How Much Does a Painter and Decorator Charge Per Day in 2026?

Decorating is one of the easier trades to enter but one of the hardest to price well, because so much of the work is prep the customer never sees. Charge by feel and you either lose jobs or lose money on the filling and sanding. Knowing the going day rate helps you price with confidence.

This guide covers typical UK painter and decorator day rates for 2026, breaks them down by region and job type, and shows you how to calculate a rate that actually covers your costs and pays you properly.

Average UK Painter and Decorator Day Rates in 2026

As a broad guide, here is what decorators typically charge per day across the UK in 2026:

• Newer decorator: £120 to £160 per day
• Experienced painter and decorator: £160 to £220 per day
• Specialist (spray finishing, heritage, high-end residential): £220 to £300 per day
• Commercial and site decorating: £180 to £260 per day, often on longer contracts

These figures assume the customer supplies or pays separately for paint and materials, which is the normal arrangement.

Painter and Decorator Day Rates by Region

Where you work has a big effect on what you can charge. Here is a rough regional guide for an experienced decorator:

• London and the South East: £200 to £300 per day, the highest in the country, with high-end residential at the top.
• South West and East of England: £170 to £240 per day.
• Midlands: £150 to £220 per day.
• North West and Yorkshire: £150 to £210 per day.
• North East: £140 to £190 per day.
• Scotland: £150 to £210 per day.
• Wales: £140 to £190 per day.
• Northern Ireland: £130 to £180 per day.

Day Rates by Type of Decorating Work

Not all decorating is priced the same. The rate you can command depends on the finish and the prep:

Interior repaints

Repainting walls, ceilings and woodwork is bread and butter work, usually priced per room or per day depending on the condition of the surfaces. Heavy prep pushes the effective rate up.

Exterior painting

Exterior work carries a premium because of access, weather and the extra prep needed on masonry, render and timber. It is often quoted as a fixed price for the whole property.

Wallpapering

Hanging paper, especially patterned or specialist papers, is a skilled job that commands more than standard painting because it is easy to do badly and hard to do well.

Spray finishing and high-end work

Spraying doors, kitchens and woodwork for a factory-smooth finish is a specialism that justifies a higher day rate, as does heritage and high-end residential decorating where the standard expected is exacting.

What Affects What You Can Charge

• Quality of finish: A decorator known for a flawless finish and tidy site can charge well above someone who rushes.
• Prep required: Old, damaged or previously badly decorated surfaces need more filling and sanding, which the rate has to reflect.
• Access: Stairwells, high ceilings and exterior work need extra equipment and time.
• VAT registration: If you are VAT registered your effective pricing needs to account for the 20 percent you charge.
• Reliability: Turning up when you say you will and protecting the customer's home is worth real money in reviews and repeat work.

How to Calculate Your Own Day Rate

Do not just copy the decorator down the road. Your rate needs to cover your specific costs and pay you a proper income. Work it out in four steps:

Step 1: Add up your annual costs

Van finance and running costs, brushes, rollers, sprayers, dust sheets and access equipment, public liability and other insurance, accountancy, phone, workwear, software and marketing.

Step 2: Decide your target take-home

Be realistic but price in the prep the customer never sees. Remember you fund your own holidays, sick days and pension.

Step 3: Count your billable days

Out of roughly 260 weekdays, take off holidays, sick days, and time spent quoting and doing admin. Most decorators land on 190 to 200 billable days a year.

Step 4: Do the maths

Minimum day rate = (annual costs + target income + tax provision) divided by billable days. You can run these numbers in seconds with our day rate calculator or work in hours with the hourly rate calculator.

Winning the Job Once You Have Set Your Rate

Knowing your rate is only half the battle. Decorating customers care about mess, timekeeping and finish, so a clear, itemised quote that sets out the prep included, the number of coats, whether materials are covered and the timeline gives them confidence and justifies your price.

That is exactly what QuoteSmith is built for: branded, professional PDF proposals in a couple of minutes. See how to quote for painting and decorating for a full worked example.

The Bottom Line

UK painter and decorator day rates in 2026 typically run from around £120 for a newer decorator to £300 or more for spray and high-end work, with London and exterior work at the top. Price in the prep, set your rate on your real costs and income, present your quotes professionally, and charge what your finish is worth.