How much does it cost to paint a 3 bedroom house UK?

Cost to Paint a House Interior

The average cost to paint a house interior is £2,250 for a 3 bedroom house when painting the skirting boards, door frames and windowsills is included. Painting a single room ranges from £150 to £375 depending on room size. About £225 per room is average.
Low Cost £400 (DIY) – £1,600
National Average Cost £1,700 – £2,400
High Cost £2,500 – £3,200

How Much Does it Cost to Paint a 3 Bedroom Home

This table shows 3 bedroom house painting costs and common factors that affect price.

House Painting Cost
Low Cost Average Cost High Cost
Cost Range £400 (DIY) – £1,600 £1,700 – £2,400 £2,500 – £3,200
DIY Labour Yes or No No No
Wall Preparation Minimal Average More than Average
Paint Quality Average Average to Better Better to Best
Skirtings, etc. No Yes or No Yes
Wall Height 240cm 240cm – 300cm 300cm or higher
Stairway No Yes or No Yes
Stripping Wallpaper No No Possibly
Emptying Rooms No Yes Yes

Below, a more detailed lists of costs includes small flats to large homes plus itemised costs per room.

Some homeowners paint their interior for as little as £400 – the cost of paint and supplies – when they do the work themselves.

When a painter or decorator does the work, costs can exceed £3,000 for an average home. These cost factors will determine the paint quotes you’ll receive from local painters and decorators.

  • House Size – This one is obvious. The larger the home, the higher the cost to paint it.
  • Number of Rooms – When you’re not painting the entire house, number of rooms will be a factor. For example, a painter might bid £300 for one large room but only £500 for two rooms or £750 for three rooms since they have already traveled to your home and are ready to work.
  • Wall Prepping – If the walls are clean and in good repair, preparation is minimal and cost is lower. When holes must be filled and sanded and plaster repaired first, costs can soar.
  • Paint Quality – Like most products, paint is available in cheap, average and premium grades.
  • Skirting Boards, etc. – When skirtings, door frames and window frames or sills are included, cost will be significantly higher since these are time-consuming items to paint.
  • Wall Height – Minimum height is 240cm, but many walls exceed 300cm. Taller walls require more time and paint, and when the wall is high enough to require working from a ladder, cost will be higher yet.
  • Stairway or 2-storey Entryway – Stairwells and very high walls are difficult to paint and raise cost.
  • Stripping Wallpaper – This task is generally considered a separate job and estimated separately. If included in the estimate, it might increase the cost by 40% or more for the papered rooms.
  • Moving Furniture, etc. – If the painters must move furnishings, rugs and other items, cost might be £10-£25 more per room. To avoid this charge, painters will require the room to be empty or at least the items moved to the center of the room.
  • Where you Live – Costs are higher in and around London than they are most other locations.

House Painting Costs, Including Cost to Paint a Room

This table goes into more detail regarding the cost to paint a room, cost to paint the hall, stairs and landing, and homes with differing numbers of bedrooms.

As a rule, cost per room goes down slightly as the number of rooms rises. This is because the painters are already on site with their equipment. Their fixed costs like travel and insurance are spread over more rooms.

Job Average Cost Time Required
2 Bed House £1,650 2-3 days
3 Bed House £2,250 3-4 days
4 Bed House £2,700 3-4 days
5 Bed House £3,350 4-6 day
Small Room (1) £185 3-5 hours
2+ Small Rooms £150 per room 3 hours per room
Medium Room (2) £250 4-6 hours
2+ Medium Rooms £225 per room 4 hours per room
Large Room (3) £375 5-7 hours
2+ Large Rooms £330 per room 5 hours per room
Hall £200 – £385 3-6 hours
Stairs and Landing £350 – £535 5-8 hours

(1) Small rooms include a small bedroom, bathroom, study or dressing room.

(2) Medium rooms include most bedrooms, kitchen / diner, small lounge

(3) Large rooms include en-suite bedrooms, large lounge

Interior House Painting: What’s Involved?

Here’s an overview of the scope of the project, so you will know what to expect.

Step 1: The furnishings and non-attached carpets will be moved from the room to be painted. As noted above, if the decorators do the work, the cost might be £10-£25 per room based on how much stuff is in the room, its size and weight.

Step 2: Floors will be covered to protect them from paint. Chandeliers, built-in bookcases and other attached furnishings will be covered for protection too.

Step 3: Wall prepping is the next step. To achieve a proper paint finish, walls must be clean and smooth. In some cases, this begins with washing the walls, at extra cost.

Ask decorators when getting quotes whether washing the walls is necessary and how much it raises the bid. Then, of course, you can wash the walls yourself if you’d like to save that expense.

Any imperfections must be filled, sanded or otherwise repaired – whatever is required to make the surface very smooth.

Step 4: Painter’s tape might be applied around windows, skirting boards and other items that either won’t be painted or will be painted a separate colour.

Steps 5 & 6: The first coat of paint will be applied and allowed to dry, usually overnight. Then the second coat will be applied.

Step 7: The work area will be cleaned up. Tape will be removed, and any touch-up needed will be carried out.

Frequently Asked Questions for Interior House Painting?

  • Q. How Much does Paint Cost?
  • Ans. “Cost varies by quality and by colour. Cheap paint starts at less than £3 per litre, and we do not recommend using paint of this grade in the finer areas of your home. Most good-quality paint costs £4-£8 per litre. Dulux and Johnstone’s Paint are examples. These are very adequate for most interior painting projects.
    The very best premium paints, Farrow & Ball for example, cost £14 to £20 per litre. The price of any paint is often lower per litre when you buy large tins rather than small ones.
    Colour affects cost to. In any range, the richest, darkest colours usually cost the most.”
  • Q. Should the Timber Be Painted Too
  • Ans. If your walls need fresh paint, the door frames, skirting boards and window frames and sills are probably looking grubby too. In fact, they will look especially dirty or faded once fresh paint has been applied to the walls.
  • Q. When is the Cheapest Time to Have your Home Painted?
  • Ans. “Cost quotes will be lowest when painters are hungry for work. The busiest times are summer when people like windows open to get rid of paint odours and autumn when everyone wants to get their home looking fabulous for entertaining during the Christmas season. Try to get your house painting done before this.The best time is early in the year when most homeowners aren’t in the mood to spend money, still feeling the sting of Christmas bills.”
  • Q. Who supplies the paint and tools?
  • Ans. “Painters always use their own tools. You can supply the paint, if you’d like, or the decorator can. It is possible that the decorator can get a better price on paint, so it is worth asking about cost.”

How much does it cost to paint a room UK 2022?

Average cost to paint a room: £400 The larger the room the greater the decorating costs.

How much do painters charge per room UK?

Most day charges are between £150 - £200 per day. However, painting the walls and ceiling of a modest room (about 2.2m x 2.4m) will cost roughly £200 - £250 and take no more than one day. A large room (about 6m x 5m) will cost roughly £400 - £450 and take no more than two days to complete.

How much do painters and decorators charge per day UK?

The average day rate for a painter and decorator in the UK is £170 per day. Rates can vary depending on where you live and we have painters and decorators in all areas of the UK that charge from £120 to £400 per day. London and the South East tend to charge more and sole traders who are not VAT registered charge less .

How long does it take to paint a 3 bed house?

While we say it can take 3-4 days to paint an average 3-4-bedroom home you will need to consider all the above factors. If you're making the decision to paint there is no point in rushing the job when the time invested now on a quality result can last 5-7 years before you need to redo it again.