Professional Decorator Service London: Costs, Timelines, Checklist
A professional decorator service in London typically charges £150 to £250 a day per decorator, or £300 to £900 per room depending on size and wall condition, with a full three-bedroom redecoration running £2,500 to £6,000 including materials. Most jobs include filling, sanding, a mist coat where bare plaster is exposed, and two coats of finish paint. Book 2 to 4 weeks ahead for a decent decorator, longer in spring and again before Christmas when everyone wants the flat done at once.
- What a professional decorator costs in London
- What's included in a standard decorating job
- How long the work takes
- Decorator vs painter and decorator
- How to prepare before they arrive
- Questions to ask before you hire
- Interior vs exterior work
- FAQ
What Does a Professional Decorator Cost in London?
Prices in London run higher than the national average because of travel time, parking, and the cost of skips or waste disposal in most boroughs. A decorator working solo charges a day rate of £150 to £250. A two-person team, common for whole-house jobs where the deadline matters, charges £300 to £450 combined per day. Materials are usually quoted separately unless the job is small.
| Job | Typical Price (London) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single room repaint (walls only) | £300 to £550 | Assumes walls in reasonable condition, no major filling |
| Room plus ceiling | £450 to £750 | Ceilings often need two coats minimum |
| Ceiling only | £150 to £280 | Faster if furniture isn't moved |
| Woodwork (skirting, doors, frames) | £20 to £45 per item | Undercoat plus one or two topcoats depending on colour change |
| Wallpaper hanging | £30 to £60 per roll fitted | Pattern matching and lining paper cost extra |
| Whole 2-bed flat | £1,600 to £3,200 | All rooms, ceilings, woodwork |
| Whole 3-bed house | £2,500 to £6,000 | Wide range depends on prep needed and paint spec |
| Exterior render or masonry, mid-terrace | £1,800 to £4,500 | Weather dependent, often needs a preparatory wash |
| Day rate, single decorator | £150 to £250 | Confirm whether materials are included |
These figures are ranges because London prices vary a lot by borough, by access (a fifth-floor flat with no lift costs more in time), and by how much repair work is hiding under the old paint. Get a written quote after the decorator has actually seen the walls, not a phone estimate.
What's Included in a Standard Decorating Job
A properly run professional decorator service in London should cover the following as standard, not as extras billed later:
- Dust sheets down over flooring and furniture before anything is opened
- Filling of cracks, nail holes and minor plaster damage, then sanding smooth
- A mist coat (diluted emulsion) on any new or repaired plaster before the finish colour goes on
- Masking of skirting, sockets, switches and window frames
- Two coats of finish paint on walls and ceilings as the minimum standard, three where the colour change is dramatic (dark to light or vice versa)
- Clean up and removal of old paint tins and packaging at the end
If a quote doesn't mention filling and sanding, ask why. Skipping this step is the single biggest cause of paint looking patchy within a few months, because it's covering old cracks rather than fixing them. For walls with more serious damage, damp staining, or crumbling plaster, that's a job for a plasterer first. Our plastering services in London page covers when a skim coat is needed before painting can even start.
How Long Does a Professional Decorator Take in London?
| Job | Typical Duration |
|---|---|
| Single room, walls and ceiling | 1 to 2 working days |
| 2-bed flat, full redecoration | 4 to 6 working days |
| 3-bed house, full redecoration | 7 to 10 working days |
| Exterior of a terraced house | 3 to 5 working days, weather permitting |
| Wallpaper, single feature wall | Half a day to a full day |
Drying time between coats is the part people forget to budget for. Emulsion needs roughly 2 to 4 hours between coats in a normally ventilated room, longer in winter with the heating off during the day. Gloss and satinwood on woodwork need longer, often overnight. A decorator rushing coats on top of each other before they're dry is how you end up with brush marks that won't sand out.
Decorator vs Painter and Decorator: What's the Difference?
In practice, in London, the terms overlap and most tradespeople use "painter and decorator" to mean the same person doing both jobs. Where there's a real distinction: a painter focuses on paint application, walls, ceilings, woodwork. A decorator's remit historically extends to wallpaper hanging, some plaster patching, and finishing touches like coving or picture rail painting. When you're comparing quotes, ask specifically whether wallpaper stripping and hanging is included in their day rate or charged separately, because it often isn't.
How to Prepare Before Your Decorator Arrives
A few hours of preparation on your end saves the decorator time, and time is what you're paying for by the day.
