Painting Contractor in Singapore: What the Rate Covers and Where Painting Fits in the Job

Pictured above: a bare living room in an HDB flat with finished cream and brown walls, a raised timber-laminate platform and a ceiling fan, from our project archive (C20).

Painting is the line on a renovation quote that looks simplest and gets misread most. One contractor writes a per-square-foot rate, another writes a lump sum for "whole flat painting", a third folds it into a package. Before you can compare any of them you need to know what each one is counting. This guide uses only the painting figures already published on this site, and tells you what to ask where a figure is not published.

The two ways painting is priced on this site

Our cost guides give painting as a rate. In the 4-room HDB renovation cost guide, interior painting (two coats) is $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot, including preparation. The 3-room and 5-room guides quote the same range, and the 5-room guide adds that with more wall area, a bigger flat sits at the higher end in absolute dollars.

Our two calculators, the room cost calculator and the auto price estimator, price painting differently: a fixed whole-home package by flat size, using Nippon Paint, with one undercoat and two overcoats. The package prices published there are:

• 3-room: $1,750 anti-mould, $1,850 washable, $2,000 odour-less all-in-1, $2,150 premium
• 4-room: $2,050 anti-mould, $2,150 washable, $2,300 odour-less all-in-1, $2,450 premium
• 5-room: $2,250 anti-mould, $2,350 washable, $2,500 odour-less all-in-1, $2,650 premium

The calculators name the four paint choices as Anti-Mould (Vinilex 5000), Washable (EasyWash & Clean), Odour-less All-In-1 and Premium (Ultra Durable / Fresh Air). The odour-less one is marked as the most popular. Estimates from the calculators are indicative; the exact quote follows a site visit.

The two methods answer different questions. A per-square-foot rate tells you how the price moves as the area changes. A package tells you what a standard whole-home repaint costs for a flat of a given size. We do not publish a conversion between them, because wall area depends on ceiling height, the number of doors and windows and the layout, not on floor area alone. So do not divide a package by your floor area and compare it to a rate. Ask each contractor which method they are using, then compare like with like.

What "including preparation" means, and what to ask about it

Preparation is where one painter's price differs from another's, and it is the part you cannot see once the walls are done. The published rate says it includes preparation; it does not itemise what that covers, so ask. On any painting quote, find out:

1. How many coats, and is there an undercoat? Our calculators price one undercoat plus two overcoats. A quote for "two coats" with no undercoat is a different job.
2. What is being measured? Wall area, floor area or a flat-type package. If the quote is per square foot, ask what square foot it means.
3. Which paint, by name? "Good quality paint" cannot be compared. A brand and product name can.
4. Which surfaces are included? Walls only, or ceilings, doors, window frames and the bathroom as well. The calculators do not spell this out, so ask us or anyone else to list it on the quotation.
5. Who protects the floor? The estimator lists floor protection as its own separate line item, so it is not automatically part of a painting figure. Ask whether it is in or out.
6. How are cracks and patchy walls handled? Hairline cracks, old nail holes and uneven plaster should be filled and made good before any colour goes on.

Choosing among the four paint types

The choice is not only about price. Pick on the room, not on the brochure:

• Anti-Mould (Vinilex 5000) is the lowest-priced package and is the one to think about for rooms that stay damp or poorly ventilated. Paint will not cure a moisture problem, though. If a wall is growing mould because of a leak or a blocked vent, fix that first. Our guide to bathroom mould explains the causes that paint cannot reach.
• Washable (EasyWash & Clean) is worth considering in a home with young children or a corridor that gets handled every day, where you expect to wipe marks off.
• Odour-less All-In-1 is the most popular package, and a sensible one to ask about if someone will move in soon after the work finishes.
• Premium (Ultra Durable / Fresh Air) costs the most. If you are paying for it, ask for the manufacturer's own description of what the extra buys, rather than relying on the name.

The gap between the cheapest and dearest package in a 4-room flat is $400 on the published prices. That is small next to a whole-flat renovation, so the choice is usually about how you live in the flat rather than about saving money.

Why painting comes near the end of the job

Painting is one of the last trades in. Our week-by-week plan for a full 4-room renovation puts hacking in week 1, masonry, plumbing and electrical in weeks 2 to 3, waterproofing and tiling in weeks 4 to 5, carpentry in weeks 6 to 7, and then painting, doors and hardware, sanitary fittings and cleaning in week 8, ahead of the handover walkthrough. A 3-room flat does the same in weeks 5 to 6 and a 5-room flat in weeks 9 to 10. The full sequence is in our guide to the order of works.

The reason is practical. Every trade before the painters creates scuffs, dust and knocks. If the walls are painted first, carpenters and tilers then mark them and you pay for touch-ups. Painting late means the colour you chose is the colour you move into.

It also means painting is where a schedule delay becomes visible. If tiling or carpentry runs late, the painters start late, and your handover moves with them. Our guide on what to do when a renovation runs late covers that.

Two situations change the picture. In a basic refresh, painting is one of the main items, alongside vinyl flooring and light carpentry, with no hacking. Our cost guides describe a bare refresh of paint, vinyl and light carpentry at around $15,000 to $20,000 for a 3-room or 4-room flat in good condition. If you are only repainting, with no other works, ask for painting alone to be quoted on its own line, and the sequencing points above do not apply. The second situation is a feature wall. A feature wall, in any material from laminate through to stone slab, is priced separately in our cost guides at $1,500 to $5,000, so do not assume the whole-home painting figure covers it.

Checking the painting at handover

Walk each room with the lights on and the curtains open, because side light from a window shows roller marks, patches and uneven edges that overhead light hides. Check the corners where wall meets ceiling, the edges around switches and sockets, and the door frames. Mark every defect on one list and agree a date for it to be corrected before you release the final payment. Our guide to the handover inspection sets out the full walk-through.

What to do this week

1. Decide whether you want a repaint only, or painting as part of a larger renovation. The questions to ask are different.
2. Pick your paint type from the four above based on the rooms, not the price gap.
3. Put your flat type into the auto price estimator and add painting to see the package figure, then compare it with any quote you have been given.
4. Ask every contractor the six questions above and write down which ones they leave unanswered.

We are an HDB Licensed Renovation Contractor, HB-09-5667H. Want painting priced for your own flat? WhatsApp us on 9107 2601 with your property type, estate and flat type, and tell us whether it is a repaint only or part of a larger renovation. We will arrange a site visit if you want one.