FinishGrid Advisory
Expert guidance for better finishing decisions.
Building, renovating or repainting? Understand your options before you choose colours, accept a quotation, buy materials or start work. FinishGrid Advisory is a paid service delivered by people, not software: we look at your actual project, quotation or plans and give you clear written recommendations, scoped with you first.
- For property owners Homeowners, landlords and property managers in Kenya. Suitable commercial property on request.
- Keep your own contractor Advice stands on its own. Use any fundi or contractor you choose.
- Always in writing Every paid assignment ends with a written output matched to its agreed scope.
Three ways we can help
Start from the decision in front of you. Each service is scoped to your project, not sold as a fixed package.
Choosing colours or finishes?
Coordinate colours and choose finishes that suit your actual rooms, walls, light and the way you use the space.
Paint, Colour & Finish ConsultationReviewing a quotation?
Understand the contractor's quotation you actually received: what it covers, what is unclear or missing, and what to ask.
Expert Quote ReviewPlanning the work?
Develop and check a clear, written plan for your painting and finishing work, so contractors price the same scope.
Project Planning & Technical Advisory
Choosing colours or finishes?
Paint, Colour & Finish Consultation
Help with coordinating colours and choosing suitable, durable finishes for your actual spaces, surfaces and light, and for what you want the project to achieve.
Who it helps
- You're finishing a new home and choosing a colour scheme from scratch.
- You're repainting and want a change that works with what stays: floors, tiles, roofing, windows, gates and fittings.
- You're unsure whether a matt, silk, enamel, textured or exterior finish suits a particular surface.
What we may look at
- Interior and exterior palettes: walls, ceilings, trims, doors, gates and accents, and how they sit with the roof and the elevations.
- Where each colour goes, how natural and artificial light changes it, undertones, and the fixed elements you are keeping.
- Which finish and paint system suits each surface where it is technically suitable, and the cleaning and maintenance it implies.
- Preparation points and risks that need an inspection or a specialist before a finish is chosen.
- How to choose physical samples and judge them on your own walls, in your own light.
Brand-neutral advice
Recommendations specify the type of finish and the paint system each surface needs, not a manufacturer or supplier, so you can buy suitable products wherever you choose.
What you may receive in writing
Colour & Finish Recommendation
- Your objective and the evidence we reviewed
- The palette direction and where each colour goes
- A finish and product-category schedule for each relevant surface
- Preparation and sampling notes
- Decisions that still need confirming on site
- An action checklist
Remote or at the property
Often possible remotely, from photos, plans and your description. Rooms with difficult light, and exteriors, usually benefit from someone seeing them.
Not included
- Architectural design, statutory drawings or a complete interior-design service.
- An exact colour match from photos or screens. Digital swatches are indicative; approve colours on physical samples on your wall.
- A guarantee of how a coating will perform.
Opens WhatsApp with a short message you can edit. Scope and fee are agreed before any work.
Reviewing a quotation?
Expert Quote Review
Help with understanding the quotation you received and finding scope gaps, unclear items, quantity questions and possible variations before you commit.
Who it helps
- You have a painting quotation and aren't sure what it includes or leaves out.
- Preparation, quantities or the paint system are written in shorthand, or not at all.
- You have several quotations and want to compare them like for like.
What we may look at
- A person reads the quotation itself, including unclear or shorthand entries.
- Preparation, repairs, protection, undercoat or primer where appropriate, finish coats, access and scaffolding, cleaning up and exclusions.
- Whether surface areas and quantities look reasonable, but only where the dimensions and wall conditions are known.
- Whether the paint types and systems specified suit the surfaces.
- A like-for-like comparison of several quotations, when you ask for one.
On price
We comment on whether a price is reasonable only when there is independent, current and comparable evidence for the same scope. Otherwise the report says plainly that price could not be assessed. Where quotations differ a lot, we explain the possible reasons, such as height and access, preparation, labour, coverage, product quality or scope, as possibilities to check, not as established causes.
Different from Check My Quote
Check My Quote is free and stays free: it gives a structured reading of the details you enter. Expert Quote Review is a person reading the quotation document itself and writing reasoning specific to it.
Quotations from a related business
If the quotation is from Paint Pros Africa or another business FinishGrid is connected with, we tell you before any review starts. We then offer only a clearly labelled clarification of the scope and specification, or suggest an external reviewer, and give no opinion on the price.
What you may receive in writing
Quotation Review & Clarification Report
- The quotation details and the scope we considered
- Findings by topic, each labelled Confirmed from the documents, Needs verification, or Not assessed
- Questions you can send to the contractor
- Suggested next steps, and the limits of the review
- For several quotations, a like-for-like comparison table where the documents support one
Remote or at the property
Usually remote: the quotation, plus any photos, drawings or measurements you already have.
