How to price painting and decorating jobs in the UK (2026 guide)

The UK decorating market is worth over £4 billion annually and demand remains strong across residential, commercial, and new-build sectors. Yet pricing is one of the areas where decorators most commonly leave money on the table — undercharging on materials, failing to account for prep work, or quoting fixed prices on jobs where the scope is genuinely uncertain. Day rates for qualified decorators in the UK range from £200 to £350 depending on region and specialism, with London and the South East consistently at the top of that range. Understanding when to quote a day rate, when to quote a fixed price, and how to scope materials separately is the difference between a business that makes good money and one that is always busy but never profitable.

Day Rate vs Fixed-Price Quoting

Day rate quoting makes sense when the scope of work is genuinely uncertain — for example, a full exterior repaint where the condition of existing paintwork will only become clear once scaffolding is up, or an older property where you suspect the walls may need significant repair before any decorating can begin. Day rates of £200 to £280 outside London and £280 to £350 in London and the South East are standard for experienced decorators in 2026. Fixed-price quoting is better for defined residential jobs — a bedroom, a hallway, or a kitchen — where you can see exactly what needs to be done and control the materials spend. Fixed prices give customers certainty, make it easier to win the job at the quoting stage, and allow you to build in a margin for efficiency if you finish ahead of schedule. Most decorators use a hybrid approach: fixed price for standard rooms with a clearly scoped spec, day rate for large or complex projects where variables are high.

Room-by-Room Pricing Guide

For fixed-price residential work, room-type pricing gives you a fast framework for quoting without having to calculate from scratch on every job. A standard double bedroom — two coats of emulsion on walls and ceiling, gloss on woodwork — prices at £250 to £400 depending on room size and condition. A living room or dining room with more detailed cornice or woodwork typically prices at £350 to £600. A hallway, stairs, and landing — which involves awkward access and usually more woodwork — prices at £400 to £700. Kitchen painting (walls, ceiling, and units) prices at £350 to £600 for a standard kitchen. Exterior painting for a full house — including preparation, undercoat, and two topcoats — ranges from £1,500 for a mid-terrace to £3,500 or more for a larger detached property. These figures assume standard surfaces in reasonable condition; surface condition and prep requirements should always be quoted as separate line items if they are likely to be significant.

Materials Pricing and Markup

Materials should always be quoted and invoiced separately from labour — either as a specific line item within the quote or as a separate supply charge. Decorators who absorb materials costs into a day rate or lump sum almost always undercharge, particularly on large rooms, exterior work, or jobs requiring specialist paints. Trade paint accounts with suppliers like Dulux Trade, Johnstone's, or Brewers typically give decorators 30 to 50 per cent off retail price. The standard practice is to charge the customer the full retail price (or close to it) and keep the trade discount as margin — effectively a 20 to 30 per cent markup on materials cost. For a bedroom job using premium emulsion and gloss, materials might cost £80 to £120 at trade prices; charged at retail, that is £130 to £180 and adds meaningfully to job profitability. Always specify in your quote whether materials are included or charged separately, and itemise them clearly to avoid disputes at invoice stage.

Prep Work and Surface Condition Charges

Preparation work is consistently the most under-priced element of decorating quotes, and the one most likely to destroy your margin if you get it wrong. Stripping existing wallpaper, filling and sanding damaged plaster, treating mould, or applying a stabilising solution to chalky or flaking surfaces all take significant time and should be priced explicitly rather than absorbed into the room rate. Wallpaper stripping for a standard bedroom typically adds £80 to £150 to the job cost. Significant plaster repairs — filling deep cracks, patching damaged areas — can add £100 to £300 depending on the extent of work. Always inspect the surfaces before quoting and include a specific prep line item rather than hoping for the best. Customers who understand why prep is being charged separately are less likely to query it than customers who receive a single lump sum that they cannot interrogate.

Specialist Finishes and Premium Pricing

Specialist finishing work commands significantly higher rates than standard emulsion and gloss, and decorators who develop these skills can differentiate themselves from the commoditised end of the market. Wallpaper hanging — particularly with pattern-matched papers, fabric-backed wallcoverings, or heritage designs — prices at £150 to £300 per roll hung depending on complexity. Venetian plaster and limewash finishes, which have seen strong demand growth in the interior design market over the past three years, price at £60 to £120 per square metre for application. Heritage colour schemes using specialist paints such as Farrow & Ball or Little Greene — where colour matching, sheen level, and application technique are more demanding — carry a premium of 20 to 40 per cent over standard emulsion work. If you are quoting for any of these finishes, make sure your quote clearly specifies the product being used and why the rate reflects the skill involved.

How to Win More Decorating Jobs

Decorating is a highly visual trade, and the single most effective marketing tool for a decorator is a strong portfolio of before-and-after photographs shared consistently on Instagram, Facebook, and Google Business Profile. Jobs that involve striking transformations — dark feature walls, specialist finishes, full exterior repaints — photograph particularly well and generate disproportionate engagement and enquiry. Google reviews from happy customers are equally important: decorating customers frequently search for a “decorator near me” with high review counts, and a business with 40 reviews averaging 4.8 stars will consistently win enquiries over a competitor with 10 reviews. Speed of quoting is the third lever — customers who receive a detailed, professional quote within 24 hours of requesting one are far more likely to book than those who wait a week. A quoting template that lets you produce a properly formatted quote in 10 minutes rather than an hour removes the friction that causes most decorators to delay.

Trade2Base for Decorating Quotes and Job Management

Trade2Base lets decorating businesses build quote templates with pre-filled room types, materials line items, and standard prep charges — so you can produce a detailed, professional quote in minutes rather than starting from a blank page each time. Quotes convert to invoices automatically once a job is booked, and payment can be collected via the customer portal with Stripe. Job photos stored against each customer record build your portfolio automatically as you work, and review request automations prompt satisfied customers to leave a Google review within 24 hours of job completion.