Painter and decorator day rate, or a price for the job?

How day rate pricing works

With a day rate, you pay for each day a decorator is on site, plus materials. It suits small, open ended jobs such as touching up after a leak, or a list of odd jobs where nobody can predict the time. The risk sits with you: if the walls need more filling than expected, or drying is slow, the bill grows.

When comparing day rates, check whether materials, sheeting and travel are included, and how many people the rate covers.

Per room pricing

Some decorators quote per room. It is easy to understand, but rooms are not equal. A bedroom with flat walls and new skirting is a very different job from a hallway with a staircase, high walls, five doors and decades of old gloss. A per room figure has to assume an average, so it can be high for an easy room and low for a hard one.

Whole job pricing

A fixed price for the whole job is built from a look at every surface. It covers preparation, the number of coats, woodwork, ceilings, protection and clean down. You know the total before work starts, and the decorator carries the risk of the time running over. This is the format we use: a written itemised quote after seeing the rooms.

• Day rate: flexible, but the total is unknown
• Per room: simple, but assumes an average room
• Whole job: total agreed in writing before starting

Why preparation time shapes every quote

Most of a good paint job happens before the topcoat. Cracks are filled and sanded flush, water marks and knots are stain blocked so they do not bleed through, bare plaster and timber are primed, and edges are cut in by hand. On a freshly plastered extension this is quick. On an older house with cracked ceilings and layers of old paint it can be most of the job.

Two quotes that look far apart are often pricing two different levels of preparation. Ask each one exactly what is included before the first coat.

Other things that change the price

Access is a big one. Stairwells and high ceilings need platforms. Furnished rooms take longer than empty ones because everything has to be moved and sheeted. Colour changes from dark to light need extra coats. Woodwork in gloss or eggshell takes longer than walls. Wallpaper removal, especially painted over paper, can add days.

Decorating as part of a renovation

When decorating follows a kitchen, bathroom or flooring job with us, it is built into the same programme as the last stage, so the room is handed back finished rather than waiting for another firm. The price sits on the same written quote as the rest of the work.

Read more: painters and decorators in Harlow

Questions to ask before you accept a quote

Ask how many coats are included on walls, ceilings and woodwork, and whether the price covers primer on bare surfaces. Ask who moves the furniture and what happens to curtains, pictures and radiators. Ask how the room is protected and when it will be cleaned. Ask what happens if hidden damage, such as blown plaster, is found once old paper comes off. A good decorator will answer each one in writing rather than leaving it to be sorted out on the day.