How to Quote a Painting Job: Pricing Guide for UK Painters

Painting and decorating is one of the most competitive trades in the UK. There are over 75,000 registered painting businesses in the country, and the barrier to entry is low — meaning you are competing not just with other professionals but also with enthusiastic amateurs who undercut on price. The key to winning profitable work consistently is quoting accurately, presenting professionally, and delivering a quality finish that generates repeat business and referrals.

This guide covers everything you need to know about quoting painting jobs in the UK, from measuring rooms and calculating paint quantities through to structuring your quote and following up effectively. Whether you are quoting for a single room repaint, a full interior redecoration, or exterior work, the process is the same.

Step 1: Conduct a Thorough Site Survey

Never quote a painting job from a phone description or a few photos. You need to visit the property and see the surfaces in person. During your site visit, assess the following.

Surface Condition

This is the single biggest factor that determines how long a painting job will take. Freshly plastered walls that just need a mist coat and two topcoats are completely different from walls covered in woodchip wallpaper that needs stripping, or walls with extensive cracking and damage that needs filling and sanding. Assess every surface you will be painting and note the preparation work required. Be thorough — preparation is where most painters underquote.

Surface Types

Identify the different surfaces you will be painting: emulsion walls, emulsion ceilings, gloss woodwork (skirting boards, architraves, door frames, doors, window frames), specialist surfaces (radiators, kitchen cabinets, tiles), and any areas requiring specialist primers (new plaster, bare wood, stained surfaces). Each surface type requires different paint and different application time.

Room Dimensions

Measure the room dimensions carefully. Note the ceiling height, the number and size of windows and doors, and any features that add complexity — alcoves, chimney breasts, coving, dado rails, picture rails, built-in cupboards, or high ceilings that require scaffold towers or platform ladders.

Access and Logistics

Consider the practical aspects. Is the property occupied? Will furniture need moving or covering? Are there carpets that need protecting? Is there adequate parking for your van? For exterior work, what access equipment is needed — ladders, scaffold tower, cherry picker? All of these factors affect your time on site.

Customer Expectations

Ask the customer what paint they want. Are they supplying the paint or do they want you to supply it? Do they want a specific brand or colour range? Farrow and Ball at 55 to 65 pounds per 2.5-litre tin is a very different proposition from Dulux Trade at 25 to 35 pounds per 5-litre tin. Clarify the number of coats expected and whether they want woodwork done as well as walls and ceilings.

Step 2: Measure and Calculate Areas

Accurate measurement ensures accurate paint quantities and accurate time estimates. Here is how to calculate painting areas.

Walls

Measure the perimeter of the room and multiply by the ceiling height. Subtract windows and doors. A standard room measuring 4m by 3.5m with a 2.4m ceiling has a wall perimeter of 15 metres, giving a wall area of 15 x 2.4 = 36 square metres. Subtract approximately 1.5 square metres per window and 1.7 square metres per door to get the net paintable wall area.

Ceilings

Length multiplied by width. The same room has a ceiling area of 14 square metres. Ceiling painting is slower than wall painting because of the overhead position and the need for cutting in around light fittings and coving.

Woodwork

Measure the total linear metres of skirting board, architrave, and any other woodwork. Count the number of doors (including both sides if applicable), window frames, and any other painted woodwork. Woodwork is significantly slower to paint per square metre than walls because it requires careful cutting in and typically two coats of undercoat plus a topcoat, or at minimum a thorough key, prime, and two topcoats.

Our material cost estimator can help you calculate paint quantities from your area measurements.

Step 3: Estimate Your Time

Time estimation is the core skill of profitable painting quotation. Here are realistic timeframes for common painting tasks, assuming a single competent painter working at a professional pace.

Interior Walls and Ceilings (Two Coats)

Small room (box room / single bedroom, approx 30m2 walls + ceiling): 1 day including light prep
Standard bedroom (approx 40m2 walls + ceiling): 1 to 1.5 days including light prep
Large living room (approx 55m2 walls + ceiling): 1.5 to 2 days including light prep
Hallway, stairs, and landing: 2 to 3 days (difficult access, lots of cutting in)
Kitchen (approx 40m2, lots of cutting in around units): 1.5 to 2 days

Woodwork (Gloss or Satinwood)

Door (both sides, including frame): 2 to 3 hours
Skirting boards per room: 1 to 2 hours
Window frame (standard casement): 1.5 to 2 hours
Architrave per door opening: 30 to 45 minutes
Staircase spindles and handrail: 4 to 8 hours depending on complexity

Preparation Work (Add to Above)

