Have you recently paid for someone to decorate your house? Please come to chat to me about costs.

[SlinkyB]

We've just had a quote to do our living/dining room, and kitchen. Living room is approx 7.6m x 4m, and there's not a huge amount of wall in kitchen.

Quote is to do one coat on the ceilings and covings, and two on the walls/dado. Two doors (one double French) and skirtings. Will take 2-3 days, and cost £320 excluding materials.

Does this sound about right? Someone recently said they pay their decorator £80 per day, so I thought it sounded quite high (am in the South West).

Thanks

I'd snap them up, I'm in the North West. it's a good quote.

Midlands here. I pay more than that too. Think 80 a day is probably someone doing it on the side cash in hand. Yours sounds like a professional decorator who is making an honest living.

I'm

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Ha ha Auriga have you got a toddler bashing away at your laptop keys too?

It's a professional lady decorator who lives locally; fully equipt/insured/naice website/van etc and comes recommended by a neighbour.

Holy shit! £500 for a bedroom?! We've never paid anyone to do it before, but dh works full time and we have small kids yaddah yah, so thought we'd outsource and take the kids out for a day or two instead.

That's cheap!

Sounds very cheap to me, go for it!

Oops

I'm paying approx double that: about £300 per day for two decorators doing a first-class job.

Had a painter in for a few days last week. In 4 days he painted my bedroom walls, kitchen walls and skirting, a second room walls and skirting, utility room walls and all woodwork, downstairs loo all walls and woodwork. £140 a day and did an excellent job. All of the walls needed at least 2 coats and the down stairs loo had to had bare plaster prepped. Hope this helps.

Also in south west and our decorator was £120 per day last year. We paid £80 a day about 10 years ago

Sounds about right to me. It's good that he's quoted for the job rather than per hour. I usually pay our decorator between £300 - £400 per room pretty much regardless of size, as the amount of time prep and painting takes is largely the same.

Thanks all, very helpful. Like I say, we've never paid anyone before so wasn't sure. Seems I'm living in 2005 with prices then!

Now for the trickiest bit; choosing colours. Anyone have the time to help me decide please? 1930's semi, bay window, dado rail, fireplace. Original wooden flooring. We have gold/fawn and burgundy/ruby/port-type colours in the rug and curtains. Want to come away from the brown/cream from before. Sofas are currently dark brown leather, but we're getting new ones in next year or so (fingers crossed).