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How much does it cost to decorate a room? Your price guide for 2023

If your home is starting to look a bit tired, painting and decorating is a home improvement project that'll be one of your first ports of call. Some of the things you could do include repainting a room, adding wallpaper, painting the doors, skirting boards or coving, or even painting a feature wall or redecorating with furniture. These are all guaranteed ways to freshen up a space that’s starting to get a bit rough around the edges.

But, if you're looking to give your home a bit of love with some decorating projects, it's important to understand the costs involved before you get started. That's why we've written this handy price guide that covers how much it costs to get a room painted, decorated or wallpapered, as well as explaining some of the factors that go into how much you'll pay, so you can make the best decision.

What's the cost of decorating a room?

Firstly, let's look at the actual costs involved in painting and decorating a room. You can see our table to the right showing the costs across the country, adjusted for the changes in tradespeople’s rates in different areas.

When calculating these costs, we’ve assumed a medium sized room of around 30 square metres. The size of the room will of course affect how much you’re likely to pay to get it painted and decorated. For a small room, you could pay as little as £250, but for a large room, expect to pay as much as £1000 for painting and decorating. To understand the pricing of painting a room, it helps to understand all that is involved with decorating a room.

What is the average day rate for a decorator?

The average day rate for a decorator will vary depending on where you are in the country, but generally you should expect to pay between £130-£400 per day. Decorators in London and the south east of England generally charge more than those based in other areas of the UK. This works out at an average of around £20-£60 per hour.

How much does wallpapering a room cost?

Hanging wallpaper is another common painting and decorating job. For wallpapering, the biggest thing that will affect the price is the condition of the surfaces of the walls – so the quotes you get can vary depending on this. For a medium sized room, with old wallpaper that needs to be removed but walls that are in good condition otherwise, you should expect to pay around £400 for wallpapering. For smaller or larger rooms, expect the price to change similarly to painting and decorating; with prices ranging from £200 for a small room up to £1000 for a very large one.

If your room doesn’t already have wallpaper, and the walls are in good condition ready for the new wallpaper to be hung, you could save yourself up to half on the prices mentioned above. However, if the walls are in bad condition with a lot of sanding and preparation required, you could end up paying at least 20-40% more.

Does the type of room affect the price to paint a room?

As we've just mentioned, the size of the room being decorated will have a huge effect on the cost. However, another variable that you might not factor in or consider is the type of the room being decorated. For example, rooms with large, empty walls like living rooms or bedrooms will cost more to decorate than rooms like kitchens or bathrooms, where some of the wall space is covered with tiles. It stands to reason – there’s simply more wall space to be painted.

Of course, if you're replacing the tiles as well, then you’ll need to factor this into the cost of painting and decorating the room. But if you’re just getting a room repainted, then it’s important to think about exactly how much area is actually being painted, rather than simply the size of the room.

How much will materials affect the cost of decorating a room?

With painting and decorating projects, the majority of the cost is in the time and effort of the labour, rather than in the materials used on the job. However, the kind of paint and wallpaper that you choose will of course affect the overall cost of painting and decorating your room. The price difference between cheap and expensive paint is more than you might think, and with expensive paint offering significantly more protection against the elements and other hardwearing benefits, you may want to splash out for this on your next project.

Similarly, with wallpaper projects, the materials themselves make up a relatively small proportion of the overall cost, but choosing more expensive wallpaper can have benefits in terms of how hardwearing the walls will be. In addition, the kinds of colours and patterns that are available will often depend on how expensive the wallpaper is – so if you’re looking for a specific kind of pattern, be prepared to pay more for it.

Can I make my project cheaper by preparing things myself?

Another key factor when it comes to how much it will cost to get your room painted and decorated is the amount of preparation that’s required. This covers the condition of any walls that are being painted, or anything else like skirting boards, doors or coving. So, if you want to reduce the cost, consider doing some preparation work yourself – but be warned, if it’s not up to the right standard, you could end up making things worse for all of your effort.

Preparing these materials could involve sanding them down to a nice smooth surface ready for painting or wallpapering, or even plastering over or sealing cracks and holes in the wall. You could also consider removing wallpaper yourself before getting a painter and decorator in.

What other things should I consider when decorating a room?

Just as every room is different, so too is every painting and decorating project. Because of this, there are a variety of extra things you might want to take into consideration that could affect the cost. This includes things like how much furniture is in the room that needs either covering or taking out or any extra work like painting light switches, skirting boards or doors. Painting and decorating your room could also include other things like hanging curtains, changing light fixtures, or other small decorating tasks. Be sure to speak to the tradespeople you choose about these jobs before they start work.


