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

I paint every room myself as o can’t stomach paying for decorating. I can do a normal size sitting room in a day. No way am I paying £1500.

Do it yourself.

The suggested costs are ridiculous and it is not that difficult to paint a wall...

Paint it yourself, it's not difficult!

We have always cleared the rooms so the decorators can get in and get their job done. Why would you leave room filled for them to move stuff?
I know min wage and materials have gone up a lot but my Herts decorators don’t charge that amount.

I would paint it myself. Painting is easy.

More money than sense!

We had two quotes to paint 3 rooms, all medium sized and would be after a plasterer had skimmed the walls so no flaws to sort out.

First quote was £5,250 without materials (and only 1 coat on the woodwork!). Second quote was £4,750 including materials. So yeah, doing it ourselves after the plasterer has been. Outrageous prices!! We worked out that it's cheaper to take a month off work to sort out this kind of thing in our new (at the mo unliveable) house than pay someone else. We just thought it would help speed things up.

I would book 2 days off and do it myself.

Them I would go on a mini break with the extra cash!

That is a lot just for the walls (unless they need loads of filling). I would crack on and have a go yourself (just buy a decent cutting in brush for the edges).

Do it yourself

It’s difficult to do it really well! My work would not be up to my standard!

It seems quite a lot for only having the walls done and with little to no prep work. I'd be inclined to do it myself. Take your time and don't scrimp on the quality of the paint. Do a bit of research on the best type of paint for your walls - it'll save you loads of heartache in the long run!

Oh, and get the proper brushes for cutting in around the top and bottom and buy plenty of masking tape too. I also find those paint tray liners invaluable - saves loads of time cleaning out the tray at the end of the day.

In case you agree?

Was going to say that £1000-1200 would be fair where I am given the sanding, prep and issues with gloss work, etc. But if all he is doing is running some decorating tape along the skirting/ceiling edges and slapping two coats of paint on [3 if it’s a dark colour and needs a white cover base], then yes that’s an extortionate quote. It could likely be done in 1.5-2 days by a sole tradesman (I’ve done bigger rooms alone in one day myself).

It really is not hard to do. When you do it yourself you have higher standard as it for you. So often I see professional paint jobs and the quality is terrible.

That is completely normal. It’s not just running a paint brush over existing work. If you want a professional finish then it’ll have to be sanded and primed etc…. Drying time in between coats. The poster who said it can be done in a day must be winding you up or have no client all. A professional painter won’t rush. You either want a good job or not. If you want him to clear the room then you’ll have to pay for his time to do that, but then don’t expect them to take responsiblity for any damage. If that’s including paint and prep materials then yes it’s an average quote. If it’s unaffordable then yes do it yourself but you won’t have the same finish.

Do it yourself. It's the preparation that makes the difference.

£500 for paint? Are you painting gold leaf onto your walls? Even for good quality paint you’re talking £100 ish for 5l, so assuming two coats in a regular sized room you’re talking 10l, so £250 at the most. Materials for primer and filler aren’t going to cost the same again.

We have a lot of decorating done, and yes that price is in line with my experience of pricing.

Yes, we are having a large part of our house painted at the moment and it took two days for two people to cover the floor, dig out and refilling cracks etc. They are extremely competent but given the larger area we have, your quote looks about right. S East is generally expensive (we are N London, Zone 4)

I am also in the trade, management level, so I know what is involved, costs involved and what the decorating spec we have is across many high value contacts with multiple clients. You do not need to prime walls or woodwork if they are previously painted. Wasting time and money there. 2 coats of emulsion or gloss/satin is all that is needed. Stainblock if going from dark to light 1st. The rest will just be bit of filler or calking if needed

I do all my own decorating to a very high standard doing exactly that, plus a close family member is a decorator and also does as I do.

OP said she is going from white and good condition walls too so minimal prep needed.

We got someone (in cash) to do the entrance and three stories of hallways for £800. We provided paint and moved furniture/ carpets etc. It was worth it. In the south east.

Absolutely, if you want a crap job. My husband is a painter and decorator and gets really annoyed when people think a quality job can be done in rapid time.

Until recently hiring decorators was the preserve of the wealthy. I am flabberghasted at healthy people paying thousands for a job that can be done over a couple of weekends. I thought that's what teenage kids were for 😅

Totally normal. We were quoted £940 to paint a medium room, skirting boards and ceiling, the room also needs a lot of prepping as the previous owners had wallpapered directly onto lime plaster.