Not included
- A formal valuation or a certified bill of quantities.
- A legal review of a contract.
- A guarantee of the lowest price, or of a contractor's ability or workmanship.
- An assumption that you are being overcharged.
Opens WhatsApp with a short message you can edit. Scope and fee are agreed before any work.
Planning the work?
Project Planning & Technical Advisory
Help with developing and checking a sensible, clearly documented plan for painting and finishing work, from the surfaces you have to the finish you want.
Who it helps
- New-build finishing, where plastering, skimming, priming and finishing need to happen in the right order.
- Renovations and repaints with mixed or uncertain surface conditions.
- Owners who want one written brief to send to several contractors.
- Technical questions at a particular stage: preparation, application methods or whether a finish suits a surface.
What we may look at
- What the project needs, and the surface conditions that can be observed.
- Preparation and coating-system recommendations for each substrate and condition, following the manufacturer's requirements for the products concerned.
- Material planning and pack sizes, from known measurements and FinishGrid's approved methods.
- Work sequence and the readiness checks between stages.
- A clear contractor brief or specification, so quotations can be compared on the same scope.
- Quality checkpoints, photo-based remote reviews and site assessment where appropriate.
When a specialist comes first
Suspected structural movement, significant damp, plumbing or waterproofing causes, legal disputes and regulated design, measurement or certification work go to the right specialist. We say so in writing when that is needed.
What you may receive in writing
Technical Assessment Summary
- Observed conditions, assumptions and what needs confirming
Finishing Specification & Project Plan
- Coating systems by surface, sequence and a contractor brief
Material & Work Sequence Schedule
- Quantities and packs from known measurements, in work order
Quality Checkpoint Report
- What was checked at an agreed stage, and what to resolve before continuing
Remote or at the property
Remote reviews of photos and drawings, a site assessment, or both. Remote observation has limits, and measurements we haven't taken ourselves are labelled as supplied by you.
Not included
- Ongoing project management, or supervising or directing the contractor's workers. A checkpoint is a one-off visit or review, not full-time supervision.
- Holding funds, certifying payments or obtaining statutory approvals.
- Structural engineering, formal quantity surveying or a guarantee of workmanship.
Opens WhatsApp with a short message you can edit. Scope and fee are agreed before any work.
Remote, at the property, or both
Site assessment is a way of delivering any of the three services, not a separate package. Some questions can be answered well from photos, plans and documents; others need someone to see the surfaces, the light or the access.
A visit covers what was agreed for it. It doesn't automatically include every measurement, test, specification or report. Whether a visit is possible, and where, is confirmed when we discuss your assignment.
What a FinishGrid client receives
Written advice you can act on, share with a contractor and come back to. Its length depends on the scope: sometimes a short recommendation sheet, sometimes a detailed assessment or specification.
Practical written recommendations
Specific to your surfaces, rooms, quotation or plan, not generic tips.
Evidence and uncertainty, labelled
Each finding says whether it was observed, supplied by you or assumed, and what is a potential concern, needs confirming on site or can't be assessed.
Clear next steps
Questions to ask, decisions to make and what to confirm before work starts.
Illustrative sample
Excerpt: Quotation Review & Clarification Report
- Confirmed from the documents The quotation lists two finish coats of interior emulsion for the living room and three bedrooms.
- Needs verification Preparation is written only as "prep". Ask which walls will be filled, sanded or skimmed, and whether repaired patches are primed before painting.
- Not assessed Price. No current, comparable evidence for this scope was available, so the report gives no view on the price.
Question to send your contractor: "Is skimming included in the quoted labour, and for which walls?"
Where we help
The depth of advice follows the decision you need to make, not the property label alone. A single apartment and a multi-storey house can need very different levels of work.
- New-build finishing
- Renovations
- Repaints
- Apartments
- Bungalows
- Maisonettes and multi-storey houses
- Larger residential properties
- Landlords and property managers
- Suitable commercial property
How Advisory works
Request
Tell us what you need on WhatsApp, by phone or by email.
Brief qualification
A few questions about the property, the decision and the information available. This first conversation is free; it is for working out the assignment, not for delivering the advice itself.
Scope and proposal
We propose the scope, the method (remote, at the property or both), the written output, the timing and the fee for your assignment.
Your acceptance
Work starts only after you accept the scope in writing and the agreed payment arrangement is in place.
Assessment
A person reviews your documents, photos or property, as agreed.
Written deliverable
You receive the agreed written output, in proportion to the scope.
Clarification
Questions about the report are answered as agreed in the scope.
There is no standard price list. Every assignment is assessed and quoted individually once we understand what you need, and you decide before any paid work begins.
