Cost guide: painters and decorators

A fresh coat of paint is one of the best ways to give your home a new look. We’ve calculated average costs for professionals to paint or wallpaper your room, touch up woodwork or paint the exterior of your home.

In this article

If you want to get the professionals in to give your room a perfect finish, we’ve looked at how much you might need to pay¹.

Our figures are only a guide to average costs, and there are several factors that can affect how much you’ll be charged, including:

  • where you live
  • the age and condition of your property
  • how long the job takes
  • the types of materials (such as the quality of paint) that you want to be used.


Ask traders to break down the quotes they provide, so you know what you’re being charged for. It’s a good idea to get more than one quote so you have a better idea of the going rate for your particular requirements.

Find trusted painters and decorators near you. Only painters and decorators who have passed an assessment by our trading standards professionals, and who follow our Code of Conduct, can become Trusted Traders.

Cost of painting and wallpapering a room

Unless otherwise specified, prices include labour and materials but exclude VAT.

Job

Details

Typical price quoted

Price range

Time to do job

Paint a room (small)

Room size approx 2.1m x 2.2m. Repaint walls and ceiling with two coats of light-coloured emulsion. Assumes existing plaster is in good condition.

£325

£220-£440

1-2 days

Paint a room (medium)

Room size approx 3.3m x 3m. Repaint walls and ceiling with two coats of light-coloured emulsion. Assumes existing plaster is in good condition.

£420

£400-£440

2 days

Paint a room (large)

Room size approx 6.1m x 5m. Repaint walls and ceiling with two coats of light-coloured emulsion. Assumes existing plaster is in good condition.

£550

£450-£600

2-3 days

Repaint hallway, landing and stairs

Repaint walls only (not woodwork) in downstairs hallway, upstairs landing and stair area in an average three-bedroom house. Assumes existing plaster is in good condition.

£650

£600-£720

3 days

Wallpaper a room

Room size approx 4.4m x 3.3m. Line and paper. Assumes walls are straight and sound with no existing wallpaper to remove. Customer supplying own wallpaper.

£850

£800-£950

4 days

Cost of painting woodwork

Unless otherwise specified, prices include labour and materials but exclude VAT.

Repaint woodwork that's in good condition (one room)

Room size approx 3.3m x 3m. Assumes existing gloss is good quality but discoloured. Rub down, undercoat and paint with gloss. Cost includes skirting boards and one door frame (no doors or windows).

£320

£200-£350

1-2 days

Repaint woodwork that's in poor condition (one room)

Room size approx 3.3m x 3m. Remove old gloss and prepare wood. Undercoat and paint with gloss. Cost includes skirting boards and one door frame (no doors or windows).

£425

£275-£450

1.5-2 days

 

Cost of painting exterior of house

Job

Details

Typical price quoted

Price range

Time to do job

Paint exterior of average three-bedroom semi-detached house*

Assumes render is in good condition and just needs a repaint.

£875

£750 - £1500

3-4 days


*Depending on your house, traders will probably need to use scaffolding to complete this job safely. This could add a lot to your quote. Some traders gave us quotes including scaffolding, and some didn’t (hence the large price range). Make sure you ask traders about this to help you compare quotes more easily.

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¹Costs were checked and updated in September 2021.