The honest answer is "it depends" — so here's exactly what it depends on, what a good quote includes, and how to compare prices fairly.
Anyone who quotes a firm price for decorating without seeing the job is guessing. The cost of a real decorating project depends on the size and condition of the space, how much preparation it needs, the paint you choose, and whether it's interior or exterior work. Two rooms the same size can be hundreds of pounds apart.
Rather than give you a number that turns out to be wrong, here's what actually drives the price — so when you do get a quote, you'll understand every line of it.
Most decorating is priced by the room or by the day, so a larger space or more rooms means more labour and more paint. Ceilings, stairwells, and high walls take longer because of the access involved.
Sound, previously painted walls are quick to refresh. Walls that need filling, sanding, stripping old wallpaper, or repairing cracks take far longer — and skipping that preparation is the fastest route to a finish that fails within a year.
A like-for-like refresh might need one or two coats. Covering a dark colour with a light one, painting bare plaster, or a big colour change can need a mist coat plus two or three top coats, all of which adds time and paint.
Trade emulsion, premium brands like Farrow & Ball or Little Greene, specialist finishes, and durable exterior coatings all sit at different price points. The materials line of your quote depends on what you pick — we're happy to advise before you commit.
Exterior painting often needs scaffolding or access equipment, more thorough preparation, weather-resistant coatings, and dry-weather windows to work in. That makes it a different job, and a different price, from interior decorating.
Cutting in around skirting, architraves, spindles, and coving is slow, careful work. Wallpapering, feature walls, and period detailing take more skill and time than rolling a plain wall, and the quote reflects that.
Clearing and covering furniture, protecting floors, and working around an occupied home or a live business all take time. We bring our own dust sheets and coverings, but the amount of protection a job needs feeds into the cost.
Buying your own paint or having us arrange supply through trade suppliers changes the materials line of your quote. Trade prices are often better than the high street, and we'll advise either way before you decide.
Tell us about your project and we'll see the space and give you a clear, no-obligation quote — every line explained.
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