A specification is not a wish list, it is an instruction. When it names the substrate, the system, the number of coats and the standard expected, every quote you receive is comparing the same job. Vague wording is the single biggest cause of quotes landing miles apart for what looks like one project.
Before naming a product, record what is actually being coated in each area: new plaster, previously painted masonry, bare softwood, powder-coated metal. The substrate governs primer choice, drying times and whether a stain blocker is needed, so it belongs at the top of the document rather than being assumed.
List each coat in order — mist coat, undercoat, topcoat — with the generic product type and sheen level named for each. If two contractors price against different assumed coat counts, the numbers will never line up, and neither will the finish.
Ironmongery removal, protection of floors and fittings, waste disposal, and who supplies materials all belong in the specification. Leaving these to be assumed is how disputes start halfway through a contract.
A specification without a defined standard leaves 'good enough' open to argument. Reference a viewing distance and lighting condition for snagging, and state whether minor roller stipple on a ceiling is acceptable or not, rather than leaving it to be discovered on handover day.
Naming a generic product type and performance level is usually enough. Being too rigid on brand can exclude good contractors who use an equally suitable equivalent system.
A single house can often be specified clearly in two pages if it is organised by room and substrate rather than written as continuous prose.
Sometimes a surveyor or architect, sometimes the client and sometimes the contractor drafts it for the client to approve before pricing begins.
Send us your draft scope and we will mark up anything that needs tightening before it goes out to tender.
A specification only works if it removes the need for a contractor to guess.
Speak to a Hampshire commercial decorating contractor that turns up, communicates clearly and delivers a finish that lasts.
