How Much Does a Painter and Decorator Cost in the UK? (2026)

A painter and decorator charges £150 to £250 per day across most of the UK. A standard bedroom costs £250 to £500 to paint professionally. A three bedroom house interior runs £2,500 to £4,500.

Those headline numbers shift depending on where you are, how much prep work your walls need, and whether you supply the paint yourself. This guide covers everything you need to get an accurate quote and avoid overpaying.

What Affects the Cost

Location

Labour costs vary significantly across the UK. London and the South East are the most expensive, with day rates of £200 to £300 common. The North of England, Wales, and Scotland are cheaper at £130 to £200 per day. The Midlands sits in the middle at around £160 to £230.

Condition of the walls

New build or newly plastered walls take paint well and need minimal preparation. Older walls with cracks, stains, damp patches, or multiple layers of old paint take significantly longer to prepare. A room that looks straightforward can become a much longer job once the decorator starts filling, sanding, and applying primer. Always ask for a detailed quote that itemises preparation separately from painting.

Number of coats

Two coats of emulsion on walls and ceiling, and one coat of gloss or satinwood on woodwork, is the standard for a repaint. If the walls are a dark colour being painted over with a lighter shade, or vice versa, a third coat or additional primer may be needed. This adds cost. If you are making a dramatic colour change, factor in the extra material and time.

Type of paint

Budget emulsions from B&Q or Wilko cost £10 to £20 for five litres. Mid range paints from Johnstone's or Crown cost £20 to £35 for five litres. Premium paints from Farrow and Ball, Little Greene, or Fired Earth cost £50 to £90 for five litres. The difference in quality is real, but a good decorator can produce excellent results with mid range paint. Many decorators have preferred brands they work with regularly and may charge more to apply an unfamiliar product.

Access and obstacles

High ceilings, large windows, fitted furniture that cannot be moved, and complex architectural features all slow the job down. Exterior work requiring scaffolding adds a significant cost on top of the painting itself. A scaffold for a standard three bedroom house runs £400 to £1,000 depending on height and duration.

Room by Room Costs

Bedroom

A standard double bedroom takes one to two days to paint professionally. Labour costs £200 to £400. Add £50 to £100 for materials if the decorator is supplying paint. Total: £250 to £500. A master bedroom with an en suite or more wall area costs £350 to £600.

Living room

Living rooms tend to be larger than bedrooms, often with a chimney breast feature wall and more woodwork (skirting boards, coving, window frames). Expect one to two and a half days. Total cost: £300 to £650. Open plan living and dining rooms cost £500 to £900.

Kitchen

Kitchens are fiddly due to units, tiles, and appliances. A decorator typically charges £250 to £500, assuming the walls above the tiles are being painted and not the units themselves. Painting kitchen cabinets is a specialist job (see below).

Bathroom

Small rooms but tricky due to humidity, existing tile layouts, and tight corners around the bath and toilet. Expect £150 to £350. Moisture resistant paint is essential and adds slightly to material costs.

Hallway and stairs

The hallway is almost always the most expensive room per square metre because of the stairwell height, the number of doors and frames, and the access difficulty. A standard hallway with staircase and landing takes two to four days. Cost: £400 to £900. In a Victorian terrace with high ceilings, this can reach £1,000 to £1,500.

Exterior Painting Costs

Exterior painting is weather dependent, more physically demanding, and often requires scaffolding, so it costs considerably more than interior work.

A standard three bedroom semi detached house with rendered or brick walls, wooden fascias, soffits, and a front bay costs £1,500 to £3,000 for exterior painting. This includes surface preparation, primer where needed, and two coats of masonry paint or exterior wood treatment.

A four or five bedroom detached house costs £2,500 to £5,000. Scaffolding, if needed, is charged separately at £400 to £1,000.

The job is typically done every eight to twelve years for masonry paint and every four to six years for exterior wood. A well painted exterior protects the structure of the house and adds kerb appeal.

Kitchen Cabinet Painting

Painting kitchen cabinets is a specialist decorating job quite different from painting walls. It involves degreasing, sanding, priming, and applying specialist cabinet paint in thin controlled coats, often with a spray gun for a factory finish.

A standard ten to twelve unit kitchen costs £800 to £1,500 to paint professionally. The result should look and feel like a new kitchen at a fraction of replacement cost. This is one of the best value home improvements available.

Not all painters and decorators offer this service. Look specifically for decorators who advertise kitchen cabinet spraying. Quality varies widely, so ask to see photos of previous work before committing.

How Long Does It Take?

A single room takes one to two days. A full house interior takes seven to fifteen days depending on size and condition. Exterior painting takes two to five days for a standard semi detached house, longer if the weather causes delays or if significant remedial work is needed.

