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Colt Property Improvement

74 review(s)
Based in: Dunstable, LU6 2PP
We are a family orientated company established in 1994. Utilising only the best quality materials and a highly skilled wo...
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Shs Construction

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Based in: Aberdeen, AB12 5AT
With over 20 years of experience, we are a hardworking and dedicated team committed to delivering quality, reliable, and o...
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Expert roofing UK

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Based in: Weston-super-mare, BS22 7SB
Expert roof in UK your local company based in Weston-super-Mare and Cardiff here to carry out any roof repairs new roofs P...
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BD Bathrooms

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Based in: Surbiton, KT5 9QL
Hi, I'm a experience buldier / tiler with many years of experience. All my jobs are clean and finished to highest standar...
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Seb's Handyman Services

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Based in: Reading, RG2 0HX
Dear Madam, Dear Sir, Our company, based in Reading, specialises in the Extension, loft conversions, Refurbishment, Gar...

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How much do Decorator services cost?

How much do Decorators charge? Prices for Decorators in 2025 can differ depending upon the sort of task that you need to have carried out in your house. It's the question we receive asked a great deal "how much do Decorators charge?".

Are you planning to hire the services of a decorator for your home or property? If yes, then you’d probably want to know just how much a professional will charge to help get your project over the line. While some home and property owners may prefer to take care of the decorations themselves, there are a number of benefits you stand to derive by calling in a reliable decorator. Not only will you be able to achieve the look and feel you want for your space, but you’d also get more options and varieties to choose from. In this post, we’re going to give you a good insight into decorator charges in the UK to help you make informed decisions moving forward. Let’s take a look!

Firstly, it should be noted that there are a lot of factors that determines the price charged by decorators to complete a project. These factors include the difficulty of the task, the materials required, the location of the property, the qualification and experience of the decorator and lots more. For example, if you happen to reside in the South East ( especially London), you can expect to pay a higher fee than other areas in the country such as Scotland, Northern Ireland and more.

In general, to hire a decorator in the UK will cost you within the range of £17 to about £30 per hour. However, it should also be noted that you can come across a number of methods of determining cost such as per hour, per day, per M2 or even per bedroom.

View our Decorator cost guide View our Decorator advice

The average price
of a Decorator is:

£2,220

Decorator job Decorator cost in 2025
Painting and decorating £264-£3,698
Exterior painting and decorating £566-£3,780
uPVC Window Spraying £150-£4,500

Decorator service qualifications and accreditations

Decorators breathe a new lease of life into everyday spaces. They beautify through preparation and application of paint, wallpaper as well as other finishes inside and out. Decorators do not only plan, but they also implement decoration schemes for both residential homes and commercial establishments like offices, shops, hotels, restaurants and the likes. They design and plan the overall aesthetic of a space while also supervising and coordinating the activities of tradesmen which includes painters as well as carpet layers.

There are a number of ways to become a decorator such as through a college course, an apprenticeship or a job training. These routes can be explored so as to find the one which is most suitable for you. As expected, some of these routes have some certain qualifications, however many employers are actually more interested in individuals who are enthusiastic, willing to learn and also follow instructions.

As a decorator, to be able to work on a construction site, you’ll need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS). However, it should be noted that it’s very possible to work as a decorator without qualifications. However, several employers usually prefer individuals with qualifications in the field as it assures them of a top quality work. To achieve this, you can consider the following:

  • You can complete a qualification in Interior Decoration which could be a Certificate IV in Interior Decoration ( MSF40113 ) or a Diploma of Interior Design and Decoration ( MSF50213 ).
  • You can also consider getting an assistant role so as to build your practical experience as well as body of the entire decoration work.
  • Create a portfolio of work to show to prospective clients as well as employers.

Services offered by Decorator

A decorator is simply an individual trained in the beautifying a client’s home by dictating its look and feel through the selection and placement of decorative elements which includes textiles, paint, furniture and more. This profession involves meeting the client directly so as to get a sense of how they intend to make use of their space and also how they want it to feel. Decorators work within their clients’ budget to breathe a new lease of life into any particular space or property. The role of a decorator is often confused with that of a designer but the main difference is that decorators don’t make architectural changes but rather work to improve an existing space or property. You’ll find a lot of decorators to be freelancers or consultants, while others work within bigger organizations. In this post, we’re going to give you a good insight into some of the roles of a decorator. Let’s take a look!

Decorator FAQs

What questions should I ask a decorator?

