If you are pricing up a full repaint of a three bedroom house, the honest answer is that it depends on far more than the number of bedrooms. This guide sets out realistic ranges for interior and exterior work, explains what pushes a quote up or down, and shows what a decorator in the Wallington and Sutton area is actually charging for.
For a standard three bedroom semi or terrace, a full interior repaint of walls, ceilings and woodwork usually lands somewhere between £3,500 and £7,000 across most of the UK. In south London, including Wallington, Carshalton and Sutton, expect to sit in the upper half of that range because labour rates are higher and parking, access and skip costs add up.
Exterior painting is priced separately. Painting rendered or pebbledashed walls plus fascias, soffits, window frames and a front door on a typical three bed will often come to £2,500 to £6,000. A house with only masonry walls and uPVC windows will be at the bottom end; one with timber sash windows, cast iron gutters and a dormer will sit at the top or above it.
Labour is the biggest cost, typically 70 to 80 per cent of the quote. A decorator in the Wallington area will usually charge somewhere between £180 and £280 per day, and a full three bed interior takes one person around 10 to 15 working days. Two people will finish faster but the total labour cost stays roughly the same.
Preparation is where quotes differ most. A house with sound, previously painted surfaces needs sanding, filling and a mist coat where required. One with cracked plaster, old wallpaper to strip, nicotine staining or flaking gloss can easily add three or four days. Ask any decorator to itemise the preparation they have priced for, because a cheap quote often means it has been skipped.
Much of the housing in Wallington, Beddington and Carshalton is 1930s semis and Edwardian terraces. These often have original lath and plaster ceilings, picture rails, deep skirtings and timber window frames, all of which add time compared with a modern estate house. Older homes may also have layers of old paint on woodwork that need proper sanding rather than a quick rub down.
Access matters too. Terraced streets with permit parking, no off street space for a van, or shared alleyways can add a little to the cost. For exterior work on a three bed semi, a scaffold tower is usually enough, but a full scaffold for a tall or awkward elevation can add £600 to £1,200 on its own.
Get at least two written quotes and make sure each one lists the rooms, the surfaces, the number of coats, the preparation included, and the paint brand and finish. A quote that just says 'paint the house, £4,000' cannot be compared with anything and leaves you exposed to extras later.
Do not automatically take the cheapest. Check the decorator has public liability insurance, ask to see recent local work, and agree in writing how snags and touch ups will be handled. Paying in stages against completed rooms rather than a large deposit up front is reasonable and most established decorators will be happy with that.
A full interior repaint by one decorator usually takes two to three weeks, or roughly half that with two people. Exterior work on a three bed typically takes four to eight days depending on weather and how much woodwork there is.
Materials for a three bed interior might cost £400 to £800 in paint and sundries, so you would save on labour, but expect it to take several weekends and to reach a lower standard on woodwork and ceilings. Many people paint the simple rooms themselves and bring in a decorator for stairwells, gloss work and ceilings.
April to October is the usual window in south London, when surfaces are dry and temperatures stay above about 10 degrees overnight. Booking early in the year often gets you a better slot, as summer diaries fill quickly.