How to Quote for Painting and Decorating Jobs — Complete Guide

Quoting for painting and decorating work should be straightforward, but many decorators struggle with it. The margins in decorating are often tighter than in other trades, and the difference between a profitable job and a losing one often comes down to how accurately you estimated the preparation time. Painting the walls is the easy part — it is the filling, sanding, masking, and primer work that takes the hours.

This guide walks you through a systematic approach to quoting for painting and decorating jobs in the UK. Whether you are pricing a single room or a full house repaint, these steps will help you produce accurate, professional quotes that cover your costs and win you work.

Step 1: Survey the Property

Never quote a painting job from photographs or a phone description. You need to see the property in person to assess the condition of the surfaces, the amount of preparation work required, and any complications that will affect the job.

What to Look For

Surface condition. Are the walls in good condition or do they need filling, sanding, or lining? Is there flaking paint that needs scraping? Are there cracks, damp patches, or areas of damaged plaster? The worse the condition, the more preparation time you need to allow — and preparation is where most decorators underestimate.

Existing finishes. What is currently on the walls? Going from a dark colour to a light one may require extra coats. Painting over wallpaper is generally inadvisable — if the customer wants the wallpaper removed, that is a significant additional task. Gloss paint on walls needs proper preparation before you can apply emulsion over it.

Woodwork condition. Check the state of doors, skirting boards, architraves, and window frames. If they have been painted multiple times, they may need rubbing down thoroughly or even stripping. Window frames in older properties are often in poor condition and may need filling or replacing — which is outside the scope of a painting quote.

Ceiling height and access. Standard two-metre-forty ceilings are straightforward. High ceilings, stairwells, and vaulted ceilings require towers, ladders, or scaffolding and take significantly longer. A stairwell in a Victorian house can take as long as two or three standard rooms.

Room contents. Will the rooms be empty or furnished? If furnished, you need to allow time for moving and covering furniture. Some decorators include this in their price; others ask the customer to clear the rooms beforehand. Either way, be clear about it in your quote.

External factors. For exterior painting, assess the condition of the render or masonry, the height of the walls (scaffolding or ladder requirements), and the exposure of the property to weather. Exterior work also needs dry weather, which can affect your scheduling.

Step 2: Measure the Areas

Accurate measurements are the foundation of an accurate quote. You need to calculate the paintable area to determine both your material costs and your labour time.

Measuring Walls

Measure the perimeter of each room (the total length of all walls) and multiply by the ceiling height. This gives you the gross wall area. Then subtract the area of windows and doors — a standard internal door is roughly 1.8 square metres, and a typical window is roughly 1.2 to 1.5 square metres. The result is your net paintable wall area.

Measuring Ceilings

Measure the length and width of each room. The floor area equals the ceiling area for standard flat ceilings. For rooms with sloped ceilings (loft rooms, dormers), measure the actual sloped surface area.

Measuring Woodwork

Count the number of doors (including both sides if applicable), measure the total linear metres of skirting board, architrave, dado rail, and picture rail. For window frames, measure each one individually as they vary in size. You do not need precise square metre figures for woodwork — counting the number of items and measuring the linear run is sufficient for pricing purposes.

Step 3: Calculate Paint Quantities

Once you have your measurements, you can calculate how much paint the job requires.

Emulsion (Walls and Ceilings)

Standard emulsion coverage is approximately twelve to fourteen square metres per litre, depending on the brand and the surface texture. However, first coats on new plaster, over filler, or over a colour change absorb more paint and may only achieve eight to ten square metres per litre.

For a typical room requiring two coats, take your net wall area, multiply by two (for two coats), and divide by twelve. That gives you the litres of wall paint needed. Do the same calculation separately for ceilings if a different paint is being used.

For example, a room with forty-two square metres of wall area needs: forty-two times two divided by twelve = seven litres of emulsion. A two and a half litre tin and a five litre tin would cover it with a little spare.

Gloss or Satinwood (Woodwork)

Gloss and satinwood paints typically cover sixteen to eighteen square metres per litre. For a room with one door, skirting boards, and an architrave, you will usually need around one litre of undercoat and one litre of topcoat. For a full house, calculate based on the total woodwork area.

Primer and Undercoat

Do not forget primer for bare wood, MDF, or new plaster. These products have different coverage rates, so check the tin. A good multi-surface primer covers around twelve square metres per litre.

Paint Costs

Paint costs vary enormously depending on quality. Here are typical prices per litre in 2026 for trade-quality products:

• Trade emulsion (matt or silk): four to seven pounds per litre (in five litre tins)
• Premium emulsion (Dulux Trade, Crown Trade): seven to twelve pounds per litre
• Ceiling paint: three to six pounds per litre
• Satinwood or gloss: eight to fifteen pounds per litre
• Primer/undercoat: six to ten pounds per litre
• Exterior masonry paint: five to ten pounds per litre

Always check with the customer whether they have a preference on paint brand or quality. Some customers are happy with standard trade paint; others specifically want premium brands like Farrow and Ball or Little Greene, which cost significantly more.