Hiring a decorator for your project always seem easy until you get started. With a wide range of decorators available today, it can be quite tricky separating the boys from the men and selecting the right tradesman for your unique project. There are a number of things to put into consideration, questions to ask and lots more to ensure your decorating job is awarded to the right tradesman. In this post, we’re going to give you an insight on some of the essential questions to ask to make sure the prospective decorator is a good match. Let’s take a look!

  • What qualifications do you possess? With the pool of decorators around in the industry today, qualifications are needed to help you determine the true specialists. A qualified decorator gives you an assurance (to some extent) that a quality work would be done to your requirements. Decorators, generally, can earn a degree which includes course work in architecture and are also licensed.
  • How do you help me identify and communicate my style to you? If you have an idea and know what you want for your space, a good decorator should be able to get it out of you by showing you pictures and asking questions which can vary widely.
  • Do you have examples of previous work that are similar to my project in style, scope as well as budget? A decorator that answers yes to this question is a good indicator that they can handle your project. If they don’t, you can ask for pictures of projects they feel is quite similar to yours
Which external areas can be painted?

This will depend on your property, but commonly painted areas include rendered walls, guttering, soffits and fascias, and window frames. Generally you can paint what you want but on older or listed buildings, you may be restricted. An experienced painter will tell you what is possible.

how to remove old exterior paint?

How To Remove Old Exterior Paint

When the paint of your house is starting to peel, there’s the need to take a swift action. While some homeowners opt to cover it with vinyl siding or replace it with fibre cement siding, there’s no reason why you would want to hide the exterior of your house if it still looks great. When you don’t want to hide the beauty of your exterior, the only other option you’ve got is stripping or removing of the old paint. So how do you remove old exterior paint without much hassle? Let’s take a look!

✓ Propane blowtorch. Due to its affordability and effectiveness, this blowtorch has been one of the most popular means of removing old exterior paint amongst homeowners for quite some time. It makes use of high heat to soften the acrylic-latex paint which makes it easy to peel off with a putty knife. However, it can also be very risky to use as it’s always a dangerous game when it comes to open flames. What’s more? Applying an open flame to lead-based paint may release toxic lead fumes, therefore you’d have to be very careful if you wish to use this method.

✓ Electric sanders. Belt sanders are a great option to removing old exterior paint as they’re able to strip off the paint quickly. However, this must be done gently and carefully as you’d risk gouging the wood if you lay into the sander too hard. The problem with this method is also lead-based paint as the sander tends to convert everything to dust and direct them straight to your face, hair and lungs.

✓ Scrapping. This involves using a sharp, rigid putty knife or blade designed for painting scraping to strip the exterior paint. This method also involves dust but you’d have a better control over it than the sander.

what insurance does a painter need?

What Insurance Does A Painter Need?

As a painter, you’re most likely going to require three forms of insurance which includes public liability, income protection as well as tool insurance. However, you should take note that outside these three, there are also several other forms of insurance whose relevance will only be determined by the nature of your business. Now let’s take a closer look into the three most important forms of insurance for painters.

✓ Public liability. What’s surprising here is the fact that many painters are actually aware that they should have a public liability insurance, but only a few really knows what it actually covers. Essentially, what a public liability insurance does is to protect you in the event whereby you messed up and some else suffers a loss as a result of your actions. Third parties can suffer a property damage or personal injury as a result of your negligence. It does not in any way cover the damages to your own property or injuries suffered by you or your staff.

✓ Income protection. As a subcontractor or self employed painter, you’ll be in the best position to know that if you don’t work, there’ll be no money for you. And with no sick leave and possibly no workers’ compensation, then financial problem looms. But not to worry, you can protect yourself from this risk by getting an income protection insurance.

✓ Tool insurance. It’s always a terrible feeling when you go to the site only to discover your tools such as ladders, spray guns, trestles and equipment are suddenly no where to be found. Upon discovery of this situation, you’ll start thinking about the cost of replacing all the tools. With a tool insurance, you can be protected against these sort of situations whereby your tools are stolen, damaged and lots more.

how to choose exterior house paint?

How To Choose Exterior House Paint

Painting the exterior of your house is a great way to give your home a new fresh look that improves it’s curb appeal, make it stand out and also increase it’s value. Exterior paints can serve a wide range of purposes, be it to make a statement in the neighbourhood, highlight some architectural features or to complement the nature. Hence, it’s very important to know the purpose of your exterior house painting project before choosing colour and proceeding with the task. In this guide, we aim to help you narrow down the paint colour selection to help you choose the right paint combination for your home’s exterior with relative ease. Let’s take a look!

