Touch-ups after repairs
Patched holes, scuffs and marks painted over. Old paint fades, so a touch-up may not blend in perfectly. If painting the whole wall will look better, we’ll say so before we start.
Small painting jobs around the home
Touch-ups, a feature wall or a bedroom in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Charged by time at our painting and repair rates, and kept under each state’s licence limit.
How it’s priced
Charged by time, at our painting and repair rates
One person comes with the brushes, rollers, drop sheets and ladder. You pay $139 for the first hour on a weekday, which includes travel within Zone A, then $19 for each 15 minutes after that. The rates are the same in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and they’re all on our prices page.
Two coats need drying time in between, and the typical times on this page allow for a short wait. If a surface needs longer to dry, we’ll tell you before we start and put any second visit in your written quote.
We confirm the price in writing by SMS, WhatsApp or email before the job. If the walls need more preparation than we agreed, such as extra cracks to fill, we stop, show you and re-quote before carrying on.
What we paint
Small interior jobs, done neatly
We cover floors and furniture, fill small holes, sand, cut in and roll. Put several jobs on one list and we’ll do them in the same visit.
Feature walls and single walls
One wall in a new colour, or a tired wall refreshed, with 2 coats.
Bedrooms and studies
Walls in a small room. Ceilings, and rooms that need a lot of repair first, are quoted after we see photos.
Doors, frames and skirting
Interior doors, door frames and skirting boards, lightly sanded and repainted.
Holes or cracks to fix before painting? See plasterboard repairs
Licence limits
Which painting jobs we can take in each state
We only take painting jobs below each state’s limit. The limit applies to the whole job, and we don’t split a bigger job into smaller bookings to get under it.
Sydney (NSW)
Painting worth more than $5,000, labour and materials including GST, needs a contractor licence. Stand-alone interior painting is exempt, but we keep every painting job under this limit anyway.
Brisbane (QLD)
Painting worth more than $3,300 needs a QBCC licence. The value is what a licensed contractor would reasonably charge for the whole job, including labour, GST and all the materials, even paint you buy yourself. We keep painting jobs well within that.
Melbourne (VIC)
Painting on its own doesn’t need building registration. A job that combines trades, such as plastering and painting, and costs more than $10,000 needs a registered builder, as does work that needs a building permit. We keep every job under that.
Bigger than that, such as a whole house or a full exterior? We’ll tell you straight away and suggest you book a licensed tradesperson, or a registered builder in Victoria. Check their licence or registration on your state’s public register before work starts.
Painting jobs we don’t take
- Whole houses, and any job over the state limits above
- Exterior walls above ground-floor height, roofs, and anything that needs scaffolding
- Sanding or stripping old paint that might contain lead. Older homes can have lead-based paint, so we’ll suggest getting it tested first
- Mould from a leak or rising damp. The cause needs fixing first, often by a licensed plumber
- Waterproofing, and coatings for floors, pools or roofs
Not sure where your job fits? Send us a photo and we’ll tell you straight. See all the jobs we don’t take.
Paint and materials
You choose the paint
Use paint you already have, or tell us the brand, colour and finish and we’ll buy it for you.
- We agree what to buy with you before we buy it.
- You pay what we paid, with a copy of the receipt. No mark-up.
- If we can price it before the job, it goes into your written quote.
- Materials count towards the job total, including for the licence limits above.
Price estimator
Estimate your painting job
Choose the jobs and how many of each to see a price range, worked out from the same rates as the price box above. It won’t show a price above $4,000 in Sydney, $4,000 in Melbourne or $2,000 in Brisbane. Jobs that size are close to the licence limits, so we check them with you first.
The price estimator needs JavaScript. Every rate is listed on our prices page, or ask us for a quote.
Estimated total
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This is an estimate, not a quote. We’ll confirm your total price in writing before the job. All prices include GST.
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Painting questions
How much does it cost to paint a wall or a room?
We charge by time: $139 for the first hour on a weekday, then $19 for each 15 minutes. One wall with 2 coats usually comes to about $215–$329, and the walls of a bedroom about $519–$671, on a weekday in Zone A. Paint is extra. All prices include GST, and we confirm your total in writing before the job.
Does a painter need a licence?
It depends on the state and the size of the job. In NSW, painting worth more than $5,000 (labour and materials, including GST) needs a contractor licence, although NSW makes an exception for internal painting done under its own contract. In Queensland, painting worth more than $3,300 needs a QBCC licence. In Victoria, painting on its own doesn’t need registration, but a job combining trades that costs more than $10,000 needs a registered builder. We only take small jobs below these limits.
Can you paint the outside of my house?
Only small parts you can reach from the ground, such as a door, a gate or a short section of fence. We don’t paint above ground-floor height or take on a full exterior. For that, book a licensed tradesperson.
Will a touch-up match my wall?
Not always. Paint fades and sheen levels differ, so a touch-up can show even with the right colour. If you have the original paint, use it. Otherwise we’ll suggest painting the whole wall, corner to corner, and tell you what that costs before we start.
I’m renting. Can you touch up before I move out?
Yes, but check with your agent or landlord first. Some leases say who does the painting and which colour to use. We can’t tell you what your final inspection will accept.
Got a wall or a room to paint?
Send us a few photos and the rough size of the room, and we’ll confirm the price in writing before the job.