Wallpaper stripping per room: 0.5 to 2 days depending on wallpaper type and number of layers
Filling and sanding (moderate): 2 to 4 hours per room
Filling and sanding (extensive): 0.5 to 1 day per room
Mist coat on new plaster: add 2 to 3 hours per room (including drying time before topcoats)
Textured ceiling removal (Artex): 0.5 to 1 day per room (messy, slow work)

Exterior Painting

Front of a 3-bed semi (render, 2 coats masonry paint): 2 to 3 days
Full exterior (all elevations, 3-bed semi): 5 to 8 days
Fascias and soffits (full house): 2 to 3 days
Front door: half a day
Garden fence (per panel, both sides): 30 to 45 minutes

Step 4: Calculate Your Paint Costs

Paint costs vary enormously depending on the brand and quality specified. Here are typical coverage rates and costs for common paints in 2026.

Interior Emulsion (Walls and Ceilings)

Trade quality (Dulux Trade, Johnstone's Trade, Crown Trade): 25 to 40 pounds per 5-litre tin. Coverage approximately 14 to 16 square metres per litre on smooth surfaces. A standard bedroom requires approximately 5 to 6 litres for two coats (one 5L tin).
Premium (Farrow and Ball, Little Greene): 50 to 65 pounds per 2.5-litre tin. Coverage approximately 10 to 12 square metres per litre. Same bedroom requires approximately 6 to 8 litres for two coats — two to three tins at 50 to 65 each.

Gloss and Satinwood (Woodwork)

Trade quality (Dulux Trade Satinwood/Gloss): 30 to 45 pounds per 2.5-litre tin. Coverage approximately 16 square metres per litre.
Undercoat: 20 to 30 pounds per 2.5-litre tin.
Primer: 15 to 25 pounds per 2.5-litre tin.

Exterior Masonry Paint

Standard (Dulux Weathershield, Sandtex): 40 to 55 pounds per 5-litre tin. Coverage approximately 8 to 10 square metres per litre on rough render (significantly less than interior paint due to surface texture).
Premium (K Rend silicone, Permarock): 70 to 100 pounds per 5-litre tin.

Ancillaries

Sugar soap, filler (Toupret, Everbuild), sandpaper, masking tape, dust sheets, caulk, white spirit. Budget approximately 20 to 40 pounds per room for consumables and sundries. These small costs add up across a multi-room job and should not be ignored.

Step 5: Day Rate vs Fixed Price — Which to Use

This is one of the most debated topics in the painting trade. Here is the honest assessment of each approach.

Fixed Price

Fixed pricing is better for most domestic work. The customer knows exactly what they are paying, there are no awkward conversations about hours worked, and you are incentivised to work efficiently. The risk is that you underestimate the time and lose money — but with experience, your time estimates become very accurate. Fixed pricing also looks more professional on a quote document.

Day Rate

Day rates work well for commercial work, maintenance contracts, and jobs where the scope is genuinely difficult to define. Most painters and decorators in the UK charge a day rate of 180 to 300 pounds per day, depending on experience and location. London rates can reach 350 pounds or more per day. The risk with day rates is that customers feel you are working slowly to increase the bill — and some customers simply will not accept day rate work.

Our recommendation is to use fixed pricing for most domestic work and calculate your price based on your internal day rate multiplied by the number of days you estimate the job will take, plus materials, plus your profit margin. If you are not sure what your day rate should be, use our day rate calculator to work out a figure based on your actual costs and target annual income.

Step 6: Build Your Quote With a Sample Breakdown

Here is a sample quote for a common painting job — full interior redecoration of a 3-bed semi-detached house (hallway, landing, living room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, bathroom). Walls and ceilings only, light prep, customer supplying paint.

Hallway, stairs, and landing:
Preparation (fill, sand, clean) — included
Walls and ceiling, 2 coats emulsion — 480.00
Woodwork (banister, spindles, architraves) — 320.00

Living room:
Preparation — included
Walls and ceiling, 2 coats emulsion — 380.00
Woodwork (skirting, architraves, window frame) — 160.00

Kitchen:
Preparation — included
Walls and ceiling, 2 coats emulsion — 320.00
Woodwork (skirting, architraves, door) — 120.00

Bedroom 1 (master):
Preparation — included
Walls and ceiling, 2 coats emulsion — 320.00
Woodwork — 120.00

Bedroom 2:
Preparation — included
Walls and ceiling, 2 coats emulsion — 280.00
Woodwork — 100.00

Bedroom 3 (box room):
Preparation — included
Walls and ceiling, 2 coats emulsion — 220.00
Woodwork — 80.00

Bathroom:
Preparation — included
Walls and ceiling, 2 coats (bathroom-grade emulsion) — 250.00
Woodwork — 60.00

Sundries and materials (filler, caulk, sandpaper, dust sheets, tape): 120.00

Total (excl. VAT, paint supplied by customer): 3,330.00

This represents approximately 14 to 16 days of work for a single painter, which at a day rate of 220 to 240 pounds per day gives a labour income of 3,080 to 3,840 pounds — the quote above falls within that range once you deduct the sundries cost. If you are supplying the paint as well, add the paint cost plus a 15 to 20 percent markup.

