How much does painting a room cost in London?

A plain-English guide from five years on the tools in South East London.

Short answer: a standard single bedroom, professionally painted, in good condition, with two coats on walls, ceilings and woodwork, is £450 to £700 in London. A larger living or dining room is £650 to £1,100. A hallway-stairs-landing is £900 to £1,600.

Those ranges are wide because the price depends on more than room size. This post explains what actually drives a painting quote in London, and, more importantly, what you should check when comparing quotes you've already got.

What's in a typical room quote

A good single-room painting quote in London breaks down roughly like this, for a £600 bedroom job:

• Labour: £400 to £450. That's 3 to 4 days of work including all prep, cutting in, rolling, touching up, cleaning down.
• Paint: £80 to £120. Two coats of wall emulsion, ceiling paint, and woodwork eggshell, Trade paint from a local merchant.
• Sundries: £30 to £60. Caulk, filler, primer, stain block, sandpaper, masking tape, dust sheets, consumables.
• Overheads: £30 to £70. Van, insurance, tools, amortised across every job.

If a quote is £300 for a full bedroom, someone is cutting corners, using the cheapest emulsion in B&Q, and probably not sanding or filling properly.

What actually drives the price

Six things, in order of how much they move the total.

1. Condition of the walls. By far the biggest variable. A wall with a smooth, recently-painted surface takes an hour to prep. A wall that's had wallpaper over lining paper over 1970s Artex can take two days before a brush goes near it. When you ask for a quote, tell the decorator honestly what's there.

2. Ceiling height. A standard 2.4m new-build ceiling is fast to paint. A 3m Victorian ceiling is another story — you're working off a podium, cutting in overhead, and everything takes 30-40% longer.

3. Amount of woodwork. Big period skirtings, panelled doors, architrave, picture rails and a staircase add hours. A minimalist new-build with flat skirting and flush doors is much faster.

4. Colour change. Painting off-white over off-white is two coats. Painting a deep blue over magnolia (or vice versa) is often three coats plus a tinted primer. Budget for it.

5. Paint brand. Farrow & Ball and Little Greene at £45-£60 per litre are roughly double the cost of Dulux Trade at £25. If you're painting a whole house, this adds up fast.

6. Whether any other prep is needed. Removing wallpaper, skimming damaged plaster, fixing damp, replacing rotten skirting — all add time and sometimes bring in other trades.

Typical prices by room type (London, professional decorator)

Whole-house repaints

A whole 3-bed Victorian terrace repaint is typically £4,500 to £8,000 in London for a good-quality decorator. A 4- or 5-bed Edwardian or Victorian semi is £7,500 to £14,000.

These numbers assume standard prep, Trade-quality paint, and no major plaster or wallpaper strip work. Add £1,000-£3,000 if there's wallpaper to come off or walls to skim.

Why some quotes are 40% lower

If you're getting quotes that are wildly different — £700 from one decorator and £1,200 from another for the same room — the difference is almost always in prep. Common corners:

• No filling of hairline cracks (painted over, crack comes back in 3 months)
• No sanding between coats (visible brush and roller marks)
• One coat instead of two (colour non-uniform)
• Cheaper paint (doesn't cover, doesn't last)
• No dust sheeting (paint on your floor)
• No caulking of gaps (gap visible forever)
• No stain block (stains bleed back through in months)

None of these show on day one. All of them show within six months.

How to compare quotes properly

Ask each decorator the same three questions:

1. "What prep are you including?" A good answer mentions filling, caulking, sanding and priming by name. "Standard prep" isn't good enough — ask for specifics.

2. "How many coats of paint?" Two on walls and ceilings is the minimum. Three on big colour changes. If someone quotes for one, they're either underpricing or planning to undercook the job.

3. "What paint are you using?" A specific brand and range ("Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt" or "Farrow & Ball Modern Emulsion") is a good sign. "Professional paint" is a red flag.

What I charge

I quote fixed prices, not day rates. Every quote is written down, broken out by room, and includes everything — labour, paint, sundries and clean-up. I use Dulux Trade as the baseline and upgrade to F&B, Little Greene, Mylands or Tikkurila when the job calls for it. My quote for a standard single bedroom is in the £450-£700 range depending on the six factors above.