How Much Does Painting & Decorating Cost in London in 2025?

Painting and decorating costs in London are not a simple matter to pin down. A fresh-coat bedroom redecoration with no preparation and standard trade paint is a completely different job from a full restoration of a period reception room with heritage finishes and meticulous plaster repair. Both are called "painting and decorating," and the price difference can be tenfold.

This guide gives honest, current figures for a wide range of decorating work in London in 2025, based on our own pricing and knowledge of the market. We have tried to be genuinely useful rather than vague — the kind of guide we would want to read ourselves before commissioning work.

All prices are for London work, inclusive of labour, materials, and surface preparation. VAT is additional where applicable. Prices reflect the quality tier of experienced, insured professional decorators working in prime and near-prime London areas; budget contractors will be cheaper and the work will generally show it.

Cost per Room

Bedroom — Basic Redecoration

A standard bedroom repaint — walls and ceiling in two coats of emulsion, woodwork (skirting, door, door frame, window frame) in two coats of eggshell — using good quality trade paint with minimal preparation required.

Typical size: 12-18 sq m floor area, 2.6-3m ceiling height Cost range: £600 - £900 With premium paint (Farrow & Ball, Little Greene): Add £150-250 for paint cost difference If significant preparation needed (filling, sealing, sugar-soaping): Add £150-300

Bedroom — Full Restoration

A bedroom in a period property requiring thorough preparation: cracked plaster filled and sanded, possible spot-repairs to cornices, multiple coats on walls with mist coat first, full preparation and multiple coats on timber windows, radiators painted with radiator enamel.

Cost range: £1,000 - £1,800

Reception Room — Basic

Living room or dining room in a modern flat or recently renovated property. Good condition walls, simple woodwork, no period features.

Typical size: 20-30 sq m floor area Cost range: £800 - £1,400

Reception Room — Period Property

A drawing room or dining room in a Victorian or Georgian London terrace or townhouse. Requires attention to cornicing and ceiling rose (light filling and careful painting to avoid obscuring moulding detail), six-panel period door, deep skirtings and architraves, picture rail, possible chimney breast treatment.

Cost range: £1,500 - £3,000 At the high end: Farrow & Ball or Little Greene paint throughout, all woodwork in oil-based eggshell, detailed cornice work, fireplace surrounds.

Main Bathroom

A standard bathroom repaint — walls in moisture-resistant emulsion, woodwork in eggshell. Includes careful masking of tiles, bath/shower, sanitaryware.

Typical size: 4-8 sq m floor area Cost range: £400 - £700 En suite: £300 - £500

Kitchen — Walls and Ceiling Only

Painting kitchen walls and ceiling with no cabinet painting. Includes thorough degreasing preparation.

Cost range: £500 - £900

Kitchen Cabinet Repainting

Repainting existing kitchen cabinet doors and carcasses in a new colour, using appropriate specialist kitchen cabinet paint or spray lacquer. Includes preparation, priming, and two finish coats.

Per kitchen unit (door and frame): £60-120 per unit Full kitchen (12-15 doors): £800 - £1,800 brush/roller; £1,500 - £3,500 spray finish

Hallway and Staircase

The hallway and staircase is consistently one of the more expensive items per square metre because of the complexity of working at height, the density of woodwork (handrail, spindles, newel posts, multiple doors and architraves), and the importance of quality in this high-visibility space.

Victorian terrace (ground floor hallway + straight flight, two storeys): £1,500 - £2,800 Including landing corridor: Add £300-600 Large townhouse (hall + dog-leg staircase, three floors): £3,000 - £6,000

Cost per Square Metre

For planning larger projects, a cost-per-square-metre approach can be useful as a rough check on overall budget.

Interior Walls and Ceilings

Standard preparation, good trade paint: £8-14 per sq m (measured surface area of walls + ceiling)
Good preparation, premium paint: £12-18 per sq m
Significant preparation (replastering, extensive filling), premium paint: £18-30 per sq m

Note: "square metres" here refers to the actual painted surface area, not the floor area. For a 4m x 4m room with 3m ceilings, the wall area is approximately 48 sq m and the ceiling approximately 16 sq m, giving a total painted area of around 64 sq m.

