Our London price guide
Indicative prices from The Painters London for labour only, excluding VAT. Your written quotation confirms the exact price.
| Job | Typical price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Walls-and-ceiling refresh (single room) | £350 – £600 | Walls and ceiling, two coats, with preparation and protection. |
| Full room decoration (normal-size room) | £650 – £1,300 | Walls, ceiling and woodwork. Price depends on room size and the condition of the walls and woodwork. |
| Hallway, stairs and landing | £950 – £1,800 | Walls, ceiling, woodwork and trim, including spindles and skirting. |
| Whole-property interior repaint | £3,500 – £12,000+ | Depends on size, condition and the finishes chosen. |
| Exterior: windows and front door | from £450 | Prepared, primed and finished. |
| Exterior: stucco front (terrace) | from £2,800 | Front elevation: render, masonry paint, windows and detail. |
| Exterior: full repaint | from £4,500 | All elevations: masonry, render, windows, doors, soffits and fascias. |
- A starting price covers a straightforward refresh. A fuller decoration — more woodwork, repairs, extra colours or specialist finishes — costs more.
- Prices are indicative and cover labour only. Paint and materials are not included, and no VAT is added.
- Scaffolding and access equipment for exterior work are priced separately where needed.
- Photos often support an initial estimate; a site assessment may be needed before a fixed written quotation.
Room painting cost calculator
Pick the work, room size and condition for an indicative labour price.
Indicative estimate
£760 – £980
Labour only. Paint and materials not included. No VAT added.
A guide, not a fixed price. Very large rooms or extensive repairs may cost more. Your written quotation confirms the exact price.
Painting and Decorating Costs in London: 2026 Price Guide
Quick answer: Our typical London prices start at £350–£600 for a walls-and-ceiling refresh of a single room, £950–£1,800 for a hallway, stairs and landing, and £3,500–£12,000+ for a whole-property interior repaint. Exterior work starts from £450 for windows and a front door, from £2,800 for a stucco terrace front and from £4,500 for a full exterior repaint. Your written quotation confirms the exact price.
When it comes to home improvements in the capital, one of the most frequent questions we receive is: "What is a fair price for a professional finish?"
For London homeowners, the cost of decorating isn't just about the price of a tin of paint. It's about preparation, protecting the home, and a finish that lasts. At The Painters London, we believe in transparent pricing and helping clients understand exactly what a price covers.
In this guide, we explain our typical prices for painting and decorating across London and the factors that move a price up or down.
Why London Pricing Differs from the Rest of the UK
If you've looked at national price guides, you might find that London prices sit higher. That reflects the practical challenges of working in the capital.
Parking permits, congestion and emissions charges, and restricted access all affect logistics. London's housing — from tall Victorian terraces to Georgian homes with large sash windows — often needs more preparation, taller access equipment and more detailed work than a standard modern build.
Breaking Down Interior Painting Costs
Every home is different, but interior prices mostly depend on the size of the space, its condition and how much woodwork is included.
1. A Single Room: Walls-and-Ceiling Refresh
* Typical price: £350 – £600This covers walls and ceiling with preparation and protection. Rooms with old, cracked plaster that need significant filling and sanding sit at the higher end. A fuller decoration that adds skirting, doors, window frames or extra colours costs more than a walls-and-ceiling refresh.
2. Hallways, Stairs, and Landings
These are often the hardest areas to estimate because they involve height, multiple doors and a lot of woodwork. * Typical price: £950 – £1,800Given the traffic these areas get, we usually recommend a hard-wearing, washable finish for walls and a durable finish for woodwork. You can explore our approach on the interior painting page.
3. Whole-Property Interior Repaint
* Typical price: £3,500 – £12,000+The range is wide because homes vary so much in size, condition and the finishes chosen.
Choosing Paint
Paint is chosen with you to suit the surface, its condition and how the room is used — we recommend a suitable range for the best finish. Premium paints cost more per tin than standard trade paints, so the paint you choose affects the total. Whether paint and materials are included is set out in your written quotation.
Exterior Painting Costs
Exterior decorating in London protects your home from the weather as well as improving how it looks. Whether it's a stucco front or brick and timber, exterior painting needs careful planning.
Typical Exterior Prices
* Windows and front door: from £450 * Stucco front (terrace): from £2,800 * Full exterior repaint: from £4,500Note on scaffolding: many exterior jobs need scaffolding or other access equipment. This is priced separately where needed and set out in your quotation.
What Factors Can Increase Your Quote?
We look at several factors before providing a written quotation:
1. Surface condition: removing old wallpaper can reveal damaged plaster that needs repair or skimming. 2. Furniture: empty rooms are quicker to paint. Moving heavy furniture and extra protection add time. 3. Specialist finishes: high-gloss woodwork or hand-painted kitchens need more coats and finer sanding between layers. 4. Height and access: high ceilings and stairwells, common in Victorian and Georgian homes, can need access towers.
How to Get the Best Value from Your Decorator
The cheapest quote is rarely the best value if the paint starts peeling or the finish is patchy.
To get the best value: * Ask for a detailed breakdown: make sure the quote includes preparation, the number of coats and the paint to be used. * Combine projects: having several rooms painted in one visit is usually more cost-effective than separate jobs months apart. * Check insurance: we carry £1m public liability insurance. Find your local page on our areas list.
Wallpapering Costs
Wallpapering prices depend on the paper, the walls and the pattern match, so we price it from photos or a site assessment. See our wallpapering page for what's involved.
DIY vs. Professional
Doing it yourself can save money, but preparation is where most of the time goes, and it decides how long the finish lasts. With The Painters London you get careful preparation, clear written scopes and a final walkthrough.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do you charge a day rate or a fixed price?
We give a written quotation for the agreed scope rather than an open-ended day rate, so you know the price before work begins.2. Is paint included in the quote?
It depends on the job and the paint you choose. Your written quotation sets out whether paint and materials are included.3. Can you price from photos?
Often, yes. Photos usually let us give an initial estimate. Where we need to see the job — for example larger homes, damaged surfaces or exterior access — we arrange a site assessment before the written quotation.4. Why is exterior painting more expensive in London?
Beyond the cost of paint, exterior work often needs scaffolding, parking or pavement arrangements with the council, and repairs that must be done in dry weather, which can affect scheduling.Get an Estimate for Your Home
Send us photos and a short description of the job. Where the information is enough, we send an initial estimate; if we need to see the job, we arrange a site assessment; a detailed written quotation then confirms the scope before work begins.
Related: interior painting, exterior painting, and completed projects in Belgravia, Hackney and Maida Vale.
Practising London painters & decorators since 2019 — every guide is written and reviewed by our working team. About the authors →