Estimates for common painter & decorator jobs;

Job Estimate
Cost to wallpaper a room £550 per room
Cost to stain or oil decking £120
Cost to remove wallpaper £354 per room
Cost to paint and decorate a house interior £3700
Cost to paint or stain a fence £220
Cost to paint soffits and fascias £550
Cost to sand down and repaint skirting boards £170 per room
Cost to sand down and repaint interior doors £200 per door
Cost to paint house exterior £1600
Cost to paint the hallway, stairs and landing £800
Cost to paint the garage £310
Cost to paint a front door £352
Cost to decorate a bedroom £380
Cost to paint office, business premises or warehouse £1340
Cost to paint a ceiling £213 per room
Cost to paint kitchen cabinet doors £452
Cost to paint a bathroom £290
Cost to paint and decorate a room £450
Cost to paint and decorate a living room £710

Rates for other trades

Paint and decorate a room cost in the UK
Paint and decorate a room cost in the UK (excluding VAT or callout charges)
Location in UKPaint and decorate a room cost
Paint and decorate a room near Aberdeen£324
Paint and decorate a room near Amber Valley£313
Paint and decorate a room near Arun£350
Paint and decorate a room near Ashfield£318
Paint and decorate a room near Aylesbury Vale£351
Paint and decorate a room near Barnsley£309
Paint and decorate a room near Basildon£335
Paint and decorate a room near Basingstoke & Deane£347
Paint and decorate a room near Bassetlaw£312
Paint and decorate a room near Bath & North East Somerset£328
Paint and decorate a room near Bedford£371
Paint and decorate a room near Belfast£292
Paint and decorate a room near Birmingham£315
Paint and decorate a room near Blackburn£304
Paint and decorate a room near Blackpool£301
Paint and decorate a room near Bolton£316
Paint and decorate a room near Bournemouth£317
Paint and decorate a room near Bracknell Forest£351
Paint and decorate a room near Bradford£308
Paint and decorate a room near Braintree£328
Paint and decorate a room near Breckland£303
Paint and decorate a room near Bridgend£319
Paint and decorate a room near Brighton£346
Paint and decorate a room near Bristol£329
Paint and decorate a room near Broadland£299
Paint and decorate a room near Broxtowe£313
Paint and decorate a room near Bury£317
Paint and decorate a room near Caerphilly£324
Paint and decorate a room near Calderdale£306
Paint and decorate a room near Cambridge£343
Paint and decorate a room near Canterbury£303
Paint and decorate a room near Cardiff£324
Paint and decorate a room near Carmarthenshire£274
Paint and decorate a room near Charnwood£313
Paint and decorate a room near Chelmsford£328
Paint and decorate a room near Cheltenham£342
Paint and decorate a room near Cherwell£356
Paint and decorate a room near Chester£298
Paint and decorate a room near Colchester£317
Paint and decorate a room near Conway£286
Paint and decorate a room near Coventry£309
Paint and decorate a room near Crewe & Nantwich£306
Paint and decorate a room near Dacorum£352
Paint and decorate a room near Derby£312
Paint and decorate a room near Doncaster£300
Paint and decorate a room near Dover£308
Paint and decorate a room near Dudley£312
Paint and decorate a room near Dundee£278
Paint and decorate a room near East Ayrshire£318
Paint and decorate a room near East Devon£300
Paint and decorate a room near East Dunbartonshire£314
Paint and decorate a room near East Hampshire£327
Paint and decorate a room near East Hertfordshire£346
Paint and decorate a room near East Lindsey£350
Paint and decorate a room near East Riding£346
Paint and decorate a room near Eastleigh£328
Paint and decorate a room near Edinburgh£332
Paint and decorate a room near Elmbridge£349
Paint and decorate a room near Epping Forest£353
Paint and decorate a room near Erewash£312
Paint and decorate a room near Exeter£319
Paint and decorate a room near Falkirk£305
Paint and decorate a room near Fife£332
Paint and decorate a room near Flintshire£294
Paint and decorate a room near Gateshead£309
Paint and decorate a room near Gedling£318
Paint and decorate a room near Glasgow£314
Paint and decorate a room near Gloucester£341
Paint and decorate a room near Guildford£343
Paint and decorate a room near Gwynedd£320
Paint and decorate a room near Halton£303
Paint and decorate a room near Harrogate£308
Paint and decorate a room near Havant & Waterloo£322
Paint and decorate a room near Highland£310
Paint and decorate a room near Horsham£331
Paint and decorate a room near Huntingdonshire£376
Paint and decorate a room near Ipswich£301
Paint and decorate a room near Isle of Wight£324
Paint and decorate a room near Kings Lynn & West Norfolk£329
Paint and decorate a room near Kingston-upon-Hull£335
Paint and decorate a room near Kirklees£310
Paint and decorate a room near Knowsley£306
Paint and decorate a room near Lancaster£306
Paint and decorate a room near Leeds£312
Paint and decorate a room near Leicester£316
Paint and decorate a room near Lisburn£294
Paint and decorate a room near Liverpool£305
Paint and decorate a room near London£349
