Painter & Decorator in Pat Heung

Usually yes for high-traffic areas and exteriors. Premium lines cover better (sometimes saving a coat), scrub clean without burnishing, and hold colour longer outdoors. On a professional job, labour dominates the price — upgrading paint might add a small percentage to the total while meaningfully extending repaint intervals. Save budget paint for low-traffic ceilings and rental refreshes.

Not always — this is the biggest source of quote confusion. Some painters quote labour-only with you supplying paint; others include mid-range trade paint and itemise upgrades. Materials typically add 15-25% to a labour-only price. Always ask: is paint included, what brand and line, and how many coats? Two quotes can differ mostly because one includes premium paint and the other assumes you buy it.

For small interior jobs, many painters ask nothing up front or a token booking fee. For larger jobs, 10-30% deposit is typical, sometimes with a materials payment when paint is purchased. Be wary of demands for 50%+ before any work starts. Stage payments for multi-week jobs are fine; hold back the final payment until you've inspected the finished work in daylight.

Sheen level. Matt hides wall imperfections best but marks more easily — the default for ceilings and low-traffic walls. Eggshell and satin have a slight sheen and wipe clean, suited to halls, kitchens, and kids' rooms. Gloss and semi-gloss are the hardest-wearing, used on woodwork, doors, and trim. Higher sheen shows surface flaws more, so prep matters more as you go glossier.

Painters quote one of four ways: per room (most common for interiors), per square metre or square foot of wall area, a day rate for open-ended work, or a fixed price for a defined whole-house scope. A fixed quote against a written scope — rooms, surfaces, prep level, number of coats, and who supplies paint — protects you best. Day rates suit only small punch-list jobs where the scope genuinely can't be pinned down.

Per saleable square foot — typically HK$3-HK$8 per sq ft for standard two-coat wall painting, so a 400 sq ft flat lands around HK$4,000-HK$11,000 and larger flats scale up. Wall repair (skimming flaked or damp-damaged areas) is quoted on top and is often the variable that doubles a quote.

Usually moisture — condensation on concrete walls, seepage from the flat above, or failed window seals. Painting over it fails within months; the fix is treating the source, scraping back, sealing, then repainting, which can add 30-100% to a basic painting quote. Ask the painter to diagnose the moisture path before quoting.