Painter & Decorator Prices
Are you looking for the price of a painter and decorator?
This pricing list shows you the average painter and decorator expenses in the UK, as well as paint prices.
Take a look below…
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Painter and Decorator?
Because of the nature of painting and decorating projects, prices might vary greatly. A fresh coat of paint is a quick and easy way to update the look and feel of your house.
For those of you who don’t have the time or energy to put on your overalls and start painting, we’ve included this pricing guide in our article to show you average painter and decorator charges in the UK.
So, how much does it cost to hire a painter and decorator?
Painting and decorating jobs have a wide range of prices due to their nature. Painting and decorating prices range around £160 to £180 per day, with London pricing likely to be a little higher.
Inquiring about typical painter and decorator prices with a professional painter is a good place to start. The majority of day rates range from £150 to £200 per day. Painting the walls and ceiling of a small room (about 2.2m x 2.4m) will cost between £200 and £250 and take no more than one day.
A large room (approximately 6m x 5m) will cost around £400-£450 and take no longer than two days to finish. Remember to factor in the cost of the paint.
The typical cost of painting a one-bedroom flat is between £700 and £800. A two-bedroom apartment would cost between £900 and £1,000.
Painting a three-bedroom flat costs £1,100 to £1,150, a four-bedroom semi-detached house costs £1,200 to £1,250, and a five-bedroom detached house costs £1,300 to £1,500.
The overall cost of the job is also influenced by the size of the space. This is owing to the large quantity of materials required. As a result, expect to pay between £200 and £300 for a small room, £250 to £400 for a medium-sized room, and £400 to £650 for a large one.
However, the cost of different works varies depending on the ease of access or the job required; for example, wallpapering a room costs £250 – £500, while repainting a corridor and stairs costs £450 – £650.
However, keep in mind that hiring a painter and decorator in some areas of the UK may be more expensive than in others. Painter and decorator expenses are higher in London than in other locations. This is because the cost of living has risen.
In the London area, anticipate to pay between £300 and £500, and between £200 and £400 outside of London.
Painter and Decorator Prices
The table below has a much more comprehensive list of typical cases. Although your property is unlikely to be the same size as these, the measurements can be used to compare them to yours.
The cost of painting and decorating your home, as well as the time it will take to finish the work, may then be estimated. Remember that these costs do not include VAT and will vary depending on a variety of factors, including your geographic area.
| Job | Cost |
|---|---|
| Walls and ceiling of a modest room (about 2.2m x 2.4m) | £200 – £250 |
| A large room (about 6m x 5m) | £400 – £450 |
| 1-bedroom flat | £700 – £800 |
| 2-bedroom flat | £900 – £1,000 |
| 3-bedroom flat | £1,100 – £1,150 |
| 4-bedroom semi-detached house | £1,200 – £1,250 |
| 5-bedroom detached house | £1,300 – £1,500 |
| Small room | £200 – £300 |
| Medium room | £250 – £400 |
| Large room | £400 – £650 |
| Wallpaper a room | £250 – £500 |
| Repaint hallway and stairs | £450 – £650 |
What are the Supply Costs of Painter and Decorator Jobs?
If you want to do your own painting and decorating, this section of the article will show you what tools and materials you’ll need, whether you’re painting or wallpapering your home.
You’ll find all of the tools and materials you’ll need here, with no added labour or charges.
All house painters and decorators must need a paintbrush, which typically costs between £7 and £30, a paint roller, which may cost between £15 and £30 for a decent quality roller, and a paint tray, which can cost between £3 and £7.
Dust sheets to keep paint off the floor normally cost £10-£30, masking tape to keep paint off the skirting boards costs £5-£9, and sandpaper costs £3-£15. A step ladder costs between £30 and £60, and filler (if required) costs between £6 and £18.
A wallpaper scraper, which costs between £6 and £10, is required while wallpapering. A wallpaper pasting table will set you back £9–20, a wallpaper pasting brush will set you back £5–8, a bucket will set you back £3–5, and a wallpaper roller will set you back £5–9.
Basic wallpaper normally costs between £16 to £160 per roll; however, the cost will vary based on the pattern and type of wallpaper you use.
Most of the time, it’s ideal to buy your wallpaper regardless because you get to choose your favourite. Wallpaper paste normally costs between £3 and £16. Expect a lot of moisture if you use a steamer to remove old wallpaper.
A steamer can cost anywhere from £25 to £45. It could be a good idea to move items like your sofa to the centre of the room and cover them to keep them dry.
Expect to pay £1 to £20 per litre for interior wall paint. Gloss paint will cost between £6 and £27 per litre, while satin paint would cost between £2 and £22.
