Why There Is No Price Until There Is a Survey
The most honest answer to “how much will it cost?” is “let us measure the building first.” Any painter who quotes a square-metre rate over the phone is either guessing or has already decided to cut something — usually the preparation. Cost in painting and coating work is a function of the system specified and the condition of what it goes onto, and neither can be known until someone walks the site.
Coralex Painters has surveyed and quoted work across Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Takoradi, and Lomé since 1984. This guide explains the variables that move a price, so you can read a quote critically and understand why the cheapest line on a tender is often the most expensive job in the end.
The Variables That Move a Price
The System Specified
A budget wall emulsion and an ISO 12944 steel corrosion system are not the same cost, because they are not doing the same job. The system is the single largest driver:
- Waterborne acrylic on prepared masonry — the baseline for walls.
- Alkyd or specialist trim coats — higher per litre, lower coverage.
- Epoxy floor systems — priced by build, primer, and topcoat, not by paint alone.
- Steel corrosion systems — priced by surface preparation grade and coat count to the ISO 12944 category.
Surface Condition and Preparation
This is where quotes diverge most. A sound, clean wall needs little. A wall with chalking, damp, failed previous coatings, or cracks needs remediation before a single finish coat — and that work is real labour and material. A quote that ignores preparation is not cheaper; it has simply moved the cost to your next repaint.
Area, Height and Access
Square metres are the obvious driver, but height and access multiply labour. A frontage reachable from the ground costs less to coat than the same area at three storeys requiring scaffold or access equipment.
Occupied vs Empty Premises
Phased, out-of-hours work on an occupied office or clinic — so the business keeps trading — carries a labour premium over an empty shell painted in normal hours. It is often worth it; it is never free.
Specialist and Protective Work
Waterproofing, anti-microbial coatings for healthcare, and industrial protective systems carry specification and verification work that decorative painting does not. You are paying for measured film build, documented standards, and a finish that has to perform, not just present.
How to Compare Quotes Fairly
Two quotes are only comparable if they specify the same system, the same preparation, and the same coat count. Before comparing prices, line them up on:
- System and product — is it the same grade of coating, or a cheaper substitute?
- Preparation scope — who is responsible for remediating damp, chalk, and failed coatings?
- Coat count and film build — two coats or three? At what thickness?
- Verification — is dry-film thickness (ISO 2808) or adhesion (ASTM D3359) checked, or is it “looks done”?
- Handover documentation — colour, batch, and product records for the next maintenance cycle.
A quote that is cheaper because it dropped a coat, skipped preparation, or substituted a lesser product is not a saving. It is a deferred cost with interest.
Where Cost Is Quoted, Honestly
Coralex quotes per square metre after a free on-site survey, because the rate depends on everything above. We do not publish a fixed rate, because a fixed rate would be a fiction — it would either overcharge a simple job or under-prepare a difficult one. The survey is free; the honesty is the point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you give me a rough idea before the survey?
We can talk through the variables and what typically drives a job like yours, but we will not commit to a rate before measuring, because the substrate condition alone can move a price significantly. The survey is free and quick to arrange.
Why is one painter so much cheaper than another?
Usually because the cheaper quote has dropped a coat, skipped surface preparation, or substituted a lesser product. Compare the scope, not just the number — the difference is almost always in what was quietly removed.
Does specialist coating cost more than ordinary painting?
Yes, because protective, waterproofing, and anti-microbial systems carry specification, film-build, and verification work that decorative painting does not. You are buying measurable performance, documented to standard.
Is the survey really free?
Yes. The on-site survey and the resulting specification and quote are free. It is the point at which a job is correctly scoped — the least costly place to get the specification right.
Get an Honest Quote
Coralex Painters surveys and quotes painting and coating work across Greater Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, and Lomé, Togo. For a free on-site survey and a specification you can compare fairly, call +233 23 063 0014.