Painting and Decorating Guide

What do decorators do?

Decorators are trained professionals who are able to transform the look and feel of any room in your home within a matter of hours or days. Naturally, the size and complexity of the room will have a massive bearing on how long it will take but professional decorators are able to use many different materials and techniques in order to bring an old and tired room to life.

Decorators will often start a job by ensuring that they have enough room to start working - you can help with this by making sure that all furniture and large items are either moved or covered with sheets. Once done, a decorator will then smooth any and all surfaces that need to be painted and then commence with decorating the room in whatever materials or paint that has been agreed upon prior to the job starting.

Once an interior decorating job is complete, they'll then go through the painstaking process of checking every inch of the job to ensure that the finish is of the highest calibre and to the standards expected by the customer.

What makes a good decorator?

While almost anyone can be a decorator, you need a few things in order to be considered a good decorator, especially if you want people to recommend you. Here are just a few of the things that a well-respected decorator would need:

• Good customer service
• Attention-to-detail
• Planning and organisation skills
• Taking pride in their work
• Punctuality
• The right materials and tools

Make sure the person that you’re hiring has all of these qualities in order to ensure that you’re getting good value for your money.

Common services offered by a decorator

There are a number of services that most professional decorators offer, many of which we've listed below:

• Interior painting and decorating
• Exterior painting and decorating
• Varnishing
• Wallpaper hanging
• Spray painting
• Emulsion and glossing
• Free estimates

You may also find that decorators in your area can offer other services and free advice, so feel free to ask them.

What should you ask a decorator?

There are a number of questions that you should ask a decorator both before and after you hire them.

In order to set expectations correctly, you should ask a decorator how long the job might take to complete. By doing this right at the start, you're able to both agree a time and date when the job should be completed.

You should ask what type of materials they intend to use, whether there might be any foreseeable complications and also if they can offer you a full break down of the costs. By doing so you'll know exactly where you stand in terms of when the job will be completed and how much you'll be spending.

How to get a painting and decorating quote

It's easy to call up the nearest local decorator, secure the one estimate and then decide to take it. The question is: how do you know that you're getting the best decorator price available? The truth is, you don't.

The best way to ensure that you're getting the best decorator price in your area is by getting at least three or four different quotes and then comparing them. Ask for fully broken down quotes so that you can see exactly what they're spending your money on. For example, you'll see how much the materials cost and how much they're charging in labour.

From here you can even make suggestions to decorators to bring costs down further. By doing this you'll be able to compare and contrast fully detailed quotes from decorators near you and make an informed decision on who to hire.

While it may feel a little bit like work in getting a number of quotes, you'll have peace of mind that you're not paying over the odds for the decorating work that you need.

Exterior decorators

If you've got some outside work that needs touching up or reimagining then you might need to go down the route of hiring specialised exterior decorators.

Exterior decorators have to contend with different conditions and issues when compared to interior decorators. For starters, there are more health and safety regulations that they must adhere to, especially if they're working at any sort of height. With this in mind, snow or rain can easily get in the way of work taking place due to an increased chance of slippery conditions. There may also be a need for additional safety equipment for work that takes place in high places or even at unconventional angles - which could mean an additional cost.

Even if exterior decorators are working at ground level, they may need to use premium paint which can withstand some of the UK's harshest elements to maintain a consistent tone and look throughout the winter months.

Getting a decorating quote for insurance purposes

It's unfortunate but often the case that you'll need a decorator as a result of water ingress or other damage that has harmed the look of your property. Many of these instances are covered by insurance but in order for you to be able to reclaim your money back, you'll need to show them a document that clearly defines exactly where the money is going.

What you'll need is a fully written down quote that shows all the individual costs of the job. From the cost of labour to items of equipment and material that might be required, any good decorator will be able to provide you with a document that's fit for insurance purposes. Only by getting a well-written quote or estimate from a decorator will you be able to claim back from your insurance provider - getting this right from the start will no doubt save you a lot of time, money and hassle from your insurer.

What’s the average price for a decorator?

The average price of a decorator can vary greatly from region to region, so it's difficult to get a true cost without ringing up and obtaining estimates yourself.

The actual job that needs to be undertaken will also contribute to the overall price. For example, an exterior decorating job may involve safety equipment or all-weather paint which can increase the price when compared to interior work. As we mentioned earlier, you can bring the cost down by getting numerous estimates from decorators in your local area by comparing and contrasting the work that they're aiming to do.

While we've mentioned that it's difficult to work out the average price for a decorator in your area without some extensive research, for an average sized room you should be expecting to pay at least a few hundred pounds. However, this can wildly change depending on the room size, materials needed and time that the job will take. The only way to find out not just the average price for a decorator but the best price is to get a number of different quotes and work out which provider is offering the best value for money.

Where can I find a local decorator with good reviews?

If you’re looking for good local decorators in your area, then you’ll be able to find exactly what you’re after right here on Thomson Local. All you need to do is search for a painter and decorator in your area. You’ll then find decorators who operate in your region, complete with reviews and comments from local customers who have used their services before.