Kitchen cabinet paint typically costs between £16 and £46 per litre. Then anticipate to pay £13 – £23 per m2 for inside cladding.
The table below shows the supply costs for painting and decorating jobs that do not include labour or other fees.
| Tools/Materials | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Paintbrush | £7 – £30 |
| Paint roller | £15 – £30 |
| Paint tray | £3 – £7 |
| Dust sheets | £10 – £30 |
| Masking tape | £5 – £9 |
| Sandpaper | £3 – £15 |
| Step ladder | £30 – £60 |
| Filter | £6 – £18. |
| Wallpaper scraper | £6 – £10 |
| Wallpaper paste | £3 – £16 |
| Wallpaper pasting table | £9 – 20 |
| Wallpaper pasting brush | £5 – £8 |
| Bucket | £3 – £5 |
| Wallpaper roller | £5 – £9 |
| Wallpaper | £16 – £160 |
| Steamer | £25 -£45 |
| Interior wall paint | £1 – £20 per litre |
| Gloss paint | £6 – £27 per litre |
| Satin paint | £2 – £22 per litre |
| Kitchen cupboard paint | £16 – £46 per litre |
What are the Additional Costs of Painter and Decorator Jobs?
If you want more work done in your home after having a painter and decorator come in and do work for you, you may have to pay extra.
We’ll go over the extra charges of painting and decorating here so you know what to expect when you hire a painter and decorator.
New Flooring
After you’ve painted or decorated your rooms, you might wish to add new flooring to change the atmosphere. But how much does it set you back?
In most circumstances, the cost of flooring installation ranges from £400 to £1000. The price of new flooring varies depending on the type of flooring and the size of the room.
One of the most important factors to consider is the cost of labour, as floor installers charge different fees for different types of flooring. Depending on the size and style of carpet you want to put in your home, tradesman expenses might range from £40 to £500.
Installing new flooring in your home might take anywhere from 3 hours to 4 days, depending on the kind and size. Please see our flooring cost guide for more information.
Plastering
Make sure your walls are properly primed and plastered before you begin painting or wallpapering. This will protect and prepare your walls, which is very vital if you need to replaster any moist patches.
Depending on how much wall space needs to be covered, skilled plasterers charge around £200 for a small ceiling and up to £730 for a large ceiling.
Replastering a small room might cost between £400 and £500, while fresh plastering costs between £600 and £700. A large living room will cost between £550 and £700 to replaster, whilst a completely new plastering job will cost between £1000 and £1400.
For further information on plastering expenses, please see our cost guide.
Cost of Removing Artex
You may wish to have Artex removed from your ceiling before painting your room or ceiling. Artex removal could cost anywhere from £400 to £1,950.
For each labourer, a typical artisan may charge between £150 and £250 per day. This means that if the job is particularly challenging due to the size or arrangement of your rooms, they may need to work as a two-person team rather than simply one.
All will be clear after the contractors have given you an estimate for the job.
Cleaning a small box room can take a few hours to a day, while cleaning an entire house can take up to a week. Naturally, this will affect the cost, and the contractor will be able to provide you with a better knowledge of this when quoting.
Another factor that influences the time it takes is the condition of the Artex, as it’s much easier to remove Artex that has begun to crack, flake, or show symptoms of wear.
Cleaning up after Artex removal can take a long time because the room may become dusty and unsightly, which the contractor wants to have thoroughly removed before leaving, with all Artex bagged away.
Please see our artex removal cost guide for more information.
New Lighting
Before painting or wallpapering your walls, you may need to remove your lighting fixtures, which you may either reinstall or replace with new lights.
The cost of new lighting will vary depending on how much light you need and how much space you have in your room. Installation of a basic fitting can cost around £60, while new lights and wiring can cost up to £1000.
If you’re remodelling your living room or bedroom, ceiling lights can cost anywhere from £6 for a simple flush mount light to £2000 or more for a chandelier.
Consider putting pendant lights above your kitchen cabinet to modernise your lighting, which normally cost between £30 and £500 per light.
While remodelling your bathroom, consider adding spotlights to bring out the beauty of your tiles and wall coverings. Bathroom spotlights typically cost between £15 and £250.
Damp Walls or Stained Ceilings
If you’ve simply budgeted for painting, you could be surprised to learn how much extra work the painter has to complete.
For example, wet patches cannot easily be painted over with the final colour. The areas will need to be sealed initially to ensure that moisture does not break through the paint after a few months of application.
Similarly, ceilings stained with nicotine will require a sugar soap wash prior to painting, as will any peeling gloss on woodwork. These will take longer and be more expensive.
Removing Wallpaper
It is preferable to remove wallpaper yourself if you must. Unlike many other aspects of decorating, removing old paper does not take any expertise and may be completed by a novice.
