What does painting and decorating
actually cost?
No square-metre rates and no “from £99 a room”. This is how Brushly prices work in Reigate, Epsom, Redhill and the villages between, what moves the number, and what a typical job takes.
By the day, per decorator, plus materials at cost
Our labour is priced from £280 per decorator per day. Paint, fillers and sundries are listed at what they cost us, on their own line, so you can see the labour and the materials separately and compare like for like.
Every quote follows a site visit and is fixed in writing before we start. The price on the quote is the price you pay for the work on the quote. If we uncover something nobody could have seen, we stop and agree the extra with you first.
Why not a price per square metre? Because the metre rate hides the preparation, and preparation is most of a decorator’s day. A flat rate per metre has to assume average walls. In Surrey’s 1930s semis, Victorian terraces and converted barns, the walls are rarely average.
- A site visit before any number is written down
- Protection of floors, furniture and fittings
- Preparation: filling, sanding, caulking, priming where needed
- Two full coats as standard, a third where the colour needs it
- Paint specified and supplied by us, itemised at cost
- A tidy, hoovered room at the end of every day
- A fixed, itemised written quote; £2m public liability cover
Free site visits · Itemised written quotes · £2m insured
Six things that change the number, and why
The state of the walls
Filling, sanding, stripping old paper and treating stains are where the hours go. A freshly plastered room is quick; a 1930s hallway with blown paint and Artex is not. We price the prep honestly rather than skimping on it, because the finish only lasts as long as what is underneath.
Ceiling height and stairwells
Anything above a standard 2.4m ceiling, and any stairwell, needs towers or platforms and slows the work. It is the single biggest reason two similar-sized rooms cost different amounts.
Colour change and coats
Going from a dark colour to a pale one, or using a deep designer colour, often needs a third coat. We tell you that at survey, not on the invoice.
Woodwork
Skirting, architraves, doors and windows are slower than walls: more sanding, more masking, more cutting-in. A room with a lot of woodwork can take as long again as the walls.
Paint specification
Trade emulsion and a premium brand such as Farrow & Ball or Little Greene behave differently and cost differently. Materials are itemised at cost, so you see the paint line separately from the labour.
Exterior access
Masonry and exterior woodwork depend on weather, scaffold or tower hire, and how much repair the render and timber need. Access is quoted as its own line.
How long the common jobs take
Multiply the days by the day rate, add the paint, and you have a realistic budget before we visit. These are typical durations, not promises: the survey sets the real number.
Double bedroom
Walls and ceiling, two coats, light prep, furniture moved to the middle
Usually one decorator for a day
Living room with woodwork
Walls, ceiling, skirting, architraves and one door, two coats, moderate prep
Usually one decorator for two days
Hall, stairs and landing
Walls, ceiling, spindles, handrail and skirting, with a tower for the stairwell
Usually two to three days, often two decorators
Three-bed house interior
Every room, walls, ceilings and woodwork, one colour scheme
Usually two decorators for a week to ten days
Pricing, answered
By the day, per decorator, plus the materials at cost. Every quote follows a site visit and is fixed in writing before we start, with labour, paint and any access listed as separate lines. There is no square-metre rate: two rooms the same size can take very different amounts of work, and a flat rate per metre rewards the decorator who skips the prep.
Yes. We visit, measure, look at the condition of the surfaces and send an itemised quote. Send a photo on WhatsApp first and we will tell you straight away whether it is the kind of work we do.
We specify and supply it, itemised at cost on the quote. If you have a colour in mind we match it; if you do not, the visualiser on this site lets you try colours on a photo of your own room before we visit.
Because the metre rate hides the prep. A square-metre price has to assume average walls, and the walls in Surrey’s older houses are rarely average. Pricing by the day and showing the prep as its own line means you pay for the work your rooms actually need and can see exactly what that is.
Not for the work on the quote. If we open something up and find a problem nobody could see, such as damp behind paper or rotten timber under paint, we stop, show you, and agree the extra in writing before carrying on.
Your written quote shows the total you will pay. Ask and we will confirm the VAT position for your job before you accept it.
Drag to compare · Living room transformation
Seethedifferencecraftsmanshipmakes
Every project begins with a free consultation. From colour selection to final inspection, we ensure every detail exceeds expectations.