A Finishes Schedule is a detailed list of all the products, materials, colours and finishes for a renovation or home build, and is worth its weight in GOLD when you’re managing your own home improvement project. Also known as a Fixtures and Finishes Schedule, FF&E Shedule, Spec Book or Spec Sheet, it’s a Schedule of Finishes and central data base for storing critical home renovation details, including which room or location they go in a home. A Finishes Schedule is also specifically designed to be shared with renovation contractors, including builders, trades, suppliers or manufacturers (and your other half!), so your whole project team has a run sheet of what’s being installed where.

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

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 — because it stores all the essential details for your home remodelling project and can be accessed on your phone, so all specifications are always at hand and ready to reference…

What’s more, a finishes template is used throughout your project and can be shared instantly with any new trades or suppliers saving you time running through the same details over and over again. Plus, it continues to be useful years down the track if you need to check specifications like a paint colour for a paint touch-up or product codes to replace items like applicances or other products.

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

1. Finishes Location For Installation

Each room or space in your home project is listed in your Schedule template, along with the specific location where each product is being installed or applied, like whether it’s for floors or walls.

This streamlines the planning, organising and managing of a renovation and allows you to easily and quickly reference finishes by room. It also allows trades to quickly find details by room.

2. Finish + Product Names

You’ll need to note down all the products for your house renovation, including full product names and any codes.

This is easy to do in a Finishes Schedule Template, which has defined spaces for recording product names, and comes in really handy for ordering items or checking them off when they’re delivered onsite. Including product codes will avoid misinterpretation or the wrong product being ordered, when you’re builder is ordering products for you.

3. Colour Finish On Schedule

It’s vital to include the colour name or details for all products and finishes in a Finishes Schedule. 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, in the right colour, or the exact paint finish you’re after.

4. Finish Specifications

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.

5. Size Specifications

Another important element that’s vital to include in your Finishes Schedule is size details. This avoids errors, and can include sizing information for each product including 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 and add these critical project details to your Finishes Schedule.

6. Finish Notes + Comments

This section is where you should be adding any important instructions for trades, 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, onsite workflow and instatllation, and reduce multiple phone calls during construction to check these details with you. 

7. Supplier Details

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.

8. 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, and 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. The Finishes Schedule PRO includes a BONUS Prompt Sheet so you can tick off specifications as you complete your schedule for any project.

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...