How much should a Painter and Decorator charge per day?

[@markohermanos4742]

Absolutely bang right mate. Real Dec's that can do a top job hanging expensive papers & painting to a high finish deserve a decent rate . Plenty of those Dave down the pub types that will crash a room in for someone for next to nowt for the people that don't understand what's involved to do a decent job.

[@harveysmith100]

If a tradesman charges £200 per day, that is £1000 per week. Allowing for holidays, sickness, not having full weeks he will probable get 35 full weeks work in a year. That is £35'000 per year. But that is not his wages, that is what he gets as a sole operating business. Now take £10'000 off of that for the van, tools insurance etc and that tradesman that appears to be charging a lot is actually earning less than the average wage.

[@scottk6775]

19 weeks of a year is ridiculous. And expenses arnt anywhere near 10k

[@jackwardley3626]

people don't give shit they just want to a 5 star job for chips if I knew what people were like before getting onto decorating I would have gone something else people make it impossible to your job properly

[@charlesfalconer6231]

Most private customers want everything done for nothing !! the ones with the big houses and two brand new cars in the drive are usually the worst !!!

[@dannyhudson5115]

To be fair I've just painted some ceilings in a £1.6m pound house, and the owner was the nicest guy, and gave me a good tip for the good work

[@MatthewAmass-kf9dm]

They think.its easy and decorating should be cheap. Self employment, you absolutely right, 180 -250

[@mycat-r7y]

As a customer this is a helpful insight into what I should expect to pay and why and it also carries through to other trades. Thank you so much.

[@HJM49125]

Doing the job myself as a DIYer. Respect to you guys that do it for a living. I've been sanding down varnished skirting and door frames for hours on end but working on the basis that for every 8 hours I'm saving £250! I've painted 6 ceilings so far and had to correct some mistakes, but overall it's looking ok. I think to do this whole house (smallish 3 bed) for a professional would probably take 4-6 weeks so I think I'm saving up to £7,500 in labour costs. Each room needs doing top to bottom (Celiing, coving, walls, sills woodwork, stringers, doors).

[@davidwallace5381]

You’re timing is completing wrong when it comes to professionals.

[@O__6990]

​@@eyushyso you'd want 2.5k for four days work each? Bit steep that fella.

[@highgaming1276]

If you can produce a high quality job and not just do minimal because it’s quality work your worth £200/-£250 a day iv been a decorator for 19 years and I believe you are worth what you produce if you can get plenty done and still do high end work it’s worth every penny in my book

[@Andy5c]

Bang on mate, people don't think of all the extras, sickness/ holiday pay you loose by working for yourself. Although I'm sure they cash in hand jobs help 😅

[@truthseeker7794]

Yes but it's not the customers fault if you are sick or need a new flashy sign written van or a holiday. The customer is happy to pay you £150 to decorate one room and that's it. They just want you and your paint brush in the room and that's all they are paying for. I was self employed for many years but never had the same entitled attitude that trades people have these days.

[@Andy5c]

@truthseeker7794 I think you are totally missing the point. It's understanding the value of a trades person who quite often when you have removed over heads/ unpaid time going out quoting/ holidays and sickness is often less than the minimum wage. Don't get me wrong I think the trade has a lot to do with it painter/ decorating is probably the least paid trade as its something a lot of people can do so they will struggle to charge good money vs say a kitchen/ bathroom fitter

[@MrDMc1981]

​@@truthseeker7794what room did you charge £150 to paint?

[@tonyalways7174]

£200 a day is about the lowest rate that makes it worthwhile. Below that you may as well work in a shop and do homers and side jobs IMO.

[@ProfessionalPainterDecorator]

If you're doing £150 a day running a business.... You're the busy fools

[@lesliecloughley7058]

If you work for someone £150 aday because they have all the running of the business If it’s your business £225 aday 👍

[@orvillefindley8117]

Im a decorator and i dont like the term painter and decorator. If you're a decorator you will be able to apply paint. Its part of being a decorator. However, if you're a painter quite often that is all they can do, apply paint to a surface. Most painters wouldn't be able to hang lining paper and should never be anywhere near quality wall coverings. A painter will not possess a eye for detail and their work will usually be of poor quality. Painters will usually use cheap tools and achieve a very poor finish. Most painters i know are only suited to house bashing where the quality of finish is not a consideration. A good decorator will possess a wide variety of skills which include painting, papering, tiling, carpentry, plumbing, floorings fitting and refinishing, the list is endless. I am a decorator and not a painter and decorator. 👍

[@decoratorsforumuk9036]

It's strange the way the term has lost meaning over the years. It was that ‘Decorators’ deal with everything from interior design, soft furnishings, decorative paint effects, etc. Then, for some reason, it changed. Now, if you ask a Painter and Decorator, they’ll just say “a Decorator hangs paper and a Painter just paints”. But it sounds like you’re more of a Multi-Trade than a Decorator. If you’re taking on plumbing, tiling, floor fitting etc, which are different trades.