Exterior Masonry and Render

Masonry paint, standard preparation: £18-28 per sq m (facade area)
Mineral silicate paint (Keim), thorough preparation: £35-55 per sq m
Including necessary masonry repairs: Add £15-40 per sq m depending on extent of repairs

New Timber Cladding or Boarding (exterior)

Staining or painting new softwood cladding: £15-25 per sq m
Hardwood cladding, oil or stain finish: £20-35 per sq m

Joinery Pricing

Doors

Internal painted door, both sides, including frame and architrave: £150-280 per door
Six-panel period door in oil-based eggshell: £200-350 per door
Front door (exterior), full preparation, gloss finish: £350-600
Front door, stripped to bare timber and restarted: £500-900

Skirtings and Architraves

Standard skirting, preparation and two coats eggshell: £10-18 per linear metre
Deep Victorian skirting (150mm+), full preparation: £15-25 per linear metre
Architrave set (one door, both sides): £60-120

Sash Windows

Sash windows are the most labour-intensive individual item in a London period property. Each window has multiple individual panes, mouldings, sashes, and frames, and correct painting requires working in a specific sequence with careful masking.

Single sash window, both sides, preparation and two coats: £200-400
Large sash window (four-light or six-light): £350-600
With putty replacement: Add £100-250

Radiators

Standard single radiator, preparation and two coats radiator enamel: £80-150
Towel rail: £60-120

Factors That Increase Cost

Lead Paint

Older London properties (built before approximately 1960) frequently have lead paint in existing paint films, particularly on woodwork. Safe working with lead paint requires specific precautions: wetting surfaces before sanding, using appropriate PPE, specialist waste disposal, and in some cases atmospheric monitoring. This adds time and cost to preparation:

Lead-safe preparation surcharge: 30-50% addition to woodwork preparation costs
Full lead paint removal (chemical strip or heat): Can double or triple the cost of a woodwork item

High Ceilings

London period properties typically have ceiling heights of 3m to 4.5m in principal rooms. Working at these heights requires stepladders, podium steps, or hop-ups rather than working from the floor, slowing down the work and adding to cost. Very high ceilings (above 4m) may require scaffold towers.

Ceilings above 3m: 20-30% premium on ceiling painting costs
Ceilings above 4m: 40-60% premium; scaffold tower may be required

Heritage Finishes

Certain specialist heritage finishes — limewash, distemper, Venetian plaster, encaustic wax finishes — require considerably more skill and time than standard modern painting. They are also typically more expensive in materials.

Limewash (per sq m): £25-45 per sq m (multiple coats, brushed application)
Venetian plaster (per sq m): £60-120 per sq m (specialist application, polishing)
Traditional distemper: £20-35 per sq m

Extensive Preparation

When a property has been poorly maintained, preparation can dominate the cost of a decorating project. Cracked and defective plaster, failed previous paint, biological growth on exterior surfaces, and deteriorated joinery all add time before a single finish coat can be applied.

A useful rule of thumb: in a well-maintained property, preparation should represent 20-30% of total project cost. In a property requiring significant remediation, preparation can represent 50-70% of cost, and this is money well spent.

Premium Paint vs Standard Trade Paint

The cost difference between standard trade paint and premium brands (Farrow & Ball, Little Greene) is roughly:

Premium paint costs: £60-75 per 2.5 litre tin (coverage approximately 14-16 sq m per litre, two coats)
Good trade paint (Dulux Trade, Johnstone's): £20-35 per 2.5 litre tin (coverage approximately 15-17 sq m per litre)

For an average bedroom (approximately 50 sq m painted surface area), the paint cost difference between trade and premium is approximately £150-250. In the context of a £700-£1,000 room repaint, this is a meaningful but not dominant difference in the overall project cost.

For a whole-house redecoration, the premium paint cost uplift might be £1,000-£2,500. Whether this represents value for money depends on the quality of the colours available and the importance of finish depth and longevity to the client.

How to Get Accurate Quotes

The only reliable way to get an accurate quote for decorating work is to have a contractor visit the property and prepare a detailed specification. Telephone or email quotes from photographs are unreliable — the condition of existing surfaces, the height of ceilings, the extent of woodwork, and many other factors can only be properly assessed in person.

When requesting quotes:

Get at least three quotes from contractors with relevant experience. Prices will vary, and understanding why they vary is as important as the price itself.

Ensure all quotes are prepared on the same specification. If one contractor is quoting for full preparation and premium paint while another is quoting for minimal preparation and trade paint, the comparison is meaningless. Ask each contractor to specify clearly what is included.

Ask about payment terms and programme. A reputable contractor will not ask for more than 20-30% upfront and will agree a clear payment schedule tied to project milestones.

We provide detailed, written quotations based on a survey visit at no charge. Contact us to arrange a survey for your London property.

How Much Does Painting & Decorating Cost in London in 2025?