Painter and Decorator Pricing Guide UK — Rates, Room Quotes and How to Price Jobs (2026)

UK Painter and Decorator Day Rates in 2026

For a sole-trader decorator working outside London, the typical day rate in 2026 sits between £180 and £300 per day. The lower end reflects less experienced decorators or straightforward refresh work in lower-cost areas. The upper end reflects experienced decorators with a strong local reputation, efficient processes, and the tools to produce a high-quality finish consistently.

London and the South East commands a 20–30% premium over those baseline figures. A decorator who charges £220 a day in the Midlands would reasonably expect £270–£290 in London — and in prime areas (Chelsea, Kensington, the affluent suburbs), quality-focused decorators often exceed £350 per day without resistance from clients who prioritise finish over cost.

Interior decorating versus exterior painting are priced differently. Exterior work typically commands a premium because the prep is harder — scraping, sanding, and filling weathered surfaces is more physically demanding than interior prep — and because there is genuine access risk. Working from ladders, scaffold or a tower on an exterior carries risk that decorators should price into their rates. Most experienced decorators add 15–25% to their effective day rate for exterior work, particularly if scaffold is required.

Trade-qualified decorators (City & Guilds, NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent) can legitimately charge more and often find it easier to win higher-value domestic and commercial work. A jobbing decorator — someone who has learned on the job without formal qualification — may be perfectly competent, but the qualification gives clients a quality signal and justifies a higher rate. If you're qualified, say so on your quote and your website.

Pricing by Room Type

Most interior decoration is quoted per room rather than per m², which gives clients a clear total and allows decorators to price efficiently once they know their speed through different room types. The ranges below are labour-only benchmarks for 2026, assuming surfaces in reasonable condition and two coats of emulsion on walls and ceiling. Materials are additional.

Hallways deserve special attention in your quoting because the variation is so wide. A small flat hallway might take half a day. A Victorian terraced house with a high stairwell, dado rail, and ceiling rose can easily take two full days — making the same nominal “hallway” worth three or four times as much. Always walk the hallway and staircase before quoting.

For external work, scaffold is the single biggest variable. A semi-detached that can be done from a ladder and a couple of hop-ups sits at the lower end. A three-storey detached requiring a full scaffold erection (which you'll need to hire separately or price in) will push you toward the top of the range before a brush has touched the render.

How to Measure and Quote Interior Painting

Accurate measurement is what makes the difference between a quote that protects your margin and one that leaves you painting for less than your effective day rate. Never quote from photos or a description — walk every room.

Measuring paintable area

• Walls: measure the perimeter of the room (sum of all wall lengths) and multiply by the ceiling height. Then subtract the area of doors and windows — a standard door opening is roughly 2m² and a typical window 1–1.5m². Don't deduct reveals or returns around openings, as these are extra cutting-in work.
• Ceiling: length × width of the room at floor level. This is your ceiling m² figure. Note if there are beams, skylights or changes in height that add complexity.
• Woodwork: skirting, architraves, window boards and doors are usually priced separately or as a line-item addition per room, not folded into the m² wall rate.

Per room vs per m²: which to use

Most interior decorators price per room for standard domestic work. It's simpler for the client, faster for you to quote, and once you know your speed, it produces consistent margins. A decorator who has painted 200 bedrooms knows what a standard bedroom takes.

Switch to per m² pricing when the job involves large, irregular or commercial spaces — open-plan offices, new-build developments being handed back to a developer, or warehouse conversions. At scale, m² pricing is fairer to both sides and gives the client a transparent basis for comparison. It also protects you when the scope expands mid-job: adding m² to a per-m² contract is clean and unambiguous.

Prep Work: The Hidden Variable

Preparation is where decoration quotes most often go wrong. The painting itself is relatively fast — it's the prep that determines both the quality of the finish and the true time cost of the job. Itemise prep explicitly in every quote.

• Stripping wallpaper: add £100–£200 per room for wallpaper removal, depending on how many layers there are and how well they've been hung. Vinyl-backed paper on a properly prepared wall comes off reasonably cleanly. Old lining paper over bare plaster, or multiple layers of woodchip, can double your time. Never fold stripping into a painting price — it will destroy your margin.
• Filling and sanding: minor filling (hairline cracks, small holes, dents) is typically built into a standard decorating quote. Major filling — large cracks, damaged plasterwork, or a wall that needs significant build-up — should be priced as an additional prep item.
• Skim before paint: if walls need skimming before decoration, that is a separate plastering trade. Do not include it in a decoration quote. Refer the client to a plasterer, agree the sequence (plaster must be fully dry before painting), and return once the substrate is ready. Flag this clearly at survey stage so there are no surprises.
• Bare plaster — new build allowance: freshly plastered walls require a mist coat (a 70/30 diluted emulsion mix) before any full-coverage coats can go on. The mist coat is absorbed into the plaster as it cures and cannot be skipped. It also adds drying time, which can mean returning the next day. Price an extra half-day for mist coat application and factor in the return visit.
• Wood primer on bare timber: new or stripped-back timber always needs priming before undercoat and topcoat. Skipping primer leads to poor adhesion and rapid failure of the paint system. Include primer as a materials line item and allow for the extra coat in your labour price.

