Compare painting contractors working across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane.

Mumbai painting appointment guide

What a painting contractor does and where the job hands over.

A painting contractor prepares and finishes walls, ceilings, grills, doors and wood surfaces. That includes scraping old paint, filling cracks, sanding, applying primer, applying putty in one or two coats, sanding again and then two or more coats of the chosen paint. Texture finishes, stencils and wallpaper hanging are often offered by the same team. Leaking walls, loose plaster and wide cracks in concrete go back to the civil contractor before painting starts. Polishing of furniture and doors is sometimes a separate polisher. Electricians should have fixed switch plates before finishing coats, and the false ceiling must be complete and dust free before its first coat of primer. Ask the painter to list what surfaces are excluded.

How to vet a painting contractor before you pay.

Ask for the GST registration if the firm is registered, and match the name to the quotation and the bank account. Many painters work as sole proprietors, so ask for a PAN and Aadhaar copy and keep them with the agreement. Visit a flat painted at least one monsoon ago and look for peeling near windows, patchy sheen on the ceiling and putty lines showing through. Ask the owner whether the same team that quoted did the work, and whether the paint tins were opened on site. Ask whether the contractor is an applicator for a paint brand and check that on the brand's own website. Meet the supervisor who will be on your site and ask how many painters will come each day.

What a proper painting quotation contains.

Painting is measured by area, so the quotation must state how area is counted. Check whether doors, windows and cupboards are deducted or measured on both sides, and whether ceilings are counted separately. Each line should name the paint brand, the exact product range and the finish, along with the number of putty, primer and finish coats. The quotation should say who supplies the paint, and if the painter supplies it, whether the tins come sealed to site. It must list inclusions such as scaffolding, masking, moving furniture, covering floors and disposing of waste. Tax should sit on a separate line. Ask for the measurement to follow IS 1200, the Indian Standard for measurement of building works. A written warranty against peeling and flaking, with a period and start date, belongs in the quotation, as do payment stages tied to coats completed.

Common frauds in painting work.

A frequent trick is the brand swap, where a premium range is quoted and a cheaper range from the same brand, or a different brand, is applied from tins opened before they reach your flat. Paint is thinned with more water than the tin allows, so two coats look like one. Putty is skipped or applied as one coat when two were quoted. Primer is left out and the finish coat is applied straight onto old paint, which peels within a year. Area is padded by measuring openings on both sides or counting the ceiling twice. Tin counts are inflated, so ask to see the empty tins and check batch numbers. A finish coat is quoted but a cheaper distemper is applied in areas that are hard to see, such as behind wardrobes and above the ceiling line.

When to hire a painter directly.

Hire a painter directly when the job is a repaint with no other trade on site, or when the other work is finished and the flat is clean. You then choose the paint, buy it yourself if you prefer, and check the coats. Hire through an interior or turnkey contractor when the painting follows carpentry, false ceiling and electrical work in the same flat. That contractor then decides when the site is dust free, protects finished woodwork and gives one warranty covering the interfaces. The main clash is between the painter and the carpenter, when paint gets onto new laminate or polish gets onto a painted wall. Ask who pays for the touch up. If you hire directly, that answer is you.

Sequence, dependencies and site checks during painting.

Before the painter starts, seepage must be fixed and tested through at least one heavy rain, plaster repairs must be cured and the false ceiling must be jointed and sanded. Electrical boxes should be fixed and switch plates removed. Inspect after scraping and filling, again after putty and sanding, and again after primer. Check the wall under a raking light held close to the surface, which shows waves and putty lines. Ask to see each tin opened on site and photograph the label and batch number. Count the tins against the quantity quoted. Photograph each room after primer and after the first finish coat, dated. Keep one sample board with the final shade and product name for future touch ups.

Payment, handover and warranty closure for painting.

Keep the advance small and release it when the painter mobilises with scaffolding and masking material on site. Release the second payment after putty and primer are inspected and approved. Release the third after the first finish coat is complete across all rooms. Hold the final payment until the second coat is done, masking is removed, floors and fittings are cleaned, and touch ups from your snag list are closed. At the end, collect the empty tins or a photo record of each batch number, the leftover paint labelled by room, a written warranty against peeling and flaking with a start date, and the final measured area with your own measurement beside it. Get the painter to sign that no dues remain.