How to quote for painter & decorator jobs
A practical 2026 pricing guide for UK painter & decorators: how to work out your rate, what to build into every quote, realistic price ranges, and the mistakes that quietly eat your margin.
Skip the maths — build a painter & decorator quote in 60 seconds with QuoteRocket.
Rates, markup and VAT applied automatically. Free trial, no card needed.
How to price painter & decorator work
Price from the bottom up, not from what the last bloke charged. Start with your true hourly cost, add the materials at your real buying price plus a markup, then add the things people forget — travel, waste, parking, certification.
1. Work out your real hourly rate
Take the income you want, add overheads (van, insurance, tools, phone, accountant, pension) and divide by hours you can genuinely bill — around 1,000–1,300 a year once quoting, travel and admin are stripped out. For most painter & decorators that lands near £40 an hour.
2. Estimate labour honestly
Estimate the hours the job actually takes, including setup, testing and clean-up, then add a contingency for the unknowns you always find once you open things up. Underestimating hours is the single biggest cause of a job losing money.
3. Price materials at cost + markup
Charge what you paid, plus a markup of typically 10–25% to cover collection time, waste, returns and the risk of price rises between quoting and buying. If a supplier price is more than a couple of weeks old, re-check it.
4. Add callout, travel and access
A callout or minimum charge protects you on small jobs. Add mileage beyond your normal radius, plus parking, congestion or permit costs where they apply — these are legitimate costs, and customers accept them when they are itemised.
5. Show VAT clearly
If you are VAT registered, show the net figure, VAT at 20% and the gross total separately. If you are not registered, say so on the quote so nobody assumes there is 20% to come.
What to factor into a painter & decorator quote
- Rooms / surfaces covered and coats
- Prep work (filling, sanding, caulking, priming)
- Paint brand & finish (Dulux Trade, Farrow & Ball, etc.)
- Number of coats
- Furniture moving and dust protection
Realistic UK price ranges for painter & decorator work
Indicative 2026 figures, excluding VAT. Regional variation is significant — treat these as a sanity check on your own numbers.
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | £32 – £56 |
| Day rate (7–8 hrs) | £280 – £320 |
| Callout / minimum charge | £40 – £80 |
| Materials markup | 10% – 25% |
| Example job — Lounge, hall & landing repaint | ≈ £1,490 |
See the full itemised breakdown on our free painter & decorator quote template, or run your own numbers in the quote calculator.
Common quoting mistakes for painter & decorators
- Quoting a round number off the top of your head on site, then discovering the materials alone eat most of it.
- Leaving the scope vague. "Lounge & hallway repaint" means different things to you and the customer — spell out what is and is not included.
- Forgetting the unbillable hours: quoting, collecting materials, travel and waste disposal all have to be paid for by the jobs you do win.
- Not putting an expiry on the quote. Material prices move; 14 or 30 days protects you.
- Taking days to send it. Most customers hire whoever gets a clear, professional quote to them first.
Typical painter & decorator jobs to quote
- Lounge & hallway repaint
- Full external repaint (rendered semi)
- New-build snagging paintwork
- Wallpaper hanging (feature wall)
Painter & Decorator pricing FAQs
How much should a painter & decorator charge per hour?
Most UK painter & decorators work to an hourly rate of around £32–£56 depending on region, with London and the South East at the top of that range. Work backwards from what you need to earn: target annual income plus overheads, divided by realistically billable hours (usually 1,000–1,300 a year, not 1,800).
What is a typical painter & decorator day rate?
A day rate is normally 7–8 billable hours at your hourly figure, often with a small discount for the certainty of a full day. At £40 an hour that is roughly £280–£320 per day before materials and VAT. Quote day rates only for open-ended work; fixed price wins more jobs where the scope is clear.
How much does a typical painter & decorator job cost?
Our worked example — Lounge, hall & landing repaint — comes to about £1,490 before VAT once labour, materials and fees are included. Use it as a sanity check rather than a price list: your materials cost, travel and access all move the number.
How much per m² for painting walls in the UK?
Fitted, most UK decorators charge £5–£9 per m² for two coats on prepared walls. Ceilings usually a touch less; woodwork is priced per item or day rate.
Should the quote say which paint brand?
Yes — trade paints (Dulux Trade, Johnstones Trade) cover better and last longer than retail. Naming the brand justifies your price.
Skip the maths — build a painter & decorator quote in 60 seconds with QuoteRocket.
Rates, markup and VAT applied automatically. Free trial, no card needed.