What to include in a schedule of finishes

What a schedule of finishes is for

It's the single source of truth for every material and finish on a project — what goes where, the product, the supplier, the reference. Done well, it removes ambiguity on site and in procurement, and it saves you from answering the same question a dozen times.

The columns that matter

• Location or room — where the finish applies.
• Element — floor, wall, joinery, tapware, and so on.
• Product or material — the specified item.
• Supplier and product code — so it can be ordered without guesswork.
• Finish and colour — the exact variant.
• Quantity or area, where relevant.
• Notes — fixing, lead time, or substitution rules.

Organise by room, then by element

Most teams find a room-by-room structure the easiest for clients and trades to follow, with elements grouped consistently within each room. Whatever order you choose, use the same one across every project so anyone picking up the document knows where to look.

Keep it legible

A schedule of finishes is mostly a table, and tables are exactly where hand-formatting falls apart — misaligned columns, inconsistent fonts, rows that break across pages. Consistent column widths, clear headers and generous spacing are what make it usable both on a screen and on site.

Version control is everything

Finishes change. The danger isn't the change itself; it's two versions of the schedule in circulation at once. Always date and version the document, and make sure the latest one is unmistakably the one people should be reaching for.

Make it look like your studio

Even a technical document is a client touchpoint. A schedule that carries your brand reinforces that the same care runs through the practical documents as the beautiful ones — and a branded template means the formatting is handled before anyone starts typing.