This can discover hidden problems with your walls before your workers arrive, resulting in more benefits than the marginally lower labour costs. The last thing you want is for professional decorators to get halfway through a job and discover that the entire room needs to be replastered.
If you do it ahead of time, this is an excellent way to preserve the longevity of your paintwork. It’s a task that can frustrate your decorators, but it’s one that can’t be avoided.
It can be difficult and time-consuming to remove sticky wallpaper, so hiring a professional can save you a lot of time and effort. On average, wallpaper removal costs between £300 and £350.
Tradesmen Costs for Painter and Decorator Jobs
Cutting in, covering up moisture, and achieving a consistent finish aren’t always as straightforward as slapping a coat of paint on a wall. Because the majority of your painting and decorating quote will be for labour, cost will vary significantly based on your skill level.
Lower-skilled painters and decorators may be less expensive, but they may take longer and may not deliver the same level of service as a seasoned industry professional. There’s also the mess to take into account. Reputable decorators are more likely to leave a property in the same state as when they arrived, rather than leaving you to clean up the damage.
We shall discuss the various labour expenses of painter and decorator works here, excluding any supply or supplementary expenditures.
Painter and decorator wages in the United Kingdom range from £27,000 to £28,000 per year, or £14 to £17 per hour.
Entry-level earnings begin at £24,000 per year, with the highest-paid professionals earning between £32,000 and £33,000 per year.
A typical quote for engaging a painter and decorator for extensive decorating work, such as painting or wallpapering many rooms, ranges from £100 to £300 per day.
However, various parts of the UK may charge higher labour expenses than others. In London, a painter and decorator may charge between £40 and £48 per hour.
Outside of London, most painters and decorators charge less, but much of the southeast of England is relatively pricey. In Newcastle, the hourly cost is expected to be between £10 and £15 per hour.
How Long Do Painter and Decorator Jobs Take?
Knowing how long jobs will take to finish at your home is important because you may need to leave for a few days. In addition, most craftsmen bill for their time.
It’s also critical to know how long a task will take to determine the final price. We’ve prepared this area to inform you about painting and decorating project timelines.
Painting a 15 m2 surface will take 1–2 days. A 30 m2 area should take 2–3 days to paint, while a 60 m2 area should take 6–7 days.
If you’re only having a box bedroom painted, it should just take one day; however, if you need any wallpaper or paint removed, add another day. The job could take 3 – 4 days if you want the tradesman to remove and replace any furnishings.
A two-bedroom terraced house can be redecorated in 5 to 6 days, a three-bedroom semi-detached building in 7 to 9 days, and a five-bedroom detached house in 10 to 14 days.
Painting kitchen cabinets, for example, can take as little as two to three days for a small kitchen and as much as five to six days for a large kitchen. Painting skirting boards, for example, can take one to two days, whereas painting a door frame takes only three to five hours.
On average, wallpaper installation takes 3–6 hours for a 10 m2 room, 7–10 hours for a 20 m2 room, 1–2 days for a 30 m2 room, and 2–3 days for a 50 m2 room.
In a 10 m2 room, expect to spend seven to ten hours stripping and hanging wallpaper, two days in a 20 m2 room, two to three days in a 30 m2 room, and three days in a 50 m2 room.
The amount of time it takes is determined by accessibility, whether any further work is required, and whether the work is done by a professional or as a do-it-yourself effort. It might take an extra day or two if you wanted the room’s woodwork painted as well.
| Job | Timescale |
|---|---|
| Paint a 15 m2 surface | 1 – 2 days |
| Paint a 30 m2 area | 2 – 3 days |
| Paint a 60 m2 area | 6 – 7 days |
| Box room | One day |
| Paint or wallpaper removal | One day |
| Tradesman to remove and replace any furniture | 3 – 4 days |
| Redecorate a two-bedroom | 5 – 6 days |
| Three-bedroom semi-detached | 7 – 9 days |
| Five-bedroom detached house. | 10 – 14 days |
| Painting kitchen cabinets | 2 – 3 days |
| Large kitchen | 5 – 6 days |
| Wallpapering a 10 m2 room | 3 – 6 hours |
| Wallpapering a 20 m2 room | 7 – 10 hours |
| Wallpapering a 30 m2 room | 1 – 2 days |
| Wallpapering a 50 m2 room | 2 – 3 days |
| Stripping and hanging wallpaper | 7 – 10 hours |
Types of Painter and Decorator Jobs
Painters and decorators have a variety of tasks that require ability. We’ll break down the many types of jobs that painters and decorators do, as well as the cost and length of each.
