Compare Painter & Decorator Quotes — 3 Free, No-Obligation Quotes
Painting a medium room in the UK typically costs £250–£550, a full interior repaint of a 3-bed semi runs £2,500–£4,200, and exterior masonry painting on the same house is £1,800–£4,500. Tell us about your job and we’ll match you with up to 3 vetted, insured local painters and decorators near you — compare decorating quotes side by side and pick the best value. 100% free, no obligation, and most quotes come back within 24 hours.
How to get the best painter & decorator quotes
- Get three quotes and make sure each covers the same prep, the same number of coats and the same paint brand — a cheap headline price that skips preparation or uses retail paint usually shows within 18–24 months.
- Ask exactly what is included: filling and sanding, ceilings, woodwork (skirting, doors, architraves), furniture moving and floor protection should all be listed, not assumed.
- Confirm whether the decorator or you supplies the paint, and which spec — trade emulsion such as Dulux Trade costs £38–£48 per 5L and typically lasts 8–12 years on a wall, against 5–7 years for retail paint.
- Get the quote in writing with a clear scope, check the decorator is insured, ask for recent references, and never pay a large deposit up front — tie payments to completed stages.
What do homeowners hire painters & decorators for?
Decorating is the most flexible trade there is — jobs range from one feature wall to a full repaint inside and out. The most common jobs we match are:
- Single rooms — a bedroom, lounge or nursery refreshed in a day or two. Walls, ceiling and woodwork in two coats of trade paint typically runs £150–£350 for a small bedroom and £400–£800 for a large living room.
- Whole-house interior repaints — every room, ceiling and length of skirting in one visit. The most efficient way to buy decorating, because the set-up, sheeting and clean-up are spread across the whole job.
- Exterior painting — masonry or render walls, fascias, soffits, window frames and front doors. Weather-dependent work, realistically May to September in the UK, and a good exterior job lasts 8–12 years.
- Wallpapering — hanging at £30–£60 per roll, stripping old paper at £150–£300 per room, and lining paper at £80–£150 per room where old walls need a smooth base under paint.
- Glossing and woodwork — skirting boards, doors, banisters and window frames in satinwood or eggshell. Often the most time-consuming part of a repaint, and the part where an experienced hand shows most.
Whatever the job, describe it fully in the form above — room count, ceilings and woodwork included or not, and the condition of the walls — and the quotes you get back will be far easier to compare.
Typical painting & decorating cost
Decorator day rates in 2026 run £180–£260 per day outside London and £220–£350 in London and the South East. Paint is usually only 15–25% of the bill — labour dominates, especially on older walls that need preparation.
| Job | Scope | Typical UK price (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Small bedroom (3x3m) | Walls + ceiling, 2 coats | £150–£350 |
| Medium room (4x4m) | Walls + ceiling + woodwork | £250–£550 |
| Large living room (5x5m) | Walls + ceiling + woodwork | £400–£800 |
| Hallway, stairs & landing | High ceilings, trim, bannisters | £450–£950 |
| Kitchen (excluding units) | Walls + ceiling + trim | £280–£600 |
| Bathroom | Moisture-resistant paint | £200–£450 |
| Exterior woodwork only | Fascias, soffits, windows, doors | £800–£1,800 |
| Exterior masonry (3-bed semi) | Render, walls, woodwork | £1,800–£4,500 |
For a whole-house interior repaint, price scales with property size:
| Property | Full interior repaint | Time (1–2 painters) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bed flat / studio | £800–£1,400 | 2–4 days |
| 2-bed flat / mid-terrace | £1,400–£2,400 | 3–5 days |
| 3-bed semi (typical UK home) | £2,500–£4,200 | 5–8 days |
| 4-bed detached | £3,500–£5,800 | 7–12 days |
| 5-bed family / large semi | £4,500–£7,500 | 10–15 days |
Prices include trade paint, minor filling, light sanding, protection of carpets and furniture, and VAT. For the full breakdown by room, region and paint brand see our house painting cost guide, or get a quick figure for your own job with the painting cost calculator.
What affects your decorating price
Two quotes to “paint a 3-bed semi” can be a thousand pounds apart simply because they describe different jobs. These are the things that move the price:
Condition of the walls. Preparation is where good decorators earn their money — most of the perceived finish quality comes from prep, not the paint. Full prep on older walls (deep filling, sanding, priming old plaster) adds 20–40% to a room, and heavy prep such as stripping wallpaper adds £80–£300 per room.
Ceiling heights and stairwells. Tall Victorian ceilings, stairwells and galleried landings need towers, ladder work and more cutting-in time, which is why a hallway, stairs and landing runs £450–£950 against £250–£550 for a medium room.
Access and season (exterior). Upper-storey exterior work may need scaffolding at £400–£900 on top of the painting itself, and exterior painting is weather-dependent — decorators book dry-weather windows between May and September, so spring quotes go quickly.
Paint spec. Trade emulsion (Dulux Trade at £38–£48 per 5L) is the professional standard. Premium brands such as Farrow & Ball cost £82–£98 per 5L, cover 15–20% less area per litre and add roughly £40–£90 per room in paint cost — worth it in period homes, invisible to most eyes in a modern semi. Dark-to-light colour changes can also need a third coat.
Occupied vs empty rooms. Decorators work fastest in empty rooms. Furniture moving and floor protection are normally included in the day rate, but a fully furnished, lived-in house slows every stage — emptying rooms before the decorator arrives, or sequencing the job room by room, keeps the labour hours down.