[@orvillefindley8117]

@@decoratorsforumuk9036 I started out when I was still at school and worked with my uncle during the holidays. Back then there were no rollers and everything was painted with brushes, walls and ceilings. I was taught to hang wallpaper with just a pair of scissors and a brush. I picked up other trades more through necessity. I would often get customers who might want a radiator moved or a new light fitted. If I got a plumber or electrician out they would expect a full days pay for a hours work. It made sense to do these things myself and retain the cost of other trades. I have been in this business for over 40 years now. I spent most of my working life in London where I was born but now live in Cornwall. I charge £175 per day which is less than other "decorators" here. I have a reputation here as being the best decorator in Cornwall and some customers will say I'm the best decorator in all of the west country. I gained my reputation from doing high quality work and also paying attention to customer satisfaction. I often think I should charge more , but I'm struggling as it is and charging more could reduce the work I get. 😕

[@RBC0405]

You sound more like a handyman. I think the trades in general get a bit overly stretched. Papering a wall has nowt to do with fitting a floor. Two different sports.

[@orvillefindley8117]

@@RBC0405 I can assure you I am a very qualified decorator. I started at 14 years old with my uncle, I am 59 this year. I think I've more than served my apprenticeship. I've been in Cornwall 10 years now and I'm still getting calls from people in London asking me to hang wallpaper. That's because there are not many people who can do that and do it well. Most decorators are multi skilled and that's what separates them from painters. When you have painters claiming to be a painter and decorator but all they can actually do is paint , that's basically fraud. If you can only paint you can hardly claim to be a decorator. A painter and a decorator are two very different animals. 👍

[@RBC0405]

@@orvillefindley8117 you look 25 mate

[@justjacqueline2004]

Agree quality work quality pay.

[@Trish-ql9kz]

Would the average daily rate also apply to the painting of outside walls please

[@MatthewAmass-kf9dm]

I like you geezer... you speak up for the decs

[@decoratorsforumuk9036]

Thank you Matthew, really appreciate that

[@mickyg6981]

Weigh every job up, some you can charge a very good rate because they want you alone to do the job, {normally repeat business} and they understand what it takes to produce quality decorating that will last, other times you have to give a bit for good people who might not be so affluent, it all works out, after 46 years at it the last 10 years have been the best money wise, probably due to not many proper apprenticeships for years and a massive shortage of properly taught paper hangers in particular, and a glut of self taught facebook warriors making a mess.

[@corumuk67]

Very interesting. Conversely, £250 per day is a lot for customers on low income. Sounds like DIY is the way to go for capable people.

[@decoratorsforumuk9036]

I agree. I hope laying everything out like we have helps customers understand why the rates are what they are. Plus, Decorators will get through a lot more work than the average DIYer will. But it is expensive to hire a professional

[@jossywilson]

Customers on low incomes shouldn't get tradesmen in to do work for them if they can't afford it.

[@kevinjackson6387]

There’s not many one man bands on more than £200 a day depends which part of the country you live in

[@decoratorsforumuk9036]

@@kevinjackson6387 I don't think you're right there. You can sub for someone else and bring that sort of money in, so what's the point in working for yourself if you can't charge accordingly?

[@berusbogzniszczenia4359]

If charge more than 150 is very difficult to get any job or need to do short way (shit job).

[@pollywoodrecent3327]

Hey mate can you i charge per day wage as decorator as i have been decorating for 10months what should be good money for me as i got 60£ what would i do should ask for more money ?? Thanks hopefully get your view into it

[@claudwierzbicki5953]

You're saying guys are taking home 80 quid when charging 150 a day so how the heck they're managing to buy all these posh vans and a nice cars plus abroad holidays 🤔 I'm not saying you are saying 💩 but there is no logic in that. There is no way people will run own busines for 80 quid or 100 quid a day. I charge at least 50 quid n hour for doing electrical inspection and painters are making a lot more money than me. If you are making 100 or 150 a day that means you need to change something in your business mate. Good luck

[@nikolasschamp2978]

Greetings from Belgium. I got a painting firm and I charge €45/HOUR. A good craftsman isn't cheap...

[@decoratorsforumuk9036]

Awesome, than you for your comment

[@robbennett9631]

Thanks mate thinking about it I’ve down tools a D just gone and got a Job employed so much easier 😂😂

[@davidurwin2675]

One more thing I blame these bloody piss arsed programs like changing friggin rooms making it look easy just takes the piss out of professional trade painters

[@IanWalker-d4j]

If people are agreeable to pay these quotes then the deal is done. To others, this may motivate them to do the job themselves. The choice is ours.

[@beecee985]

£300 a day minimum if I'm using my sprayers

[@pollywoodrecent3327]

Brother where does you live in uk

[@nischalpomu1832]

£250 is the minimum day rate or a very bad day for me.

[@BobsmithMarley-uq3ir]

You deserve 200 a day if your fixing bad plastering work before you even paint.