Step 4: Calculate Your Labour

Labour is typically the largest cost in a painting and decorating quote. The key to accurate labour estimation is understanding how long each task takes — and being honest with yourself about preparation time.

Typical Task Timings

These are rough guides for a single experienced decorator. Actual times vary depending on the condition of the surfaces and your personal working speed.

• Preparation (filling, sanding, masking, dust sheeting): two to four hours per average room
• Ceiling (one coat of emulsion): one to one and a half hours per average room
• Walls (one coat of emulsion, cutting in and rolling): one and a half to two and a half hours per average room
• Woodwork (undercoat and topcoat on skirting, architrave, one door): two to three hours per room
• Wallpaper stripping: three to six hours per average room (highly variable)
• Lining walls: four to six hours per average room
• Hanging wallpaper: four to eight hours per average room depending on pattern and complexity

For a standard bedroom requiring preparation, two coats on walls and ceiling, and gloss on woodwork, budget one to one and a half days. For a living room, one and a half to two days. For a full house (three-bed, all rooms, hallway, stairs, and landing), budget ten to eighteen days depending on condition and specification.

Your Day Rate

Painter and decorator day rates in the UK in 2026 typically range from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty pounds per day. London and the South East command the highest rates. Your rate should cover your personal income, overheads (van, insurance, tools, marketing, accounting), and a profit margin. For a detailed breakdown of how to calculate your rate, see our guide on how to calculate labour costs.

Step 5: Price Common Jobs

Here are typical price ranges for common painting and decorating jobs in the UK in 2026. Use these as benchmarks — your actual prices should be calculated based on your own survey, measurements, and rates.

• Single bedroom (walls, ceiling, woodwork, 2 coats): two hundred and fifty to four hundred and fifty pounds
• Double bedroom (walls, ceiling, woodwork, 2 coats): three hundred and fifty to five hundred and fifty pounds
• Living room (walls, ceiling, woodwork, 2 coats): four hundred to seven hundred pounds
• Kitchen (walls and ceiling only, 2 coats): two hundred and fifty to four hundred and fifty pounds
• Bathroom (walls and ceiling, specialist paint): two hundred to four hundred pounds
• Hallway, stairs, and landing: five hundred to one thousand two hundred pounds
• Full house interior (3-bed semi, all rooms): two thousand to four thousand five hundred pounds
• Exterior (3-bed semi, masonry and woodwork): one thousand five hundred to three thousand five hundred pounds
• Single room wallpaper (strip, line, hang new): four hundred to eight hundred pounds (plus wallpaper cost)

These prices include labour, paint, and consumables (filler, sandpaper, masking tape, dust sheets). They do not include wallpaper, which the customer usually purchases separately.

Step 6: Write Your Quote

Now bring everything together in a professional, clearly structured quote. Break it down room by room — customers appreciate being able to see the cost of each room individually, and it also allows them to adjust the scope if their budget is tight.

What to Include in Each Room Entry

• Room name and description of work (e.g. "Master Bedroom — preparation, two coats emulsion to walls and ceiling, undercoat and satinwood to skirting, architrave, and door")
• Paint specification (brand and colour if already agreed)
• Price for that room

Additional Items

List any additional items separately: wallpaper stripping, lining, repair work, exterior painting, or any tasks that fall outside the standard painting scope. This clarity prevents misunderstandings and makes it easy for the customer to add or remove items.

Terms and Timeline

Include an estimated start date, projected duration, your payment terms, and a validity period for the quote (fourteen to thirty days is standard). For a full guide on structuring your quote, see our article on what to include in a building quote.

Common Quoting Mistakes for Decorators

Underestimating preparation time. This is the number one mistake. If the walls are in poor condition, preparation can take as long as the actual painting. Always assess the surfaces carefully and be realistic about the prep work required.

Not specifying paint quality. If your quote says "two coats of emulsion" without specifying the brand or quality, the customer may assume you are using premium paint while you priced for trade paint (or vice versa). Always state the paint specification to avoid disputes.

Forgetting consumables. Filler, caulk, sandpaper, masking tape, dust sheets, and roller sleeves all cost money. They may seem small, but across a full house they add up to fifty to one hundred pounds or more. Factor them into your price.

Not accounting for furniture moving. If you are expected to move furniture, cover it, and move it back, that takes time. Either include it in your price or state clearly that rooms should be cleared before you arrive.

Quoting verbally. Never give a verbal quote for a painting job. It invites misunderstandings and makes it impossible to prove what was agreed. Always follow up with a written document — and presenting it professionally with a tool like QuoteSmith makes a stronger impression than a handwritten list. The AI writes your scope of work and terms, and you can send it by email within minutes of completing your survey.