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£1,000–£1,500 to paint a medium lounge?! Is this normal?

278 replies

Blueberrymuffin8 · 16/10/2026 11:29

I'm in Hertfordshire and have been getting quotes from painters and decorators ranging from £1,000 to £1,500 to decorate our medium sized lounge in a standard three-bedroom terraced house. There are also two sets of shelving to paint, but nothing particularly complicated!

Am I completely out of touch, or does this seem ridiculously expensive?

What frustrates me even more is that they expect me to clear the entire room and move everything out of their way beforehand. Fair enough, but at these prices I would expect a bit more of a service!

None of the decorators has provided a proper breakdown of costs either. Just a figure seemingly plucked out of thin air, with no explanation of labour, materials or how many days the job will take.

I'm now sitting here looking around the lounge thinking that, for £1,500, perhaps I should just roll up my sleeves and have a go myself!

Has anyone had a similar-sized room decorated recently? What did you pay? Particularly interested in hearing from anyone in Hertfordshire or the South East.

Am I being unreasonable to think these quotes are excessive?

OP posts:
isthatblues · Today 15:39

DinoLil · 16/10/2026 11:52

I recently had the exterior of my rendered house painted. Sanded back, filled, rerendered, sealed, four coats of paint plus the small walls surrounding the garden. In the South. Took three days. All materials. £370. It looks amazing!

£370! That works out at about minimum wage … for a skilled trade. You got a bargain, but a tradesman surely deserves a better wage than that, especially in the South East where the cost of living is particularly high

BrokenWingsCantFly · Today 15:40

FckThisShit · Yesterday 16:48

You have got no clue 😂 management level my backside.

Most certainly do. Lot more so than you by the sounds of it.

Are you really trying to say that you need to prime previously painted walls and woodwork each time?

The OP just wanted some white walls and shelves painted

EvieBB · Today 17:10

Pinkrinse · Yesterday 18:31

Agree, I used to do all my own decorating - when I did a medium size lounge with built in cupboards it too 2-3 days to prepare, 1 day for undercoat and 1 day for top.round here labour is a minimum of £200 a day, so I think the
Price is about right.

Exactly

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