suitability for the work, together with the site arrangements required for your premises. Do not infer these from a general painting photograph.
Planning around opening hours
Identify the times when rooms are occupied, when customers enter and which routes must remain available. If you need evening, weekend or shutdown work, say so at the enquiry stage. Those arrangements must be confirmed; they are not an automatic inclusion.
Discuss separation of the work area, access for staff and visitors, ventilation and the selected product’s drying and return-to-use instructions. Agree how rooms will be handed back between stages and who communicates changes to the people using them.
Shop and office repaint briefs
For a shop, show display areas, stock, counters, window details and the routes used by customers and deliveries. For an office, identify desks, meeting rooms, equipment and rooms that cannot be taken out of use together.
Describe the surfaces rather than assuming a residential wall product suits every business use. Specialist hygiene, fire-performance, floor or other regulated coating requirements need an appropriate specification and confirmed delivery capability before a quote is accepted.
A staged refresh or a complete repaint?
A staged job can keep some space available, but the boundaries need to be clear. Record which rooms, ceilings and connecting details belong to each stage, how equipment is moved and what must be ready before the next stage starts.
A complete shutdown creates different access possibilities. It still needs time for protection, preparation, coating and the product-specific return to use. Compare the actual programmes rather than assuming one uninterrupted visit is always cheaper or faster.
Scuffs, damaged paint and recurring defects
Show ordinary wear separately from flaking, water staining, cracks or damaged plaster. The cause and extent of a defect need assessing before deciding whether local preparation or broader repair is needed.
Do not treat repainting as a cure for recurring damp or movement. Agree who undertakes any repair outside the decorating scope and when the surface will be ready. Record how concealed defects or extra work will be approved before proceeding.
What changes from a home painting brief?
The surface questions remain, but a business brief also needs an authorised decision maker, operating programme, customer and staff access, equipment protection and site-specific requirements. The number of users and the role of a space can change the finish specification and handover arrangements.
For residential work, use the interior or exterior service page. For premises, send the business constraints as well as the paint list so suitability can be checked.
Vacant premises before handover
Share the confirmed access and handover dates, any landlord or managing-agent requirements and other work still happening. Say who will inspect the finish and who can approve changes. Agree whether cleaning, waste removal and reinstatement of fittings are included.
Keep the agreed scope and any changes together. At completion, walk through the included areas with the responsible person, record anything outstanding and request product or care information relevant to the finish.
Send the location, photographs and programme to discuss a premises enquiry. Confirm suitability and the full arrangements before committing to work.
Let’s talk about your business premises enquiry project.
Send a few photos, your area and what you have in mind. We can discuss the scope and whether a visit is needed for a quote.