What a good decorating quote should itemise
A one-line “paint house — £3,000” quote is impossible to compare. Ask every decorator to break the job down:
- Preparation — exactly what is included: filling, sanding, caulking, stain-blocking, stripping or lining paper. This is the single biggest difference between cheap and thorough quotes.
- Number of coats — two coats on walls is the professional standard, with a third for strong colour changes. “One coat over existing” is a different, cheaper job.
- Materials — the paint brand and finish for each surface (matt emulsion, satinwood or eggshell on woodwork), who supplies it, and whether sundries such as filler, tape and dust sheets are included.
- What is covered — ceilings, woodwork, doors, radiators behind or around, and whether furniture moving and floor protection are in the price.
- VAT position — whether the price includes VAT at 20%, and if the decorator is not VAT-registered, that the quote says so. Two otherwise identical quotes can differ by exactly the VAT.
- Timings and guarantee — start date, days on site, drying time between coats, and any workmanship guarantee.
How to keep the price of your repaint down
- Batch rooms together. One visit for three rooms is cheaper than three separate visits — set-up, sheeting and clean-up get spread across the whole job, which is why whole-house repaints are the best value per room.
- Empty the rooms yourself. Clear furniture, take down curtains and pictures, and remove switch plates if you are comfortable doing so. Every hour the decorator does not spend shifting wardrobes is an hour of labour saved.
- Stay with trade paint. Specify Dulux Trade, Crown Trade or Johnstone’s Trade rather than premium brands unless the room genuinely calls for heritage colours — the labour is identical either way.
- Piggyback on scaffolding. If scaffolding is already up for a re-roof or solar installation, having the fascias, soffits and render painted during the same hire avoids paying £400–£900 for access twice.
- Book exterior work early. The May–September weather window creates a rush; booking in late winter for a spring slot gets better availability and often better prices.
How BestBuilders works
- 1. Tell us about your job once. Use the form above — it takes about 60 seconds. Describe the rooms, whether ceilings and woodwork are included, the condition of the walls and anything unusual like tall stairwells.
- 2. Up to 3 local decorators respond. We match your job with vetted, insured painters and decorators covering your area — most quotes come back within 24 hours.
- 3. Compare and choose. Weigh up price, prep scope, paint spec and reviews side by side, then pick the best value — or none at all. It is completely free and there is no obligation.
Painting and decorating is just one trade we cover — you can start any home-improvement job from our quote page, and our painting & decorating service page has more on how local decorators price and plan domestic work.
Painter & decorator quotes — FAQs
Decorator day rates in 2026 run £180–£260 outside London and £220–£350 in London and the South East. A medium room costs £250–£550, a hallway with stairs and landing £450–£950, and a full interior repaint of a 3-bed semi £2,500–£4,200. See our house painting cost guide for the full breakdown.
A full interior repaint of a typical 3-bed semi costs £2,500–£4,200 in 2026, taking 5–8 days with one or two painters. A 2-bed flat runs £1,400–£2,400 and a 4-bed detached £3,500–£5,800, covering walls, ceilings, woodwork and internal doors. London and the South East add 20–30%. Try the painting cost calculator for your own home.
Three. Prices for the same repaint vary a lot between decorators, so comparing three like-for-like quotes is the quickest way to find fair value. Make sure each quote covers the same preparation, the same number of coats and the same paint brand, otherwise you are not comparing like with like.
A good quote itemises the preparation (filling, sanding, stripping or lining), the number of coats, the paint brand and finish for each surface, who supplies materials, whether ceilings and woodwork are included, furniture and floor protection, the VAT position, start date and days on site, and any workmanship guarantee. If any of those are missing, ask before you sign.
The differences usually come from preparation depth (minor filling versus full prep, which adds 20–40% on older walls), the number of coats, retail versus trade paint, whether woodwork is included, and the decorator’s experience and day rate. The cheapest quote almost always cuts prep or paint quality — and it shows within 18–24 months.
Full exterior masonry painting on a typical 3-bed semi costs £1,800–£4,500 in 2026, covering render, fascias, soffits, window frames and the front door. Exterior woodwork alone runs £800–£1,800. Scaffolding adds £400–£900 where upper-storey access is needed, and the work is weather-dependent — realistically May to September in the UK.
Yes — trade paint such as Dulux Trade (£38–£48 per 5L) has a higher pigment load than retail paint, covers better per coat and typically lasts 8–12 years on a wall against 5–7 for retail. You can supply your own paint if you prefer — agree it in the quote — but most decorators buy trade paint at account prices, so letting them supply it rarely costs more.
Hanging standard wallpaper costs £30–£60 per roll, and an experienced decorator hangs 10–12 rolls a day. Stripping old paper runs £150–£300 per room, and lining paper — often the right call on older walls before painting — adds £80–£150 per room.
No — furniture moving and floor protection are normally included in the day rate. But decorators work fastest in clear rooms, so anything you move out yourself (curtains, pictures, small furniture) saves labour hours and helps the job finish sooner. For whole-house repaints, agree a room-by-room sequence so you can keep living in the house.
Most quotes come back within 24 hours of submitting your job. How soon the work can start depends on each decorator’s diary — interior work books year-round, while exterior slots in the May–September weather window go early, so mention your timescale in the job description.
Yes. Submitting a job and receiving quotes is completely free for homeowners, with no obligation to accept any of them. We are paid by trade members, never by you, and you choose whether to go ahead.
Ready to start? Get your 3 free painter & decorator quotes → Or explore house painting costs and try the painting cost calculator before you commit.