Paint and decorate a room near Luton£351
Paint and decorate a room near Macclesfield£321
Paint and decorate a room near Maidstone£326
Paint and decorate a room near Manchester£321
Paint and decorate a room near Mid Bedfordshire£356
Paint and decorate a room near Mid Sussex£334
Paint and decorate a room near Middlesbrough£314
Paint and decorate a room near Milton Keynes£363
Paint and decorate a room near Neath Port Talbot£313
Paint and decorate a room near New Forest£320
Paint and decorate a room near Newbury£339
Paint and decorate a room near Newcastle-under-Lyme£310
Paint and decorate a room near Newcastle-upon-Tyne£310
Paint and decorate a room near Newport£322
Paint and decorate a room near North Ayrshire£311
Paint and decorate a room near North East Lincolnshire£300
Paint and decorate a room near North Hertfordshire£347
Paint and decorate a room near North Lanarkshire£304
Paint and decorate a room near North Lincolnshire£322
Paint and decorate a room near North Somerset£328
Paint and decorate a room near North Tyneside£311
Paint and decorate a room near North Wiltshire£311
Paint and decorate a room near Northampton£372
Paint and decorate a room near Norwich£303
Paint and decorate a room near Nottingham£316
Paint and decorate a room near Nuneaton & Bedworth£312
Paint and decorate a room near Oldham£319
Paint and decorate a room near Oxford£349
Paint and decorate a room near Perth & Kinross£466
Paint and decorate a room near Peterborough£379
Paint and decorate a room near Plymouth£335
Paint and decorate a room near Poole£317
Paint and decorate a room near Portsmouth£322
Paint and decorate a room near Powys£270
Paint and decorate a room near Preston£300
Paint and decorate a room near Reading£349
Paint and decorate a room near Redcar & Cleveland£304
Paint and decorate a room near Reigate & Banstead£345
Paint and decorate a room near Renfrewshire£324
Paint and decorate a room near Rhondda, Cynon, Taff£313
Paint and decorate a room near Rochdale£317
Paint and decorate a room near Rotherham£303
Paint and decorate a room near Salford£319
Paint and decorate a room near Salisbury£328
Paint and decorate a room near Sandwell£312
Paint and decorate a room near Scarborough£320
Paint and decorate a room near Scottish Borders£310
Paint and decorate a room near Sefton£303
Paint and decorate a room near Sevenoaks£336
Paint and decorate a room near Sheffield£301
Paint and decorate a room near Slough£350
Paint and decorate a room near Solihull£311
Paint and decorate a room near South Ayrshire£322
Paint and decorate a room near South Bedfordshire£371
Paint and decorate a room near South Cambridgeshire£340
Paint and decorate a room near South Gloucestershire£328
Paint and decorate a room near South Kesteven£308
Paint and decorate a room near South Lanarkshire£306
Paint and decorate a room near South Oxfordshire£351
Paint and decorate a room near South Somerset£300
Paint and decorate a room near South Tyneside£310
Paint and decorate a room near Southampton£326
Paint and decorate a room near Southend-on-Sea£326
Paint and decorate a room near St Albans£352
Paint and decorate a room near St Helens£306
Paint and decorate a room near Stafford£324
Paint and decorate a room near Stockport£323
Paint and decorate a room near Stockton-on-Tees£311
Paint and decorate a room near Stoke-on-Trent£311
Paint and decorate a room near Stratford-on-Avon£310
Paint and decorate a room near Stroud£339
Paint and decorate a room near Suffolk Coastal£299
Paint and decorate a room near Sunderland£306
Paint and decorate a room near Swale£325
Paint and decorate a room near Swansea£303
Paint and decorate a room near Tameside£322
Paint and decorate a room near Teignbridge£315
Paint and decorate a room near Tendring£308
Paint and decorate a room near Test Valley£326
Paint and decorate a room near Thamesdown£312
Paint and decorate a room near Thanet£302
Paint and decorate a room near The Wrekin£300
Paint and decorate a room near Thurrock£339
Paint and decorate a room near Torbay£322
Paint and decorate a room near Trafford£318
Paint and decorate a room near Vale of Glamorgan£330
Paint and decorate a room near Vale of White Horse£333
Paint and decorate a room near Vale Royal£292
Paint and decorate a room near Wakefield£310
Paint and decorate a room near Walsall£314
Paint and decorate a room near Warrington£318
Paint and decorate a room near Warwick£310
Paint and decorate a room near Waveney£305
Paint and decorate a room near Waverley£348
Paint and decorate a room near Wealden£335
Paint and decorate a room near West Lancashire£306
Paint and decorate a room near West Lothian£323
Paint and decorate a room near West Wiltshire£311
Paint and decorate a room near Wigan£306
Paint and decorate a room near Windsor & Maidenhead£350
Paint and decorate a room near Wirral£303
Paint and decorate a room near Wokingham£353
Paint and decorate a room near Wolverhampton£313
Paint and decorate a room near Wrexham Maelor£292
Paint and decorate a room near Wychavon£306
Paint and decorate a room near Wycombe£364
Paint and decorate a room near York£310