Finish
A finish is the final surface treatment or material applied to an element of a building, determining how it looks, feels, performs and is maintained.
Finishes cover everything you see and touch once construction is complete: floor coverings, wall paint or render, tiling, joinery surfaces, benchtops, tapware, and the treatment of exposed structure such as off-form concrete or oiled timber.
Selecting finishes is a performance exercise as much as an aesthetic one. A surface has to suit its exposure, its traffic, and its cleaning regime. Coastal sites in particular punish the wrong specification, where salt-laden air will corrode unsuitable metals and degrade coatings quickly.
Finishes schedules are documented before tender so the builder can price accurately. Leaving selections open is one of the more common sources of cost variation.