How we work, and who advises you
Independent professional judgement
Recommendations are driven by your requirements and the technical evidence. No paint manufacturer, supplier or contractor receives preferential treatment, and specifications are written so you can use them with any suitable supplier or contractor.
Evidence-led
Recommendations follow the manufacturer's technical information for the specific product and surface, FinishGrid's published methodology, and what is observed or supplied. Not blanket rules.
Uncertainty stated
Where something can't be confirmed from photos or documents, the report says so and says what would confirm it.
Checked before delivery
Reports are checked against a written quality checklist for assumptions, factual claims and disclosures before they are sent.
Conflicts handled openly
If a business related to FinishGrid is involved in your project, for example by quoting for it, we tell you before we start and limit what we assess.
Who will advise you
The person who will handle your assignment, and their relevant experience, is confirmed in the proposal, so you can decide before accepting.
Advice and execution are separate
FinishGrid provides brand-neutral information, planning tools and quotation guidance to help property owners make informed painting and finishing decisions. Professional project services may be delivered by Paint Pros Africa, a related business, or other disclosed service partners.
Advisory is a service in its own right. You are free to use any suitable contractor, including your own fundi. Advisory doesn't require you to use Paint Pros Africa or any partner, and reports don't contain sales offers from them.
We don't share your plans, quotations, photos or contact details with any contractor or partner unless you expressly agree. If you separately ask Paint Pros Africa to price or carry out the work, that is a separate arrangement: Advisory fees are not credited against it, and FinishGrid takes no undisclosed referral commission.
If anything about a particular assignment could affect our assessment, such as a quotation from a related business, we tell you in writing before any work starts and limit the assessment accordingly.
Professional limits
- Photos and video can't show everything. Findings from a remote review are labelled as such, and some need confirming on site.
- Colours on screens and in photos are indicative. Approve colours on physical samples on your own wall.
- Moisture causes, structural concerns, regulatory matters and disputes are referred to the right specialist.
- We don't provide architectural, engineering, quantity-surveying or legal services, and we don't certify work or payments.
- Measurements you supply are used as supplied and labelled that way.
Questions about Advisory
What does FinishGrid Advisory do?
It gives Kenyan property owners paid, written expert advice on painting and finishing decisions: choosing colours and finishes, understanding a contractor's quotation, and planning the work. A person looks at your project and the advice is scoped and agreed with you first.
Can you review my painter's quotation?
Yes. Expert Quote Review is a person reading the quotation itself and giving you written findings, labelled by how certain they are, and questions to send the contractor. We comment on price only where there is independent, current and comparable evidence.
What is different from Check My Quote?
Check My Quote is a free tool: it gives a structured reading of the details you enter, and it stays free and useful on its own. Expert Quote Review is a paid service in which a person examines the quotation document and writes reasoning specific to it.
I already have my own fundi or contractor. Will this help?
Yes. Advice stands on its own. Many clients use it to brief their own contractor more clearly or to check a quotation before agreeing to it.
Can you advise without managing the work?
Yes. Advisory gives written advice and, where agreed, one-off checkpoints. It isn't project management, supervision of workers or certification of work or payments.
Can you advise remotely, or do you visit?
Both are possible. Many questions can be answered from photos, plans and documents. Where surfaces, light or access need to be seen, we may suggest a site assessment. Whether a visit is possible at your location is confirmed when we discuss the assignment.
Can colours be guaranteed from photos?
No. Screens and photos change how colours look, so digital swatches are indicative. Final colour approval should always be on physical samples on your wall, in your light.
What documents might you need?
It depends on the service: typically photos of the surfaces, the quotation or quotations, drawings or room sizes, and any product information you have. We tell you what's needed after the first conversation, and how to send it securely. Please don't send documents before then.
How much does it cost?
There is no standard price list. Each assignment is quoted individually once we understand what you need, and you decide before any paid work begins.
Is FinishGrid linked to a painting contractor or paint seller?
Yes, and we say so. Paint Pros Africa is a related business that may carry out work if a client separately asks it to. Advisory doesn't require you to use it, and if a related business is involved in your project we tell you before we start and limit what we assess. Advice is brand-neutral: no paint manufacturer or supplier receives preferential treatment.
Do you recommend particular paint brands?
No. Recommendations specify the type of finish and the paint system each surface needs, following the product's technical requirements. You choose the brand and the supplier.
What happens to my quotation and photos?
They are used for your assignment. They are not shared with any contractor or partner unless you expressly agree, and they are never collected through this website.
How is an assignment arranged?
Send a short message describing what you need. We ask a few questions, then propose a scope, method, written output, timing and fee. Work starts only once you accept in writing.
Prefer to try the free tools first? Check My Quote, the calculators and the guides stay free.
Request expert advice
Tell us briefly what you need. The exact scope, written output, timing and fee are confirmed with you before any work begins.