Most professional decorators work from Monday to Friday. If you want weekend work, expect to pay a premium or face a longer wait for a good decorator to become available.

Should You Supply Your Own Paint?

Supplying your own paint is entirely reasonable and many homeowners do it. The advantages are that you choose the exact colour and brand, you know what you are paying for materials, and you are not paying the decorator's markup on paint.

The disadvantages are that you take responsibility for the quality of the product. If the paint performs poorly, the decorator cannot be blamed. Also, some decorators prefer not to work with unfamiliar products and may charge slightly more or factor in extra time for a brand they have not used before.

If you supply paint, calculate coverage carefully. A five litre tin covers approximately 50 to 60 square metres for one coat of emulsion. Underestimate and the decorator stops work while waiting for more paint to arrive.

Getting a Quote

Always get three quotes for any painting job. Prices vary more than you would expect, and not always in line with quality. The cheapest quote is rarely the one to go with.

A good quote should include:

• A breakdown by room or area
• Preparation work itemised (filling, sanding, priming)
• Whether materials are included or charged separately
• The specific paints or products to be used
• Estimated number of days on site
• Start date and expected completion date
• How payment is structured (deposit, stage payments, or on completion)

Never pay the full amount upfront. A deposit of 20% to 30% is standard to cover the decorator's initial material costs. The balance should be paid once the work is complete and you are satisfied.

Red Flags

• No written quote. A verbal price is meaningless if a dispute arises. Insist on a written quote before work begins.
• Pressure to start immediately. Good decorators are usually booked weeks in advance. Someone who can start tomorrow may not be in demand for a reason.
• Quotes based on a phone call. A proper quote requires the decorator to see the job. If they quote without visiting, the price will either change when they arrive or they are not taking the job seriously.
• Thin coverage to speed up the job. One coat instead of two will look fine immediately but will chip and wear within months. Ask specifically how many coats are included in the quote.
• No insurance. A professional decorator should have public liability insurance. Ask to see evidence before they start. If they damage your belongings or property during the job, you need to know there is cover in place.

How to Save Money

• Do the preparation yourself. Filling small cracks, removing old nails and rawlplugs, and wiping down surfaces can save you one to two days of decorator time.
• Move and cover furniture before they arrive. Decorators charge for the time it takes to move, cover, and uncover furniture. Do it yourself the evening before.
• Book in the shoulder season. Decorators are busiest in spring and summer when exterior work is possible. Booking interior work for October to February often secures a better price and quicker start date.
• Use mid range paint. The gap in quality between mid range and premium paint is smaller than the price difference suggests. Johnstone's and Crown are professional quality without the Farrow and Ball price tag.
• Do not repaint rooms that do not need it. Freshening up woodwork with a light sand and one coat of gloss is half the cost of a full repaint. Save the full job for rooms that genuinely need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a painter and decorator charge per day in the UK?

A painter and decorator charges £150 to £250 per day in the UK in 2026. London and the South East run £200 to £300 per day. The North of England, Wales, and Scotland typically charge £130 to £200 per day.

How much does it cost to paint a bedroom?

A standard double bedroom costs £250 to £500 to paint professionally, including labour and materials. This covers two coats of emulsion on the walls and ceiling and one coat on the woodwork. A large master bedroom costs £350 to £600.

How long does it take to paint a room?

A standard room takes one to two days for a professional decorator. This includes preparation, two coats of emulsion, and finishing the woodwork. Drying time between coats is included in the day count.

How much does exterior house painting cost in the UK?

Exterior painting for a three bedroom semi detached house costs £1,500 to £3,000. A detached house costs £2,500 to £5,000. These prices include preparation and two coats. Scaffolding is charged separately at £400 to £1,000 if required.

How much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets?

A ten to twelve unit kitchen costs £800 to £1,500 to paint professionally, including sanding, priming, and specialist cabinet paint applied by spray gun. Not all decorators offer this service — look specifically for someone who advertises kitchen cabinet spraying.

Should I supply my own paint?

Supplying your own paint saves you the decorator's material markup and lets you choose the exact colour and brand. The risk is that you take responsibility for paint performance. Calculate coverage carefully — running out mid job causes delays and extra cost.

How often should I repaint the exterior of my house?

Masonry paint lasts eight to twelve years. Exterior wood on fascias, soffits, windows, and doors needs repainting every four to six years. Regular maintenance painting protects the structure of the house and avoids expensive repairs caused by water ingress.

What is the cheapest way to paint a house interior?

Do the preparation yourself (filling, sanding, covering furniture), use mid range paint rather than premium, book for the autumn or winter off season when decorator availability is better, and repaint only the rooms that need it. Combining several rooms into one job usually produces a better daily rate too.

Also see our guides on how much a new kitchen costs, how much carpet fitting costs, and how much a bathroom renovation costs.