Painters and Decorators Cost Guide: London 2026
A comprehensive 2026 cost guide for painters and decorators in London. Room by room pricing, exterior costs, day rates vs fixed price quotes, and all the factors that affect what you'll pay.
How Much Do Painters and Decorators Cost in London in 2026?
Pricing for painting and decorating in London is more variable than most homeowners expect, and the gap between the cheapest and the most experienced operators is significant. This guide sets out realistic current pricing across all the main project types, explains what drives variation, and helps you understand what you should expect at each price point.
All prices below are based on London rates as of early 2026 and include labour only unless stated. Materials are typically quoted separately or as a combined supply-and-fix rate depending on the contractor.
Day Rates vs Fixed-Price Quotes
The first decision in any painting project is whether to engage a decorator on a day rate or a fixed-price basis.
Day rate decorators in London currently charge between £200 and £350 per day depending on experience and specialism. The average for a competent self-employed decorator working in zone 2 to zone 4 London is around £240 to £280 per day. Lead decorators or those with specialist skills -- spray finishing, gilding, paper hanging -- command the higher end of this range.
Day rates suit smaller or uncertain-scope projects: a single room where you are not sure how much preparation will be needed, or a project where the design brief is still evolving. The risk is that the final cost is open-ended.
Fixed-price quotes suit clearly defined projects and give the client certainty. A good fixed-price quote requires a thorough site survey so that the decorator can accurately assess preparation requirements. Beware of fixed prices that have been submitted without a site visit -- they either assume best-case conditions and will involve extras, or they are priced conservatively to cover unknowns, which may mean you are overpaying.
Room by Room Pricing: Interior Decoration
The following prices are for labour only and assume standard preparation (filling minor cracks and holes, light sanding, one coat primer where needed, two topcoats). Properties with heavy paint build-up, damaged plaster, or complex period features will cost more.
Bedroom (standard double, 12-14 sq m): Walls and ceiling, £400 to £600. Including woodwork (skirting, architraves, door), add £150 to £250.
Living room (typical London reception room, 18-25 sq m): Walls and ceiling, £550 to £850. Including woodwork and fireplace surround, £750 to £1,100. Including picture rail and coving, add £100 to £200.
Kitchen (typically painted rather than tiled walls in older London properties): Walls only (excluding tiled areas), £350 to £550. Kitchen cupboard repainting (10-12 door fronts, preparation and sprayed finish), £800 to £1,500.
Hallway, staircase, and landing: This is typically the most complex and time-consuming area of a London terraced house or flat. For a two-storey property with original staircase, £900 to £1,600 is a realistic range for a quality job.
Bathroom: Wall tiling is generally not painted, but painted walls, ceiling, and woodwork in a standard bathroom run £300 to £500.
Whole house, two-bedroom flat: Full redecoration including all rooms, woodwork, and hallway typically runs £3,500 to £5,500 for a standard flat in good condition.
Whole house, four-bedroom Victorian or Edwardian terrace: Full redecoration is typically £7,000 to £12,000 depending on condition, period features, and specification.
Exterior Painting Costs in London
Exterior painting costs vary significantly with property size, access requirements, and surface condition.
Two-bedroom flat or maisonette (front only): £600 to £1,200 including access.
Three-storey Victorian terrace (front and rear): £1,800 to £3,500 for walls, windows, and woodwork. Scaffolding is typically included at £400 to £800 depending on property height and access.
Large detached house (five bedrooms, all elevations): £5,000 to £10,000 or more depending on size and access complexity.
Window frames only (per window): £60 to £120 per window for a standard sash or casement, preparation and two coats.
What Affects the Cost?
Several factors push decoration costs up or down significantly.
Preparation requirements are the biggest variable. A room where the plaster is in excellent condition and the existing paint is sound costs a fraction of what the same-sized room costs when the walls need extensive filling or the woodwork requires stripping.
Access requirements for exterior work add meaningful cost. Scaffolding hire in London runs from £500 to £2,000 for a standard domestic property depending on height and complexity.
Specification matters. Two coats of a premium brand such as Farrow and Ball, Little Greene, or Paint and Paper Library cost roughly three times the equivalent in a standard trade emulsion per litre, and the application method needs to account for their different working properties.
Location within London affects cost. Zones 1 and 2 attract a premium of around 15 to 20 per cent compared to outer London, reflecting travel time and the higher general cost of operating in central London.
How to Use This Guide
These figures should be used as a starting point for budgeting and for assessing whether quotations you receive are in a realistic range. A quote that comes in significantly below these figures warrants scrutiny: the preparation may be underspecified, the paint quality may be lower, or the labour has been underestimated.
Contact us for a free, detailed written quotation for any project across central and south-west London.