- Clear the room of anything breakable or valuable, they'll move furniture to the centre but won't pack boxes
- Take down curtains, blinds and curtain poles yourself, or book someone to do it before the decorator starts and after they finish. Our curtain and blind fitting service in London can handle both the removal and the refit once the paint is dry
- Decide your paint brand and finish (matt, eggshell, satin) in advance, chasing a specific colour mid-job costs everyone time
- Do a patch test on the wall in daylight and at night under your actual lighting before committing to a colour
- Flag any known damp patches, previous leaks or cracks that keep coming back, so they can be assessed rather than just painted over
The most expensive mistake: hiring on the lowest quote without checking what prep is included. A decorator who skips filling, sanding and a mist coat can finish a room a full day faster and charge less for it. Six months later the cracks show through and you're paying to have the same room redone, plus the cost of the paint you already bought. Always ask what prep work is covered in the price before you compare two quotes side by side, because a £400 quote with no prep is not cheaper than a £550 quote that includes it.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Decorator in London
- Is the quote based on seeing the room in person, or an estimate over the phone or from photos?
- Does the price include materials, and which paint brand will be used?
- Is filling, sanding and a mist coat included, or charged as an extra?
- How many coats of finish paint are included as standard?
- Are dust sheets, masking tape and clean up included, or is that a separate line item?
- What happens if damp or serious cracking is found once the old paint comes off?
- Do they carry public liability insurance, and can they send proof?
- What's the payment schedule, and how much (if any) is expected upfront?
Interior vs Exterior Decorating: What Changes
Exterior decorating in London runs on the weather far more than people expect. Masonry paint and exterior primers generally need a dry surface and temperatures above around 8 to 10 degrees Celsius to cure properly, which rules out large parts of December through February for most jobs. Spring and early autumn are the reliable windows, which is also why decorators get booked up fastest in April and May.
Exterior jobs also often need a pressure wash first to remove algae, grime and loose old paint before anything new goes on. Skipping this step is why new masonry paint sometimes peels within a year, it's sitting on dirt rather than clean render. If your exterior walls have visible green or black staining, our pressure washing service in London is worth booking as a separate step a few days before the decorator starts, giving the surface time to dry fully.
For interior jobs, the constraint is usually access and disruption rather than weather, which is why most flats book a decorator for a working week rather than trying to fit it around weekends.
Booking a Decorator Alongside Other Work
Redecorating is rarely the only job on the list. Landlords and homeowners in London often bundle a decorator visit with smaller repairs, picture and shelving fitting once the paint is dry, or a wider check of the property before a tenancy changes hands. If you've got a short list of odd jobs alongside the painting, our small jobs and odd job handyman service can often fit them in the same week. And if you're managing a rental property and want decorating rolled into a regular maintenance schedule, our property maintenance service in London covers that on an ongoing basis rather than a one-off booking.
FAQ
How much does it cost to hire a decorator in London?
A single decorator charges £150 to £250 a day in London. A single room typically costs £300 to £550 to repaint, and a full three-bedroom house redecoration runs £2,500 to £6,000 depending on the amount of prep work and the paint specification. Always get a written quote after an in-person survey rather than relying on a phone estimate.
How long does it take to paint a 3 bedroom house?
A full interior redecoration of a three-bedroom house typically takes 7 to 10 working days for a two-person team, covering walls, ceilings and woodwork throughout. It takes longer if wallpaper needs stripping first, if there's significant damp or crack repair needed, or if the property has high ceilings or period coving that needs careful masking.
Do decorators supply their own paint?
Most professional decorators in London will supply standard trade paint as part of the quote, but many homeowners prefer to buy their own if they want a specific brand, colour, or eco-friendly formulation. Confirm this before the job starts, since buying paint yourself and having it wrong for the day can delay the schedule.
Is it cheaper to hire a decorator or a painter and decorator?
In London the terms are largely interchangeable and most tradespeople offer both painting and basic decorating (wallpaper, minor plaster patching) under one day rate. There's rarely a price difference for hiring one term over the other, the real cost driver is the size of the job and how much prep the walls need, not the job title on the quote.
Do I need to move my furniture before a decorator comes?
You should clear breakables and valuables yourself, but most decorators will move remaining furniture to the centre of the room and cover it with dust sheets as part of the job. Large wardrobes or beds that can't easily be shifted may need to be dismantled in advance, so mention these when you book.
How often should a London flat be redecorated?
Most flats benefit from a full repaint every 5 to 7 years, though high-traffic areas like hallways and kitchens often need touching up sooner due to marks and grease. Rental properties are commonly redecorated between tenancies, which in London often means every 2 to 3 years for busier properties.
Can a decorator also do plastering repairs?
Many decorators can handle minor filling and small crack repairs themselves, but larger plaster damage, damp-affected walls or full skim coats need a qualified plasterer first. Painting over serious plaster damage without repairing it properly is a common reason paint fails within months. Get any significant cracking or bulging assessed before booking the decorator.
What's the best time of year to book exterior decorating in London?
Spring (April to June) and early autumn (September to early October) are the most reliable windows, since exterior paint needs dry conditions and temperatures generally above 8 to 10 degrees Celsius to cure properly. These are also the busiest booking periods, so confirm dates 3 to 4 weeks ahead if you want a specific slot.