How to Compare Painting Quotes in London

Why London quotes vary so widely

It is entirely normal to receive three quotes for the same London decorating job and find a spread of 40%, 100%, or even 200% between the lowest and the highest. If you do not understand why that spread exists, you cannot make an informed decision about which quote to accept — and you almost certainly cannot make the right one.

The variation stems from several compounding factors.

Labour quality and experience. A decorator with 20 years' experience working on listed Belgravia townhouses costs more per day than someone who finished their apprenticeship two years ago. Both may describe themselves on their website as "professional painters and decorators."

Preparation scope. The part of a decorating job that the client never sees — surface washing, crack filling, sanding, priming — accounts for 40 to 60% of total labour time on a quality finish. This is also the part most easily abbreviated when a contractor is competing hard on price. Two quotes for the same room can describe radically different quantities of preparation.

Products specified. Farrow and Ball Full Gloss on sash window joinery costs roughly three times more per litre than a standard mid-range alkyd gloss. A contractor who quotes using trade-quality Little Greene or Zinsser products cannot match the price of one who plans to use a generic DIY brand.

Overheads and compliance. VAT-registered businesses with employer's liability insurance, a permanent address, and an employed workforce carry legitimate overhead costs. A sole trader operating informally does not — and their quote will reflect that difference.

How to make quotes genuinely comparable

Comparing quotes as submitted is usually impossible, because they describe different scopes of work. To make a meaningful comparison you need to do some work first.

Ask each contractor to provide a itemised schedule of works that lists surfaces, preparation, products and number of coats separately. If one contractor submits a single-line quote, ask them to itemise it. A contractor who refuses to itemise their quote is a contractor who does not want you to look too closely.

Once you have itemised quotes, compare them line by line:

• Is the preparation scope the same?
• Are the products named and equivalent?
• Is the number of coats the same?
• Are the same areas included and excluded?

You will often find that the cheapest quote is cheaper because it proposes one coat where others propose two, or because it has omitted preparation that others have included.

What the price does not tell you

A quote is a document produced in an hour. The work it describes takes weeks. The price tells you almost nothing about:

• The care taken to protect flooring and furniture
• Whether paint lines are clean at skirtings and coving
• Whether the decorator communicates proactively when problems arise
• Whether they return promptly to attend to snagging
• Whether the finish will still look good in two years

These things are revealed by references, by site visits to completed projects, and by the general professionalism of the firm's process from the first phone call. A contractor who arrives promptly, asks intelligent questions about your brief, and delivers a detailed written quote within 48 hours is signalling something real about how they work.

The true cost of the cheapest quote

Consider a realistic scenario. You accept a quote that is £1,800 cheaper than the middle-priced option. The work proceeds. You notice:

• Preparation was minimal — within 18 months, cracks have reappeared and paint is lifting at wall-ceiling junctions
• The woodwork finish is uneven, with brush marks visible in raking light
• Two sash windows were painted shut and subsequently required a joiner to free

Remedial work: £900 for a plasterer, £1,200 to repaint the woodwork to a proper standard, £350 for the joiner. Total additional spend: £2,450. You did not save £1,800. You spent £650 more than the middle-priced quote would have cost, and endured the inconvenience of two rounds of disruption.

This scenario is not unusual. It is the standard consequence of selecting on price alone.

When the cheapest quote is correct

Occasionally the cheapest quote is the right choice. This is true when:

• The scope is simple, low-risk, and easily assessed (a single garage or outbuilding)
• All quotes are fully itemised and genuinely comparable
• You have spoken to references for the cheaper contractor and they are strong
• The price difference reflects a genuine overhead difference (a sole trader with lower costs) rather than a scope or quality difference

Even then, verify insurance and qualifications. A price advantage from cutting corners on compliance is a risk you are absorbing, not saving money on.

The right framework for a decision

Assess quotes on three axes: scope completeness, product quality, and contractor credibility. Price is the fourth consideration, not the first. A quote that scores well on all three axes and is also competitively priced represents genuine value. A quote that scores poorly on the first three and is simply cheap is not a bargain. It is a deferred problem.

Compare our quote fairly

We provide fully itemised quotes specifying every product, every surface, and every stage of preparation. Request your quote here or contact us to discuss your project.