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02 May 2024

How much do painters and decorators cost?

We’ve calculated average costs for professionals to paint or wallpaper your room, touch up woodwork or paint the exterior of your home

Which? Team

In this article

If you want to get the professionals in to give your room a perfect finish, we’ve looked at how much painters and decorators cost¹.

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.

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Cost of painting and wallpapering a room

Job	Details	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.	£160-£350	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.	£170-£450	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.	£320-£650	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.	£480-£700	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.	£540-£650	4 days

Discover how to paint your living room or bedroom for £100, and the best washable paint from our tests

Cost of painting woodwork

Job	Details	Price range	Time to do job
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).	£160-£300	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).	£160-£350	1.5-2 days

A lick of paint on tired kitchen cabinets is a quick way to transform your room. Get tips on how to do it, plus more money-saving advice, in our guide to 8 budget kitchen remodeling ideas

Cost of painting exterior of house

Job	Details	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.	£640-£800	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. Make sure you ask traders about this to help you compare quotes more easily.

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.

Use the tool below to find trusted painters and decorators near you.

¹Costs were checked and updated in April 2024.