[@eezy251able]

Got to be a £200 a day as a decorator at least.

[@davidurwin2675]

Decorators are just as important as doctors and dentists and the like or the cogs at the top won’t work if there are no cogs at the bottom .....simple ......so British public wise the fcku up this comes from being on the brush for 40 year plus professional

[@petehefferon8192]

Trust me, I'd be more skint trying to charge customers 250 a day than earning 150 a day and beating 99% of the quotes I go on, and I still have more money than I can shake a stick at. Dont know how you came to that logic but its completely false

[@decoratorsforumuk9036]

Which bit is false?

[@petehefferon8192]

​@@decoratorsforumuk9036 You're claim that charging 150 a day is considered pennies. I'd understand if charging 150 a down south would be considered extremely cheap but up north, 150 a day is ample. I've been told multiple times my pricing falls in between not cheap and not to expensive

[@May4thbwithu]

Let them paint there own houses then. A solicitor will charge 400 per hour, its totally fair to ask for 250 a day. Just make sure you do a good job and you will be busy.

[@petehefferon8192]

​​@@decoratorsforumuk9036That You're claim that 150 a day is basically minium wage. Which isn't true at all. Just because 150 a day doesn't suit you doesn't mean it doesn't suit everyone else. 150 a day for me is more than enough for me to keep busy and ensure I'm gonna beat the vast majority of quotes and have a good amount of cash flow. I've worked at minium wage and I've never earned the kind of money I'm earning now

[@RBC0405]

​@@petehefferon8192750 a week isn't top lolly for a trade mate. You could get what you earn working in Aldi or Land Rover. You are all abour volume. How many jobs a week you doing?

[@djmightymurph]

Load of crap , £150 a day for 8 hour days is fair … £30 a day for van and tools is £600 a month ! Self employed get a tax refund which covers what you would get in holiday pay …. And how can you charge for 8 hour day and then go away looking for other work and pricing up for 2 hours. £250 a day is what NHS doctors get. I had a guy in and gave me a price to do painting , said he wanted day work at £150 a day cash … and when i said no I just want a price to do the whole job he said £300 and done it in a day and half. Go on site self employed and you’ll have to do ten hours at £15 an hour. £150 a day for 11 months is £36k a year with a £4/5k tax rebate 😂

[@decoratorsforumuk9036]

I'm trying to make sense of what you just said, but I'm struggling. "self-employed get a tax refund that covers what you'd get in holiday pay". What is it you're talking about? A sole trader working CIS gets a refund for the tax paid on the first 10K of earnings (about 2 grand), but no one pays tax on the first 10K, cards in or self-employed. I'm struggling to understand your line of thinking. I don’t know whether you’ve got confused somewhere along the line, or I just don’t understand you.

[@djmightymurph]

@@decoratorsforumuk9036 I was self employed , in April you put in for your tax return getting from £3/5k which covers a month off for holidays. Or save £12 a day for 48 weeks gives you £2880 a year to cover holiday pay. Wanting £250 plus vat a day for an eight hour day … well six hour day is a con. And let’s face it 90% of people will pay cash which never gets fully taxed. £250 a day for 48 weeks a year is £60k …. It’s not even classed as a skilled job. Never employ any trade on day work as they just take the piss.

[@RBC0405]

Nah, you can earn 150 a day over 10 hours packing pickles in a warehouse or working the tills at Aldi! A score an hour, 8 hours of graft. That's a fair deal all around.

[@May4thbwithu]

Christ, there are some dumb people out there 😂

[@iainrichardson1420]

No doubt most self employed pay very little or no tax at all....how many jobs are "cash in hand".. dodgy as fook

[@budte]

I don't buy your figures. Anyone who is any good at painting and decorating, apprentice time-served will have a backlog of clients and no need of marketing. People on minimum wage have to pay tax on that. And people often run cars to get to and from work and they don't get to claim it against tax. If you are a small firm and not making a reasonable living much above minimum wage then maybe it is time to consider your options.

[@decoratorsforumuk9036]

My figures are bob on bud. I'm a Professional Decorator who runs a business.

[@budte]

@@decoratorsforumuk9036I 'qualified' as a House Painter & Decorator in 1979 and by retirement ran all trades on high end renovations. I would say for every competant properly trained person there are 10 or more that are some kind of self-taught and will ultimately struggle.

[@RBC0405]

No need of marketing? 😂😂😂 it's 2024 mate.

[@JI7NKJ]

People are lazy, painting must be the easiest thing to do, had a Carpenter do some work in my house and that guy was very highly skilled with about £15k of high end power tools in his van.

[@RBC0405]

Ooh! Did the van have shiny wheels?

[@DefrimKurtaj]

A solo painter and decorator should make 130k a year if not then you're just a waste of time and the breath you take is a waste

[@DefrimKurtaj]

Running a painting business under 350£ you're your own slave and you eat from hand to mouth