How to Price a Painting & Decorating Job UK

Pricing a decorating job accurately is the difference between a profitable business and a busy but broke one. Many decorators price based on what they think the client will pay or what competitors charge, without properly calculating their costs. This leads to underpricing, lost profit and sometimes working at a loss.

Proper pricing means calculating your material costs, your labour costs, your overheads and your profit margin — then presenting a price that covers all of these and gives you a fair return. This guide walks through the complete process of pricing a painting and decorating job in the UK.

Once you have a systematic approach to pricing, you can quote with confidence, knowing that every job you win is profitable. Consistent pricing also builds trust with clients — they know what to expect and why.

Calculate Your Material Costs

Start by calculating the cost of all materials. Measure each room and work out the paintable area. Check the coverage rate of your chosen paint and calculate how many litres you need for the number of coats. Add primer, undercoat, filler, masking tape, sandpaper, rollers and any other consumables.

Use trade prices where possible — most paint brands offer trade accounts with significant discounts. But remember that even with trade prices, you should mark up materials slightly to cover the cost of ordering, collecting and storing them. A 10% to 20% markup on materials is standard.

If you need to hire equipment — scaffolding, towers, dust extractors — include that cost too. And do not forget fuel for collecting materials and travelling to the job.

Calculate Your Labour Costs

Labour is usually the largest part of a decorating price. Calculate how many hours the job will take, including prep, painting, drying time between coats, cleaning up and travel. Multiply by your hourly rate or use a per-square-metre rate.

Factor in the surface condition. Poor condition means more filling, sanding and prep. Good condition means you can start painting sooner. Adjust your labour estimate accordingly. Also consider access — high ceilings, stairwells and awkward spaces take longer.

If you have a team, include their labour costs at their hourly rate. If you use subcontractors, include their cost plus any CIS deduction if applicable.

Include Your Overheads

Overheads are the costs of running your business that are not directly tied to a specific job — van, insurance, phone, software, accounting, professional fees, marketing. You need to recover these costs in your pricing.

A simple way to account for overheads is to add a percentage to your direct costs (materials plus labour). For most decorating businesses, 15% to 25% is appropriate. If your overheads are higher — for example, you have a workshop or a large team — you may need a higher percentage.

Calculate your annual overheads and divide by your annual working days to see how much overhead you need to recover each day. This helps you understand whether your pricing is sustainable.

Add Your Profit Margin

Profit is what is left after all your costs are covered. Without profit, you are running a busy hobby, not a business. A healthy profit margin for a decorating business is 15% to 25% of the total price.

Add your profit margin to your total costs (materials + labour + overheads). For example, if your costs are £800 and you want a 20% profit margin, your price is £800 / (1 - 0.20) = £1,000. This gives you £200 profit on the job.

If you are VAT-registered, add VAT to the final price. Remember that VAT is collected on behalf of HMRC — it is not your money, but you need to account for it correctly.

Using Software to Price Consistently

Pricing consistently across all your quotes is essential for a sustainable business. If you price the same type of job differently each time, you cannot track your profitability or know whether your pricing is working.

Quoting software like Trade Assist helps you price consistently by storing your default rates, coverage figures and labour methods. Every quote is priced the same way, every time. The system calculates paint quantities, labour costs and totals automatically, reducing the risk of errors.

This consistency also helps you track which types of jobs are most profitable, so you can focus on winning more of the work that pays best.

Frequently Asked Questions

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