Painting daily report template
Painting is the last trade in many rooms, so the daily report needs to show the condition of the surface it was handed, what was applied, in what conditions, and what other trades did afterward.
Who fills it out
Painting foreman, reviewed by the painting project manager and the general contractor's superintendent.
Every report covers
- Date, project, location and report author
- Weather (morning and afternoon) and its impact on work
- Manpower and hours by company and role
- Work completed by area or location
- Delays, issues and hours lost
- Deliveries and equipment on site
- Inspections and visitors
- Safety notes (safety meeting held, incidents, near misses)
- Photos with captions
- Foreman sign-off
Painting fields to add
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Areas and coats applied | Primer, first and finish coats by room or area. |
| Product, color and batch | Matches the approved product and helps if there is a color or performance issue later. |
| Surface condition and prep | Condition of drywall or substrate received, and prep performed. |
| Film thickness readings | Wet or dry film thickness where the spec requires it, especially on coatings. |
| Environmental conditions | Air and surface temperature, humidity and dew point. A common coatings spec keeps the surface at least 5F above the dew point. Follow the product data sheet. |
| Damage by others | Scuffs, cuts and repairs needed after paint, with location and photos. |
Inspections and tests to log
- Surface acceptance before paint
- Film thickness readings where specified
- Coatings inspections on industrial or specialty work
- Owner or architect color walk
Weather
Record temperature, humidity and dew point for exterior work and for interior coatings with application limits. Rain stops exterior work and affects cure.
Disputes this record helps settle
- Poor substrate handed over by the previous trade
- Touch-up caused by other trades after finish
- Color and sheen disagreements
- Coatings failing because of conditions at application
Sample entry
Sample entry (illustrative, not a real project)
SAMPLE ENTRY (illustrative). Crew of 5, 8 hours. L1 corridor and rooms 101 to 108: primer and first finish coat, approved eggshell. Rooms 109 and 110 not ready, joint compound still wet. Exterior steel rails: surface 58F, dew point 46F, applied primer per data sheet. Flooring installer gouged wall in 104 after finish, photo attached.
Or text it in
5 painters 8 hrs. L1 corridor and 101-108 primer and first coat. 109-110 not ready, mud still wet. Primed exterior rails, surface 58 dew point 46. Flooring guys gouged wall in 104 after we finished, pic.
Superintendents and foremen text their day and Cascade Technology turns it into the daily report. Subcontractor access is free.
Print it
A blank one-page painting daily report with every field above. Free, no email needed. For the full PDF and Excel version, get the free daily report template.
Frequently asked questions
Why record dew point on a painting daily report?
Coatings applied when the surface is too close to the dew point can fail to bond or cure properly. A reading in the report shows conditions met the product data sheet and spec on the day of application.
Should painters note substrate problems before they start?
Yes. Note and photograph poor substrate before painting, and tell the general contractor. Once paint goes on, the painter can end up owning the repair.