The quality of a decorator's finish is almost entirely determined by the quality of their prep. Clients don't always understand this — they see the end coat — but they do notice when paint peels, cracks telegraph through, or edges look rough within six months. Prep is your professional standard. It should always be itemised so clients understand what they're paying for and can't later claim they “didn't need it.”

Materials: What to Include

If you're supplying paint and materials — which most decorators do on most jobs — your materials cost is a real cost that needs to be priced correctly and marked up fairly.

Trade paint vs retail paint

Trade accounts at Dulux, Johnstone's or Crown give you access to better prices than a homeowner buying off the shelf. A 10-litre trade emulsion that covers roughly 100m² (one coat) might cost £25–£40 at trade versus £50–£70 retail. That difference is material across a full house repaint. If you're using Farrow & Ball, Little Greene or other premium brands, material cost rises significantly — factor this in explicitly and don't absorb it.

Typical materials spend per room

For a standard bedroom or living room using mid-range trade emulsion for walls and ceiling, plus satinwood or gloss for woodwork, a decorator typically spends £60–£120 in materials per room. This includes paint, brushes and rollers (consumables that wear out), masking tape, dust sheets and plastic sheeting. On a larger job — hallway, staircase, multiple rooms — you're buying in bulk, which reduces per-room cost slightly.

For external work, add scaffolding or tower hire if you're not subcontracting that out. A scaffold for a standard semi typically costs £500–£1,200 to hire for a week, depending on size and location. This is a direct cost that goes on the quote as a line item, not absorbed into your day rate.

Markup on materials

A standard materials markup of 25–35% is reasonable and accepted in the trade. This covers your time purchasing and collecting materials, the risk of waste, the cost of carrying materials in your van, and the risk that the client changes colour mid-job. Quote materials as a separate line item rather than burying them in your room price — it gives the client transparency and makes adjustments easy if they want to change spec.

Fixed Price vs Day Rate

The choice between fixed price and day rate depends on how well defined the scope is — and on the type of work involved.

Interior decorating

Fixed price per room works well for standard interior work. You've walked the job, you know the surface condition, you've measured the area. A fixed price gives the client certainty and rewards you for being efficient. If you price a room at £500 and finish in four hours because you've got the right tools and a slick prep method, that's your return on experience. Day rate removes that incentive.

Day rate is appropriate for period properties, complex coving, murals, or specialist finishes where the scope genuinely cannot be determined in advance. Decorating intricate Victorian plasterwork or hand-painting a detailed mural carries risk that a fixed price cannot safely absorb. In these cases, agree a day rate in writing, give the client an honest estimate of days, and update them as the job progresses.

Exterior painting

Exterior decoration is almost always fixed price — but with a clearly stated weather caveat. Include wording on your quote to the effect that the fixed price is based on continuous working days and that delays due to weather may affect the programme (though not the price, unless the client asks you to mobilise and demobilise multiple times). This protects you without alarming the client.

Never quote external work day rate unless you genuinely cannot assess the scope — for example, a large property where access reveals unexpected substrate damage that changes the entire job. Even then, agree a fixed price for the additional remedial work once you've assessed it.

Winning More Decorating Work

Decorating is a trade where visual evidence sells the work. Before-and-after photography converts better than any written testimonial.

Pinterest and Instagram for before-afters

Both platforms are highly visual and indexed by location. Post consistently — even just one job per week — with the room type, the paint colour used (homeowners search for specific colours), and the location tagged. A well-curated Instagram feed showing clean, professional finishes builds trust instantly with prospective clients and demonstrates what separates you from a jobbing decorator.

Kitchen fitters, builders and renovation contractors

The most reliable source of high-value decorating work is the post-renovation repaint. When a kitchen is fitted, an extension is built, or a bathroom is renovated, the client almost always needs decorating done immediately afterwards. Build relationships with local kitchen fitters, general builders and bathroom installers — if you can be their “go-to decorator,” you get referred automatically at the end of every job they do. Offer a trade referral rate or a reciprocal referral arrangement in return.

Dulux Select Decorator scheme and similar endorsements

The Dulux Select Decorator scheme is a vetting and referral programme that lists approved decorators on the Dulux website and through their trade partners. It requires demonstrating competency and professionalism, but in return you get third-party endorsement and a stream of inquiries from homeowners looking for a vetted decorator. Similar endorsements exist through Johnstone's and Crown. These logos on your van, quotes and website signal quality to clients who don't know how to assess decorating skill themselves.

Response time on quotes

In decorating, response time is itself a quality signal. Clients often contact multiple decorators, and the first professional quote they receive shapes their expectations for everyone else. Responding to an inquiry within an hour and getting a written quote out within 24–48 hours of the site visit consistently wins work ahead of competitors who take a week. Speed of response signals organisation, reliability, and that you want the job.