Painting Contract PDF Template

If you are a contractor, you can use this Painting Contract Template to stand above the rest, demonstrating your professionalism and your care about your clients. The contract sets expectations and requirements very specifically on both sides and protects you in the case of a dispute. Using these principals, your business will become more efficient.

If you are a developer, homeowner, or you are preparing homes or properties for listing, a new coat of paint can go a long way to increase the property’s value. But there are a lot of unscrupulous companies on the market, which will try to do the bare minimum of work and get you to pay top dollar for it. Use a well-formed Painting Contract to ensure that specific work is agreed upon, creating a binding legal agreement that contractors must abide by.

You’ll need to do all of the proper research and homework first, but this template will give you a head-start and a good framework. You should always consult a lawyer though before finalizing any contracts.

Download the template today and edit it using any version of our PDF Reader apps.

Painting is a specific service that involves a lot of preparation and professionalism. Many companies exist on the market, offering services to companies and individuals, who may be selling an old home, developers completing finishing work for new properties, or owners completing upgrades on their residences. A fair number of those companies are unprofessional and are just looking to make a quick buck, while their clients suffer from inferior quality and unwarrantied service.

If you are one of those property owners, you can use this contract to protect yourself, offering it to contractors to bid on your painting projects. This contract template is useful for both interior and exterior painting projects, adaptable to different styles, including new or old construction.

If you are a contractor, you can set yourself apart from the less professional competition. Show your knowledge of the business, and that you know and care about the specific details that will make your client’s finished project stand above the rest. By mentioning the exact materials and methodologies used for painting, preparation, transportation, and incidental work, you can set expectations before the start of the project, and reduce the liability for your company in the case of disputes.

A common Painting Contract such as this one is applicable to the painting of homes, businesses, offices, or other structures, including interior or exterior. It can be used for commercial or residential work, and the contract law is nearly universal. There might be certain state laws, however, which require insurance limits, certifications, permits, or bonds to be issued for certain types of work. If the property in question is covered by local codes or by-laws, such as those by a homeowner’s association, then you may be subject to specific rules, such as allowable colors, schedules, vehicle parking requirements, or limitations on whether work can be performed at all. You always need to check local regulations and by-laws, and we recommend starting from the top-down, that is from the federal government all the way down to city, neighborhood, and even smaller zone HOA rules. A large percentage of any painting work is the preparation. In our contract, we’ve included sections for inspection. This is important because many disputes result from disagreement in the before and after condition of the property, which may not even be related to painting. Because painting often requires that the other contractors or even residents leave the premises during the work, suspicion can arise if damages occur, and as a painting contractor, you want to make sure that you aren’t blamed for damage caused naturally, preexisting, or from another contractor.

Before starting paintwork, repair and conditioning needs to be performed. The more specific you are when defining this work, the better. Paint adheres best to a primer that is applied recently, clean, with some light sanding performed, and without any defects. If defects need to be fixed, such as caulking, hole filling, fixture removal, appliance removal, cabinets, doors, trim, or worse- mold, water damage, or moss, then the painter will need to include these items in the contract.

We have included a specific section on materials as well. Many painting contracts are vague, and clients don’t notice. Avoid statements like “primer/ 2 coats Sherwin Williams” and instead use “one coat of 3 gallons of Behr #5051 primer and two additional coats of 3 gallons each of Behr #6021 Dover White Satin Latex Paint, applied by sprayer and back roll, and two coats of 1 gallon each of #6023 Behr River Rock Grey Semi-Gloss, applied by brush and roller to trim.”

Paint needs to be transported and stored in a specific way to stay fresh. The contract should stipulate who is responsible for this, and how it will be accomplished. In many contracts, a “Timeliness” clause is used, which allows a material breach of contract to be enacted if certain schedule elements are late. For example, if the paint was mixed two months ago, the quality of the end result will be significantly diminished, and may simply not be acceptable for the price the client is paying. It’s professional and gives the client peace of mind to know that their paint will be stored in a climate-controlled environment for a maximum time period of 4 weeks past the date of mixing.

In order for a service contract such as this to be valid, the start and end date need to be defined. Contract enforceability also depends on the payment for the client, and often for the schedule of payment. What is the payment contingent on, and will the client pay for any up-front charges? These questions should all be asked in the Payment Schedule section.

The last few sections of our contract template deal with disputes. If you have a dispute, or there is an issue and damages occur, there will need to be a way to deal with the issue. Insurance, Warranties, Bond, and the local regulations all apply, when dealing with disputes. A special dispute resolution clause helps reduce legal fees, by having parties in the contract agree to negotiate first, before bringing a lawsuit. At the very end, you may want to specify subcontractors to handle inspection or other work, or you may want to attach copies of regulations, by-laws, certificates, or inspections. These attachments can be included as part of the contract as well if desired.

Now, you have a good idea of what is needed in a painting contract. These provisions outlined above are still the bare minimum, and your local regulation or business may require many more. Get organized and start filling out the template today, and see how much more efficient and professional your painting project can be.