White boxing, Cape Town
The tenant is out. The next one needs a blank canvas.
White boxing is not a prestige repaint. It is a deadline job between handover and a new lease, and the only measure that matters is whether the space passes inspection on the day it has to.
- Based in Durbanville, working Durbanville, Aurora, Vierlanden, Eversdal, Welgemoed, Bellville, Brackenfell, Kraaifontein, Kuils River, Plattekloof, Sonstraal Heights, Panorama, Kenridge, Fisantekraal and surrounds
- WhatsApp us and we reply during office hours.
- Written scope, one fixed price for the job
Problem & approach
Where these projects go wrong, and how we handle them.
The usual problem
Between tenants, every day the unit sits empty is rent lost. But a rushed make-good shows up at inspection: missed picture hooks, paint on the floor, patchy walls where the old branding was stripped, and the wrong sheen on the ceiling. Then the landlord withholds the deposit, the broker loses the deal, or the new tenant walks in on a space that looks half finished. In Cape Town's tighter retail market, that first impression decides how long the next lease takes.
Our approach
We quote a white box as a fixed programme, not a day rate. Walk the space, photograph the damage, agree what has to be made good, then patch, prime and apply one neutral colour throughout walls, ceilings and bulkheads. Floors, shopfront glass, fittings and aircon units are masked and protected. We work to the handover date, clean out properly, and leave the space ready for the next tenant or their shopfitter.
What may be included
Scope you can actually read.
The exact line items on your quote depend on the site inspection. This is the shape of what a typical project of this type includes.
- Site walk with the landlord, broker or outgoing tenant
- Photographic make-good list agreed before work starts
- Patching of picture hooks, wall fixings, minor plaster damage and scuffs
- Spot priming and two coats of a neutral interior system on walls and ceilings
- Protection of floors, glass, fittings, shopfronts and common areas
- Removal of old branding colour where it is part of the make-good
- Rubbish removed and space swept before handover
- One fixed price for the whole job, tied to the handover date
Products we work with
The Systems Behind the Work.
Approved applicator and authorised reseller of Rubber Sealant® Liquid Rubber.
Our preferred paint on most projects.
We are not a Plascon approved applicator. Plascon is simply the paint we choose to specify for its quality and track record, and we will recommend a different system where a project calls for it.
Our process
7 steps from enquiry to handover.
- 1
Enquiry with the handover or occupation date
- 2
Site walk and make-good list
- 3
Written scope and one fixed price for the whole job
- 4
Date agreed and access arranged
- 5
Mask, patch, prime and paint
- 6
Clean down and remove all waste
- 7
Handover walk with the landlord or agent
Honest limits
What we will tell you up front.
A proper contractor should be honest about what a service can and cannot do. These are the things we will always flag.
- Structural repairs, electrical, plumbing, shopfitting and signage removal are outside a make-good paint scope. We identify them during the walk rather than discover them on the day.
- Damp or waterproofing issues are quoted separately using Rubber Sealant Liquid Rubber.
- Heavily damaged plaster, fire-rated partitions or specialised finishes may need a separate trade before painting.
- Access outside normal hours or over weekends can be arranged, and any premium is in the quote, not added later.
Not sure what your white boxing & make-good painting needs? Send us a photo.
Take one photo on your phone, send it on WhatsApp, and we will tell you what we are looking at. We are in Durbanville most weeks, so a site visit is easy to arrange.
WhatsApp a photoFAQ
White Boxing & Make-Good Painting: questions we hear
Budgeting
Want the numbers before you phone anyone?
We publish real Cape Town rates, including our own, and explain exactly what a cheaper quote leaves out.
Keep reading
The pages our Durbanville clients read before they phone us.
Start here
- Painters in DurbanvilleWhat we charge, how we scope it, and why the cheap quote was never cheaper.
- Commercial painting in DurbanvilleOffices, warehouses, complexes and shops, scoped in writing and painted around your trading hours.
Durbanville, service by service
- Roof waterproofing in Durbanville
- Damp proofing in Durbanville
- Exterior painting in Durbanville
- Interior painting in Durbanville
- Asbestos roofs explained in Durbanville
- Complex and body corporate repaints in Durbanville
Where we work
- Painters & waterproofing in DurbanvilleWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in AuroraWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in VierlandenWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in EversdalWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in WelgemoedWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in BellvilleWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in BrackenfellWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in KraaifonteinWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in Kuils RiverWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in PlattekloofWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in Sonstraal HeightsWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in PanoramaWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in KenridgeWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
- Painters & waterproofing in FisantekraalWhat the housing stock here needs, and what it costs.
Complexes, commercial & managed buildings
- Body corporate & complex repaintingA scope trustees can compare, phased block by block.
- Commercial & retail paintingShops and offices painted after hours, never closed.
- Retail & shopping centre paintingMalls and shopfronts painted around trading hours.
- Office interior paintingOccupied offices repainted floor by floor, after hours.
- White boxing & make-good paintingGet a commercial unit lettable again, fast.
- Warehouse & industrial coatingRusted metal roofs sealed, hot workshops cooled.
- For property managers & agentsWritten scopes, fixed prices, photographs for the file.
- Painting maintenance programmesScheduled cycles for portfolios and property companies.
- Wine farm & estate paintingOld lime plaster, gables and cellars, handled properly.
Sectors we work in
- Wine cellar paintingWashdown, condensation and taint risk, specified properly.
- Schools, churches & clinicsProgrammed into holidays, services and quiet clinic days.
- Guest houses & restaurantsRoom by room, overnight, never a lost sitting.
- Dealerships & showroomsBrand colour standards, after hours, open in the morning.
- Self-storage, gyms & logisticsMetal roofs and big elevations, water and rust first.
- Planned maintenance cyclesBudget once, inspect yearly, never repaint in a panic.
Business parks & work at height
- Painting in Atlas GardensWarehouses and offices done around your trading hours.
- Painting in Durbanville HillsExposed, wind driven buildings need their own specification.
- Factory & industrial paintingWater first, then steel, then walls. In that order.
- Office park & multi-tenant repaintsFloor by floor, out of hours, nobody loses a day.
- Exterior crack & plaster repairWhy the crack came back, and how it is properly fixed.
- Working at heights paintingThe compliance to demand before anyone leaves the ground.
- Scaffolding & access paintingAccess is priced per erection. Plan around that and save.
- Painting tender checklistOne page, so three quotes describe the same job.
Specialist systems
- Rubber Sealant® Liquid RubberApproved applicator and reseller: prices, coverage, colours and guarantee terms.
- Buy liquid rubber in DurbanvilleThe same drums we use, collected by arrangement.
- Liquid rubber prices, per litre and per m²Every price published, with the coverage behind it.
- Asbestos roofs explainedSealing in place versus stripping, and who may do the work.
- Waterproofing & damp proofingLiquid rubber on roofs, walls and rising damp.
Durbanville and surrounds
Get a fixed price for your white boxing & make-good painting.
Three ways to start, all of them quick. Send a WhatsApp, tap to call, or leave your details and we come back with a written scope and one fixed price for the whole job.
Monday–Friday 08:00–17:00
What happens after you send it
We reply, ask the few questions that matter, then book a proper look at the property. You get a written scope, one fixed price for the whole job, and a straight answer on what we will not do.
One-year workmanship guarantee on qualifying Williams & Co work.
Takes about 20 seconds