Is this the going rate for painting a room???

[Starseeking]

I've just moved house, into a very nice area, which I absolutely love.

Handyman company came to visit to provide me with a quote to paint my living room, dimensions as attached. Ceilings are approximately 8ft high, it's a 1930's solid semi.

He quoted me £1,250 plus VAT, so £1,500 in total plus the cost of the paint. F&B £94 for 5 litres he said, so most likely another £200 on top. He said it would take 2 days maximum.

I honestly thought painting a room would cost £500-600 for labour, plus materials. Am I out of touch, or is this the going rate? I've now got another few companies coming to quote, as I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Does the quote sound reasonable or completely bonkers? Location is West London suburb, if that makes a difference.

I'm having my whole house repainted for 1850. Two men. Some prep required. Doing a beautiful job (three bed semi)

Glad you found someone you’re pleased with and for a more sensible price.

The decorator I use is great. He charges £160 per day and that includes white ceiling paint. Customers provide all other paint. He’s a fast and tidy worker. And it’s really hard to get booked in with him.

Once you find a good one, treat them well. So many useless tradespeople out there, I’m often tempted to keep the good ones locked in my garden shed!

That's nonsense! Have just had our hallways and landing all done, woodwork too. Three floors and they were here all week for £1500. He's taking the piss. I'd get on and do that room yourself, it's an easy shape.

If the coving is a different colour to the walls, that's one line that will have to be cut in, depending on the conditon of the walls/coving, there could be filling and sanding there too.
Preparing woodwork properly takes time, it should be filled where necessary and all of it sanded to get all the mouldings sharp and the surface grippy, then undercoated, then topcoated. That could be quite a lot of woodwork.
But it does seem a lot of money for 2 days.

I paid less than that for the hall, stairs and landing which is two flights of stairs to the second floor and all the spindles all the way down including ceilings and materials - Dulux Diamond Matt hard wearing stuff in a heritage colour.

Yorkshire mind, but even so. Think it was about £1200 in February this year.

Hi, this is an old thread and I'm going to weigh in! I'm a mum and a female painter and decorator and have been decorating for most of my adult life, although I do other things too.

It is something you can do yourself for sure, but if you want a good finish, it's really best to pay a professional! We have loads of experience, the right tools and access equipment, know the whole process, the right paint, what to focus on, how to pace it, etc etc.

I have charged £200 a day for ages and I'm putting my prices up to £250, since I'm now based in London. To paint a room of that size, in good condition, with no relining needed, or massive stains or holes should take about three days - one day to prep on average (and no, you can't prep lots of rooms all at once) approx, one day to undercoat the woodwork, one or two days to emulsion (this is a moveable feast, it depends on what colour is going over what colour and what paint is being used - cheap paint covers badly almost always) and the last day to clean up and topcoat the woodwork. £750 labour, materials on top, job done, if it's loads of prep, £1000 labour.

I find handymen expensive btw.

Also, mums and dads, I now only use non-toxic paint - particularly Edward Bulmer, Graphenstone or Earthborn. EVERY paint on the market, unless it specifically says it's plant based and plastic-free, is putting tons of petrochemicals, microbeads and literally liquid plastic into the waterways and the ocean. Watch out for the green-washing!!