Decorator Day Rate Calculator

For a qualified painter and decorator in London, expect £200 to £280 a day plus VAT in 2026. An apprentice or labourer-decorator runs £130 to £180. An experienced specialist with trade card and references trades at £280 to £400. Day rates spike in summer (May to September) when everyone wants their house painted before the long evenings. November to January, you can negotiate. Anything quoted under £180 a day for a qualified decorator in a London borough is a red flag — they're either uninsured, cutting prep, or both.

It depends on the job. For one or two rooms in known condition, per-room pricing protects you from a slow worker. For a full house repaint, per-day pricing usually works out cheaper because the decorator's labour is more predictable across multiple rooms. Per-square-metre pricing is honest for commercial-scale work but most domestic decorators hate it because rooms have doors, windows, radiators, and skirting that aren't square metres of wall. Per-hour pricing is rare for decoration in the UK and usually means a small task (one wall, ceiling touch-up) or hourly snagging.

Decorator-supplied paint usually lands 10 to 20 percent above what you'd pay buying it yourself, because they mark up. That's their margin and it's not unreasonable — they're handling delivery, returns of unused tins, and disposal. The advantage of letting them supply is they pick the right paint for the surface (matt for ceilings, eggshell for woodwork) and you don't end up with three half-tins. Supplying it yourself saves money but you take the risk of buying the wrong quantity or finish. For a single room I'd supply my own. For a whole-house repaint I'd let the decorator handle it.

Heritage and listed building work, lime plaster, spray-finished doors and woodwork, decorative finishes (limewash, suede, metallic), heights requiring scaffolding, and clients who change their mind mid-job. Specialist heritage decorators charge £350 to £500 a day because the technique is rarer and the materials cost more. If a decorator is quoting £400+ a day for a standard 2026 London bedroom repaint, ask what's specialist about the spec.