Painter
Hiring a painter will allow you to spend the time you would have spent painting on DIY projects that you enjoy. By hiring a professional, you can regain that time, continue on with your life, and return home to a beautiful-looking area.
Painting a small 10 m2 area would cost roughly £180 to £190, a 15 m2 area would cost £260 to £270, and a larger 30 m2 wall area would cost around £520 to £530.
Painting a 60-square-meter surface area would cost between £1000 and £1020. Depending on the size, a single coat of paint might cost anywhere from £65 to £265.
Some paint materials are more expensive than others, and depending on the properties of the wall, different treatments may be required. The longer the project takes, the more money it costs, especially in terms of labour.
Furthermore, the entire charge is affected by the number of tradespeople and amount of access. You’ll probably only employ one painter, but if the job is large, a second labourer could save you time. However, this would triple your labour costs per hour.
The time it takes to paint a 10m2 wall space depends on a number of circumstances, but all things being equal, it should take one working day or less. Painting a 15m2 surface will take one to two days. A 30m2 area should take three days to paint, whereas a 60m2 area should take six days.
The amount of time it takes is determined by accessibility, whether any further work is required, and whether the work is done by a professional or as a do-it-yourself effort. It might take an extra day or two if you wanted the room’s woodwork painted as well.
Wallpapering
It’s advisable to hire someone to install your wallpaper because it’s such a difficult process to tackle on your own. There are numerous wallpaper options to choose from, each with its own average price.
Lining paper, for example, ranges from £2 to £4 per roll, but polystyrene sheeting ranges from £5 to £10 per roll.
It’s extremely likely that decorating your home will be a one-person project. In other cases, though, a room/house may be wallpapered by two or more designers.
The latter scenario may apply if the room being decorated is extremely large or if other rooms are getting new wallpaper. Having two or three labourers on the work will cut down on the time it takes to accomplish the task while also boosting the hourly/daily rate.
Because it would depend on how well the labourers collaborate, it’s difficult to say whether this will increase your overall bill.
On average, wallpaper installation takes 3–6 hours for a 10 m2 room, 7–10 hours for a 20 m2 room, 1–2 days for a 30 m2 room, and 2–3 days for a 50 m2 room.
In a 10 m2 room, expect to spend seven to ten hours stripping and hanging wallpaper, two days in a 20 m2 room, two to three days in a 30 m2 room, and three days in a 50 m2 room.
The ease of access, the number of decorators on the job, the type of wallpaper used, and whether any additional labour is required affect how long it takes to hang wallpaper or strip and hang wallpaper.
Exterior Painting
Painters and decorators do more than just work on your walls. They can also do the exterior of your house to give it a more appealing appearance.
The cost of exterior painting is determined by the project’s scope. Render painting, for example, can cost anywhere from £600 to £1200, while painting the exterior of a home might cost anything from £500 to £1500.
To improve the appearance of your outside, you may choose to have your soffits and fascias painted, which costs between £700 and £1100, and your external windows painted, which costs between £200 and £400.
Because craftsmen charge by the hour, the longer and more expensive an outdoor paint work takes.
It should take 3 to 5 days for a terraced house and 4 to 5 days for a semi-detached or detached house to hire someone to paint the smooth outside walls of your property.
If your walls are pebble dashed, the time frame will almost certainly increase. Painting terraced houses, for example, would take 5 to 6 days, while semi-detached and detached houses would take 7 to 9 days.
FAQs
Q: What qualifications do a painter and decorator need?
A: With a Level 2 Technical Certificate in Painting and Decorating, you may work as a painter and decorator for a house construction company, a property development company, or as part of a small business, repairing and remodelling buildings.
It could lead to an apprenticeship in painting and decorating.
Q: What tools does a painter decorator use?
- Paintbrushes
- Rollers for painting.
- Tray for painting.
- Sheets for dusting.
- Tape for masking/decorating.
- Ladder with steps.
- Filling knife and filler
- Sandpaper
Q: What skills does a painter decorator use?
- Paint and other coating product qualities for interior and external application are known.
- Painting tools require manual abilities.
- Paint application skills are extremely well-versed.
- Form and colour perception.
- Physical stamina and strength.
Q: Do painters and decorators need insurance?
A: Insurance is required for self-employed local painters and decorators.
Whether you specialise in painting exteriors or interiors, gloss, or feature walls, this type of insurance can cover you (and members of the public) in the case of an accident or injury.
To protect oneself from legal liability deriving from property damage or bodily harm to a third party caused by your job, you need Public Liability Insurance.
Q: What is the role of a painter and decorator?
A: Painters and decorators apply paint, wallpaper, and other finishes to the interior and external surfaces of buildings and other structures. They are employed by construction companies, painting contractors, and building maintenance departments, or they might work for themselves.
