Please help me compare these decorator quotes!

[Dioskouri]

I have quotes from two decorators to decorate three rooms (one large room with ensuite bathroom and a lot of woodwork, one medium sized room and one small room). Quotes are to paint walls, ceilings, doors, skirting, etc.

Decorator #1 has quoted £1400 excluding materials.

Decorator #2 has quoted £2900 including materials.

Paint-wise I am thinking Farrow & Ball or Little Greene for the walls. I am not sure about the woodwork/ceilings; Decorator #2 has said Dulux for these but there is probably some wriggle room if I insisted on another brand.

What do you think? I have no idea what materials should cost, and whether these quotes are reasonable.

Can you ask both to quote with and without materials? Then you should have directly comparable quotes. Get a third quote as well.

Are you in the South?
If so - consider getting a trade in from oop North - the best Decorator around here charges 200 a day inclusive , and would be taking no more than 4 days to do that work.
Obviously inclusive wouldn't mean F&B paint etc, although I'm assured he uses the ' same' if required :)

Yes I am in London - is that really possible escape? I had assumed that no one would want to travel, and had resigned myself to exorbitant London prices...

My partner is a decorater, he charges £120 a day labour and then obviously materials on top.
5 litres of dulux trade which would be enough for 1 large room costs £50 and satinwood/gloss £20 and same for undercoat. Obviously if you choose F&B those prices will ticket.

We are 40 miles from London. S/E England X

What willfuck says.

DH decorator 30 years experience tho not anywhere near London and charges £12 per hour .
It would take two men 4 days to do work taking into consideration any prep or sanding work to be done.

Both those quotes seem high OP.

We are based 30miles west of London and got a great company off MyBuilder.com who are based in Uxbridge they have done whole downstairs and two bedrooms with hall stairs and Landing for walls/woodwork and ceilings. This came in at just under £1500 without materials. He bought materials and gave me receipts. I bought my own F&B paint on top of that.
Two men and took 7 working days.

Thanks everyone.

OP - that seems pretty high! We're in London too and it was around £150 per day for our carpenter/decorator. Did all woodwork and doors in the house (7 rooms) in 5 days so it was £750 excl materials. I think that your job shouldn't take longer than 5 days including the painting. Definitely shop around and look at checkatrade and howdens for materials