Use our profit margin calculator to verify each line item delivers a healthy margin before sending your quote.

Step 7: Exterior Painting — Additional Considerations

Exterior painting requires several additional considerations that you need to address in your quote.

Weather

Most masonry paints and exterior woodwork paints require a minimum application temperature of 5 to 10 degrees Celsius and should not be applied in rain or when rain is forecast within 2 to 4 hours. This means exterior painting in the UK is essentially a spring-to-autumn trade. Build weather contingency into your timeline and be honest with the customer about the risk of weather delays.

Access Equipment

Ladders are sufficient for single-storey work, but anything above single storey should use a scaffold tower or full scaffolding for safety and efficiency. A scaffold tower hire costs approximately 80 to 150 pounds per week. Full scaffolding for a house exterior costs 500 to 1,200 pounds for a 2 to 3 week hire. Include this in your quote as a separate line item.

Surface Preparation

Exterior surfaces typically need more preparation than interior surfaces. Old flaking masonry paint needs scraping and stabilising. Render cracks need filling with exterior-grade filler. Bare timber needs priming. Moss and algae need treating with a fungicidal wash before painting. Pressure washing may be needed. All of this adds time that needs to be accounted for in your quote.

Guarantee

Exterior paint is exposed to the elements and will not last as long as interior paint. Most professional painters offer a 2 to 3 year guarantee on exterior work (compared to 5 years or more for interior work). Be clear about your guarantee terms in your quote.

Step 8: Present and Follow Up

Send your quote within 24 to 48 hours of the site visit. Painting and decorating is competitive, and customers are typically getting 2 to 4 quotes. The faster and more professional your response, the better your chances of winning the work.

Your quote should be a professional PDF document with your business details, the customer details, a detailed scope of work (listing exactly what is included and excluded), itemised pricing, your terms and conditions, and your guarantee. Do not send a text message with a single number — that is not a quote, it is a guess, and it looks unprofessional. See our guide on why professional proposals win more work for evidence that presentation makes a real difference.

Include a covering message explaining the key points: the total price, how long the work will take, when you can start, and what the customer needs to do to prepare (moving furniture, choosing colours, purchasing paint if they are supplying it).

Follow up within 5 to 7 days if you have not heard back. A brief, polite phone call or text is all that is needed. Our guide on how to follow up on a quote covers the best approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do painters charge per room in the UK?

In 2026, UK painters typically charge between 200 and 400 pounds per room for a standard bedroom (walls and ceiling, two coats, light prep). A living room costs 300 to 550 pounds, a hallway and landing 400 to 700 pounds, and a kitchen 250 to 450 pounds. These prices include labour and paint but vary significantly by region, the condition of the surfaces, and the quality of paint specified.

Should I charge a day rate or a fixed price for painting?

Fixed pricing is generally better for both you and the customer. It gives the customer certainty about the cost and motivates you to work efficiently. Day rates are more appropriate for ongoing or open-ended work where the scope is difficult to define, such as maintenance contracts or commercial repaints. Most domestic painting work should be quoted as a fixed price based on your assessment of the time required.

How much paint do I need for a room?

A standard 2.5-litre tin of emulsion covers approximately 30 to 35 square metres per coat on smooth surfaces. A standard bedroom with about 35 square metres of wall area would need approximately 2 to 2.5 litres per coat, so a 2.5-litre tin per coat or a 5-litre tin for two coats. Textured or porous surfaces absorb more paint and coverage will be reduced. Always check the manufacturer's stated coverage rate for the specific paint you are using.

How long does it take to paint a room?

A standard bedroom with light prep (filling small cracks, sanding, and cleaning) typically takes 1 to 1.5 days for two coats on walls and ceiling. A room requiring significant preparation such as stripping wallpaper, repairing damaged plaster, or extensive sanding and filling could take 2 to 3 days. Woodwork (skirting boards, architraves, window frames, doors) adds approximately half a day per room depending on the amount of wood and its condition.