✓ The neighbourhood’s style. At times, the style of the neighbourhood can help in selecting a house’s paint colours. For example, in the event whereby the neighbourhood is filled with Victorian homes, then a bold colour wouldn’t even be an option. Furthermore, if there are more ranch style homes in the area, an exuberant collection of pastels may not be the most suitable choice.

✓ To complement nature. Sometimes all that’s needed to know the best paint combination for your home is simply to look around at the surrounding landscape to get clues of the colours that’ll be perfect. For instance, different shades of summer green can be incorporated fr the exterior, meanwhile the fall colour combinations of red, brown and golden shades can also go well too.

✓ Look inwards for guidance. The existing fixed colours inside or outside a house can also be a great option to be used in the exterior colour scheme. This can be the colour of the material of the window trim, foundation or even the roof.

What sort of jobs will an interior painter and decorator carry out?

Interior painters and decorators will offer a wide range of services. These range from painting and wallpapering to other decorating jobs such as fitting skirting or architrave. Some painters and decorators will be trained to plaster as well, however, you should always ask them about this and not assume they will all be able to.

how to prepare exterior walls for painting?

How To Prepare Exterior Walls For Painting?

For a great and smooth exterior finish, preparing the walls before painting is crucial. A great painting job melts the heart and even more so if its done by you. This is a relatively easy task that can be completed without much hassle by an expert DIYer. However if you lack the needed confidence to pull off your exterior wall painting preparation task, then hiring the services of a reliable professional who can guarantee the best result would be your best bet. In this step by step, we aim to take you through the steps involved in preparing exterior walls for painting.

Before you get started, you need to make sure you have the necessary tools in place. These includes a filler and filling knife, sandpaper, soap, sponge, wide paint brush, masking tape as well as drop sheets.

✓ Ensure a smooth surface with a filer and sanding. This includes removing and replacing any rotten or decaying timer, proper sanding as needed, scraping off of peeling areas with sanding and filling of cracking areas with the help of exterior grade filler. Once the above is completed, you can then proceed to filling any holes or cracks in your exterior surface with a top quality exterior filler ( the application should be done with a putty knife).

✓ Cleaning. With the help of a quality and soft brush, clear out the dirt and cobwebs on the exterior’s surface. Then wash the walls with a good detergent to remove any remaining dirt and grease. You can use a bristled brush and a high pressure cleaner to make the process easier.

✓ Mask the area. This involves using a top quality masking tape along the edges you do not wish to paint and pushing the tape’s edges down firmly in such a way to get straight edges.

how much do painters and decorators charge?

How Much Do Painters And Decorators Charge?

If you’re thinking about painting your home or property, then one of the first things that crosses the mind is the amount charged by painter or decorators to carry out the project. However just like any other home improvement projects and as with most tradesmen, the amount charged by a painter and decorator largely varies from job to job depending on a plethora of factors. These factors include your location, the urgency at which you need the job done and whether or not a specialist equipment would be required.

For painters and decorators, one of the biggest influencing factors that determines the price to be charged is the size of the room. For instance, if you have a large room to be painted, it’s definitely going to cost you more than a smaller room. And same applies to multiple rooms when compared to single room. In other words, to get a more accurate cost estimate from your tradesman, you’ll need to have a good idea of the size of your room or rooms. So let’s take a closer look!

✓ Painting a mid-sized room. The question here is, how do you know if your room is medium sized? The room will have a size of about 3.5m by 5m or a room that can conveniently allow up to 6 to 8 people. The price range is between £240 to £410.

✓ Wallpapering a mid-sized room. This uses the logic as painting a mid-sized room but the price can differ due to difference in materials used. The price range here is between £204 to £420.

✓ Painting a large ceiling. Painting a ceiling is very similar to painting a wall but its not as straightforward and will consume more time. The price ranges from £286 to £5476.

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Recent Decorator Enquiries

09 Mar

Painter | Interior

Milton Keynes - MK15

Enquiry from: Alison L

Start Date: Immediate

Newly fitted kitchen needs walls made good and painted

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1-paint kitchen cabinet doors, high and low. and exterior cabinet, paint kitchen walls and ceilings.kitchen sizes 3.9x2.10m and cabinets 4.50m lineal. 2-paint 7 units interior doors. 3-paint wall and ...

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06 Mar

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exterior front of the house needs freshening! porch and garage need attention with some rotten wood, front door needs repainting, eight shutters need repainting and refixing. windows and sill all up...

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19 Feb

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