By Zephyr and Stone

A Finishes schedule is GOLD when you’re managing your own home improvement project. A Finishes Schedule is a detailed list of all the materials and finishes that will be used in a renovation or building project. It’s a crucial part of any home renovation, and not only outlines things like materials, fixtures, finishes and colours but importantly; also details which room or location they go in a home. A Finishes Schedule is designed to be shared with your renovation contractors, including builders, trades, suppliers or manufacturers (and other half!), so everyone knows what’s being installed and where.

But it’s not just for sharing with your team…

Finishes Schedule For Renovators Download Poster with Clickable Link — Zephyr and Stone: Finishes Schedule

If you’re managing your own home renovation, you’ll find a Finishes Schedule to be an invaluable resource for yourself! In fact, we’d go as far as to say it’s a reno game-changer. That’s because it stores all the essential details for your home remodelling project and can be saved on your phone, so it’s always ready to reference throughout your project or share with any new trades or suppliers. Plus, it continues to be useful years down the track if you need to check a paint colour for a paint touch-up or replace a product.

Here are our expert tips on what to include in your finishes schedule to help you plan your home renovation with confidence.

Living room picture with grey sofas and round table for interior design idea Shareen Joe — Shareen Joe

Location

Each room or area of a home or building should be listed in your Finishes Schedule, along with any specific location details like the floor or exact wall where a product will be installed or applied. This will streamline organising your home renovation and planning each space and allows you to easily reference any room’s finishes throughout your project.

Kitchen with marble center counter, hanging ceiling light with wooden chairs Mim Design schedule of finishes — Mim Design

Product Name

You’ll need to note down all the products for your house renovation, including full product names and any codes. This will make it easy to identify the exact product and makes ordering items or checking them off when they’re delivered easy. Including product codes also helps avoid misinterpretation or the wrong product being ordered.

Colour Details

It’s vital to include the colour for all of your products and finishes. For finishes like house paint, include the strength as well, for example, ‘Dulux Lexicon Half’. For hardware, add colour details like ‘Brushed Brass’ to make sure you end up with the right product and the paint finish you’re after.

Finish

It’s important that you list any specific finishes for things like house tiles, bathroom basins, tapware, benchtops etc. For example, a basin or bathtub can come in options like matte or gloss, and tiles are often available in finishes like polished, honed, matte or lappato. These are important distinctions that will have a big impact on your overall interior design, and ordering the wrong finish can add up the renovation costs or lead to disappointment.

renovation calculator — Zephyr and Stone: Renovation Budget Calculator

Size

Another important element that’s necessary to include in your Finishes Schedule is sizing details. To avoid any errors, note sizing information for each product you’re including, such as lengths, widths, thickness etc. Products like lighting also often come in various sizes such as S, M, L or XL, so make sure you’re specific when adding any details to your Finishes Schedule.

Bedroom with brown wall paneling and 2 hanging celling lights finishes schedule — Tom Mark Henry

Comments

This sections is where you should be adding any instructions for manufacturing, rough-in or installation. Details like ‘install horizontally’, ‘centre over dining table’, or ‘install 1800mm off finish floor level’ are important and handy references for your building team, that will help them with ordering materials, planning and reduce multiple phone calls during construction.

Grey rug, round floor cushion and white sofa with two white plant pot in the background living of Coral House Living Room project planning schedule of finishes — Zephyr and Stone • Coral House Living Room

Suppliers

Including any supplier names, contact details and telephone numbers will prove to be handy not only to your building team but also for yourself. This avoids having to search for the supplier manually and allows you to access the supplier’s details efficiently throughout your home renovation project. It’s also important to include a website link so that anyone using the Finishes Schedule can quickly view the product online.

Dining room with long marble dining table wooden chairs and flower pot on the table finishes schedule for renovations — Nina Maya Interiors

Which products to include in your Finishes Schedule

To make the most of your Finishes Schedule, you should detail all the key products and finishes for your home. These include floor, wall decors, ceiling and cladding products, trim work like mouldings, skirting and architraves, doors, windows and hardware, cabinetry and benchtop finishes, appliances and plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, accessories and special or custom finishes. The more you include, the easier it will be for your trades to quote, plan and complete your job efficiently and without any major hiccups.

White bathtub with shower niche from the fifty shades bathroom project bath in shower design — Zephyr and Stone • Fifty Shades Bathroom

A detailed Finishes Schedule will save you time, and costly mistakes and ensure no detail is missed or misinterpreted by your team. But don’t take our word for it, here’s a review from a seasoned renovator...

Testimonial poster of a recommending Zephyr and Stone finishes schedule review

see how the z+s finishes schedule works

Renovation Planning: Include This In Your Finishes Schedule