What should a painting and decorating quote include?

A painting and decorating quote should set out, room by room, what's being painted (walls, ceilings, trim, doors), how many coats, and exactly what prep is included before the first coat goes on. Most interior painting jobs in the UK cost £2,350 – £3,900, with a typical job landing around £3,000, but two quotes for the "same" job can sit thousands apart because they cover different scope. The price alone tells you nothing until you know what it buys.

Scope drives the price more than the painter does

Painters price per room or per square metre, but the real variable is how much surface they're covering and how much prep that surface needs. Our figures break painting into three scope tiers:

• Walls only: typically £2,150
• Walls and ceilings: typically £3,000
• Walls, ceilings, trim and doors ("full" redecoration): typically £3,900

If one quote is markedly cheaper than another, check which of these three it actually covers. A "walls only" quote against a "full" quote isn't a like-for-like comparison, even if both say "painting and decorating" on the invoice.

What a proper quote should state

Ask for a written breakdown rather than a single lump sum. A quote worth comparing should specify:

• Rooms and surfaces — which rooms, and whether ceilings, skirting boards, door frames and doors are included or charged separately
• Number of coats — two coats is standard on walls; one coat over a dark colour, or over bare plaster, usually isn't enough and should be flagged up front, not discovered halfway through
• Prep work — filling cracks and nail holes, sanding, caulking gaps, and washing down greasy kitchen or bathroom walls. This is often the single biggest difference between a cheap quote and a realistic one, because prep time doesn't show up in the finished photos
• Paint specification — brand, finish (matt, eggshell, satinwood) and whether paint is included in the price or charged as a separate materials line
• Furniture and floor protection — dust sheets, masking, and whether furniture is moved by the painter or needs to be cleared beforehand
• Making good — who fills and sands any damage caused during the work itself, such as removing old wallpaper

If any of these is missing, ask before accepting the quote — not after the painter has started.

A hidden cost: redecorating after other trades

Painting quotes are often requested in isolation, but the bigger cost surprise usually comes from what has to happen before the painter arrives. If you're having a House rewire, the standard finish leaves chases cut into walls filled and ready for decorating — full replastering and redecorating is a separate, pricier option within that job. Either way, the redecorating itself is rarely included in a rewire quote, so budget for a painting job on top, and make sure your painter is pricing a wall that's already filled and sanded, not one still showing fresh plaster lines.

The same applies if you're laying new flooring at the same time. A New flooring usually happens after painting, not before, because skirting boards get touched up and dust sheets are easier to manage on an unfinished floor. If a fitter and a painter are both booked, check which trade goes first — redoing skirting board paint after a flooring fitter has scuffed it is an avoidable extra cost.

Why painters' quotes vary so much

We calculate our painting figures from labour hours (based on wall and ceiling area, number of coats and prep time) multiplied by local day rates, plus materials, then check that against market prices and real quotes. The same method explains why painter quotes diverge in practice: two painters pricing the same room will usually agree closely on paint cost but can differ by a day or more of labour depending on how much prep they think the walls need. A painter who inspects the walls in person before quoting, rather than pricing from a phone call, is more likely to have priced the prep correctly.

Comparing quotes you've already received

Once you have two or three written quotes, line them up against the checklist above rather than just the bottom line. A quote £200 cheaper that excludes ceilings and only allows for one coat isn't actually cheaper once you add those back in. If you're still unsure whether a quote is reasonable for the scope described, our "is my quote fair" tool checks it against local rates for the same job.

For the full cost breakdown by room size and finish, see our Painting and decorating.