Best Painters in Melbourne: How to Find One & 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring

Finding the best painters in Melbourne sounds simple until you’re left with streaky walls, an abandoned job, or a dispute with a tradie who’s vanished. Victoria has no consumer-facing licensing scheme for painters, which means virtually anyone can pick up a brush and call themselves a professional. 

Knowing how to hire a painter (and what to ask before you sign anything) is the difference between a result you’re proud of and one you’re painting over six months later.

Quick Answers

• There’s no painter’s licence required in Victoria, so you need to vet tradespeople yourself using the right questions.
• Always confirm VBA registration, public liability insurance, and a fixed-price written quote before committing.
• Workmanship warranties, product specifications, and verifiable references are non-negotiable for quality jobs.
• Membership with Master Painters Australia or Dulux Accredited status signals a painter who takes their work seriously.

Do Painters Need a Licence in Victoria?

No, which surprises many homeowners. 

Unlike plumbers or electricians, painters in Victoria are not required to hold a consumer-facing licence issued by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA). There’s no licensing exam, no mandatory certification, and no government body that registers individual painting contractors specifically for consumer protection purposes.

What exists is VBA registration for domestic building work valued at more than $10,000. Under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (Vic), any domestic building work over that threshold must be carried out by a registered domestic builder. Painting-only contracts can sometimes sit in a grey area depending on the scope, but any painter taking on larger renovation or new-build work should be VBA-registered.

You can’t just look up a licence number and assume you’re protected. You need to ask the right questions.

10 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Painter in Melbourne

These are the questions that separate careful operators from those who’ll cost you twice.

Q1: Are you registered with the VBA, and do you carry public liability insurance?

Start here. If the job is a domestic painting contract and the value exceeds $10,000, VBA registration is required. You can verify VBA registration at vba.vic.gov.au. For insurance, request a certificate of currency, not just a policy number. 

Q2: Do your subcontractors carry their own insurance and WorkCover?

Many painters use subcontractors for large commercial or multi-storey residential jobs. Ask specifically whether those subs carry their own public liability and WorkCover insurance. If a subcontractor damages your property or is injured on site without their own coverage, you could be caught in the middle.

Q3: If my home was built before 1970, how will you handle lead paint?

Listen for a specific answer: testing with a lead detection kit or XRF device, wet sanding or chemical stripping rather than dry sanding, appropriate PPE, and correct disposal of contaminated waste. A vague response isn’t good enough. This is both a health issue and a legal one. SafeWork Australia’s guidance on lead is publicly available and serves as the basis for safe practice.

Q4: Can I have a fixed-price, itemised written quote?

You want a quote that breaks down labour, materials, number of coats, and any surface preparation costs separately. A lump-sum figure with no itemisation makes it hard to compare quotes accurately and, harder still, to dispute variations later. Under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (Vic), contracts over $10,000 must be in writing. But even for smaller jobs, a written quote protects both parties.

Q5: What products will you use, and how many coats?

Premium paint brands differ meaningfully from budget alternatives in terms of pigment load, durability, and washability. Ask specifically what product line and sheen level they’re specifying, and why. Two coats over properly primed surfaces is the standard for most interior and exterior applications; anything less on bare or patchy surfaces should raise questions.

Q6: What does your prep process look like?

Paint fails because of inadequate preparation, not because of the paint itself. Ask how they’ll clean the surface, whether they’ll fill cracks and holes, how they’ll handle flaking or peeling areas, and whether they’ll sand back to a smooth finish. Good painters spend as much time on prep as they do on application. If a quote seems surprisingly low, prep is almost always where corners are being cut.

Q7: What warranty do you offer, and what does it cover?

Industry-standard workmanship warranties typically run for 2 to 5 years, covering defects in application. Ask specifically what voids the warranty and whether it covers both labour and materials. Some painters also pass on manufacturer warranties for the paint products themselves, which can extend coverage further.

Q8: Can I see three recent jobs in my area, and speak to those clients?

References should be recent (within the past 12 months), ideally in your suburb or a comparable area, and verifiable (meaning you can call or visit). Asking to see the finished work in person tells you far more than photos. Most clients are happy to show off a quality result.

Q9: Are you a member of Master Painters Australia or Dulux Accredited?

These aren’t just badges. Master Painters Australia requires members to meet ongoing standards and provides a dispute resolution pathway. Dulux Accredited painters undergo training and must meet standards set by one of Australia’s leading paint manufacturers. Neither guarantees perfection, but both signal a professional who’s invested in the trade, rather than one who’s passing through it.

Q10: What’s your timeline, and what happens if weather delays the job?

Exterior painting is weather-dependent. Melbourne’s “four seasons in a day” climate is well documented, and a painter who quotes a firm completion date without factoring in weather contingencies either isn’t experienced with Melbourne exteriors or isn’t being straight with you. 

Ask what their policy is for weather delays: do they communicate proactively, or do you have to chase them? And if they have other jobs on, how do they manage sequencing when conditions push them back?

How to Find a House Painter in Melbourne

• Get referrals first. Ask neighbours, friends, or your property manager who they’ve used recently. 
• Check industry directories. Master Painters Australia maintains a member directory at masterpainters.com.au, and Dulux publishes its Accredited network online. 
• Search with suburb-level specificity. A painter who regularly works in your area understands local conditions. 
• Treat the quote process as an audition. How a painter communicates before the job tells you everything about how they’ll communicate during it. 

Working With Ansell Painting

If you’re looking for the best painters in Melbourne across residential and commercial projects, Ansell Painting brings extensive experience to both. 

From house painters in Brighton to painters in Berwick and across the wider metro area, the team works to the standards this guide outlines – fixed-price written quotes, verifiable insurance, transparent prep processes, and workmanship guarantees.

For commercial projects, our commercial painting Melbourne service handles larger-scale work with the scheduling and site management that commercial clients require.

If you’d like to discuss your project, reach out for an obligation-free quote.