Painter and Decorator Day Rates: What Should You Expect to Pay?
UK painter and decorator day rates typically range from £140 to £430 depending on region and experience, with a national average often quoted around £250-£325. The South West, including Devon, generally sits in the £180-£280 bracket - well below London, roughly in line with most of the country outside the South East.
"Day rate" gets thrown around a lot in quotes, but it means slightly different things depending on who's saying it. Here's what should actually be behind that number, and why we don't quote that way ourselves.
What a day rate should include
A proper day rate covers the decorator's labour for roughly an eight-hour working day - their time, skill, tools and insurance. What it typically doesn't include is paint and materials, which are usually charged separately on top, or supplied by you. If a quote bundles everything into one number without breaking it down, it's worth asking specifically what's covered, since "day rate" alone doesn't tell you much on its own.
Regional day rates across the UK
| Region | Typical day rate |
|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | £140 - £180 |
| Midlands, North, Scotland | £150 - £220 |
| South West (Devon & Exeter) | £180 - £280 |
| South East | £240 - £320 |
| London | £280 - £430 |
The UK-wide national average, blending all of the above, tends to land somewhere around £250 to £325 a day according to industry cost guides. That figure is skewed upward by London, so if you're outside the South East, the regional rows above are a more useful comparison than the national headline number.
Day rate vs fixed price: which is better for you
Day rates make sense for genuinely open-ended work - ongoing maintenance, a job where the scope might change as you go, or when nobody's entirely sure yet how many days it'll take. The trade-off is that you don't know the total cost until the job's finished, which can make budgeting harder.
A fixed price, quoted after seeing the job (or from photos and measurements), gives you certainty upfront - you agree the total before anything starts, and it doesn't move because a wall needed more filling than expected. That's the approach we use on every job, precisely because it means there's nothing to disagree about halfway through. You can see how that works by requesting a free fixed-price quote for your own project.
What experience actually buys you
Rates at the higher end of any regional bracket usually reflect years of experience rather than a decorator simply charging more for the same result. An experienced decorator tends to work faster, leaves a cleaner edge without masking tape, and spots problems - damp, old paint types that react badly with new coatings, plaster that isn't fully cured - before they become expensive mistakes. Cheaper isn't always false economy, but it's worth knowing what you might be trading off.
Red flags worth knowing about
A day rate that looks significantly below the regional range for your area is worth a second look before you book. Ask specifically about public liability insurance, whether they'll provide references or reviews, and what happens if something goes wrong with the finish. A properly insured, experienced decorator charging a fair regional rate is nearly always better value than the cheapest quote you receive, once you account for the risk of a rushed job that needs redoing.
If you'd rather skip the day-rate guesswork entirely, take a look at our full list of services and request a fixed-price quote instead, or get in touch if you've got a question before committing to anything.
Sources
- Checkatrade, Tradesperson Costs in 2026 - day rate ranges by experience
- Checkatrade, Painting and Decorating Cost Breakdown 2026 - national average day rate