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Painter / Decorator in Reading

There are plenty of painters and decorators in Reading who come well recommended by your neighbours.

We have two quick and easy ways to find a local painter and decorator near you:

  1. Search for painters and decorators in Reading and contact them yourself

  2. Use our handy request a quote feature and we’ll find them for you – tell us what you need doing, we’ll reach out to recommended local tradespeople and they'll contact you directly.

  • How much does a painter and decorator cost in Reading?

    The average local painter and decorator cost in Reading depends on the type of work you’re hiring them for, the size of the job, and the quality and quantity of materials used. As a rough guide, you should expect to pay painter and decorator rates a day somewhere in the region of £180 - £200 per day for a painter and decorator.

    Here are some average costs for painter and decorator services:

    • Cost to paint a medium-sized room – £400

    • Paint a house (per m2 floor space) – £45 per m2

    • Paint a house (per m2 wall space) – £8.50 per m2

    • Painter and decorator cost per hour – £20-£25 per hour

    • Wallpaper removal cost£350 per room.

    To help you plan your budget for your painting and decorating work, we’ve put together a handy guide that you might find useful: Painter and decorator prices

    Cost to paint exterior of a house

    For exterior painting work, the average cost of painting a house is somewhere in the region of £425 - £1,500, depending on the size of the property and the number of exterior walls that need to be painted.

    As well as the cost of the painter and decorator, you’ll also need to factor in other costs including:

    • Paint – £100

    • Scaffolding hire – £360

    • Painting accessories – £40

    You can find out more about prices in our guide to the cost of painting the exterior of a house.

    How much does it cost to paint a house in the UK?

    The average cost to paint a 4-bed house in Reading is around £2,600 - £3,600, depending on the size of the house and the number of rooms that need to be painted.

    Before hiring a painter and decorator, we always recommend speaking to at least three local tradespeople to get quotes for the work. By shopping around you can make sure you’re being quoted fair and competitive prices. Use our handy request a quote feature and we’ll do the legwork for you.

    How much does a painter charge per room in the UK?

    If you’re looking for costs per room, here are some average painter and decorator prices you can expect to pay in Reading:

    • Medium-sized room – £400

    • Bedroom – £245

    • Hallway, landing and stairs – £600

    • Ceilings – £325

    • Window frames – £175

    Wondering what’s involved in painting a room? Check out our guide on how to paint a room properly.

  • How to hire a decorator

    When you need painting and decorating work done, it’s important that you find and hire a decorator that will do a good job. Here are our top tips for how to hire a decorator you can rely on.

    1. Use Checkatrade search

    Our search tool is a quick and easy way of finding a good painter and decorator in Reading. Simply put in the type of tradesperson you’re looking for and your postcode and off you go. Searching for tradespeople on Checkatrade also means you can see other customers’ reviews and recommendations on work they have had done. We run background checks on all our members and verify qualifications and insurance to make sure you’re dealing with professional, reliable tradespeople.

    2. Request quotes from local painters and decorators

    With all home improvement projects, we always recommend obtaining at least three quotes from different local painters and decorators in Reading. Our request a quote feature is perfect for getting multiple quotes: you post details about the work you need doing and we’ll send it out to local tradespeople in your area. Try it out – it’s quick and easy!

    3. Choose decorators with relevant qualifications

    To get the best results for your decorating job, you want to hire a painter and decorator who is dedicated to their trade. Look for someone with relevant qualifications and accreditations, and check if they’re part of a national trade association, such as the Painting and Decorating Association (PDA).

    4. Ask for customer references (and contact them)

    When you’ve found a painter and decorator that you think could be right for the job, ask them for references of previous customers for you to speak to. Ask those references about the quality of the decorator’s work, what it was like to work with them, and would they hire them again.

  • What to ask a painter and decorator

    Once you’ve found a painter and decorator you might want to hire, or perhaps you have a shortlist, it’s a good idea to have a good chat with them in person about their work, experience and approach to the job.

    Here are some useful questions that you might want to ask them to find out more about how they work and what type of service you can expect from them:

    1. How long have you been working as a painter and decorator?

    2. What qualifications and/or accreditations do you have?

    3. Have you done many projects like this before?

    4. Can you show me examples of previous decorating projects that you’ve worked on?

    5. Do you have appropriate insurance, and can you provide valid certificates?

    6. Could you provide me with references from previous customers for me to contact?

    7. Do you offer a customer satisfaction guarantee?

    8. How long will it take you to complete the work? And when can you start?

    9. How much will it cost, and what are the payment terms?

    10. Are there any additional costs or challenges I should be aware of?

    The aim of asking these questions is to find out more about them in terms of their experience as a painter and decorator and the types of jobs they’ve worked on before. That way you can get a feel of their track record and whether or not they’re right for the painting and decorating work that you need doing.

    It’s also a good opportunity to find out what materials they use and which paints and products they recommend. Hopefully they might even be able to get a discount with local suppliers, if they have a good local network.

  • Do painters and decorators supply the paint?

    As a general rule, most painters and decorators will supply the paint for the job. In fact, some will insist that they supply the paint so that they can ensure the quality of the materials that they’re working with.

    Retail paint, which the average customer would source themselves, is generally considered poorer quality than the trade paints that professional painters and decorators can source from their trade suppliers. So, before you skip on down to your local paint shop to pick up the supplies yourself, speak to your painter and decorator first – because it’s very likely that they’ll plan to source everything for you.

    Choosing the paint

    Just because the painter and decorator sources the paint from their suppliers doesn’t mean that you can’t choose the type and colour of paint that you want. One of the first conversations you have with your chosen painter and decorator will be about the results you’re looking for in your home.

    A good local painter and decorator will have a variety of paint swatches to show you options from a number of paint brands and suppliers. You’ll be able to pick the right shade for your interior design plans, and have the right type of paint for each room – whether that’s gloss, matt, masonry paint or a chalky effect.

    Is it cheaper for me to buy my own paint?

    Not usually. At least, not for good quality paint. The great thing about a professional painter and decorator is that they are constantly buying paint, and with volume comes a discount. A discount that you as a customer wouldn’t be able to get.

    It’s also worth keeping in mind that you want your painting to be as high quality as possible, and that involves using quality paint. A good painter and decorator will want to use quality paint that they can source at a reasonable price, so that they guarantee the quality of the finished results and make sure you’re happy with their work.

  • How many rolls of wallpaper do I need?

    Calculating how many rolls of wallpaper you need is an important first step, so that you or your painter and decorator have enough materials to complete the job in one go. You don’t want to be scrabbling to go and buy more wallpaper in the middle of wallpapering a wall.

    The number of rolls of wallpaper that you’ll need will depend on a number of factors, including:

    • Dimensions of the room / areas that you want to wallpaper

    • Dimensions of the windows or other areas that you don't want to wallpaper

    • Number of doors in the room

    • Any unusual shapes within the layout of the room

    • Length and width of your chosen wallpaper rolls

    Calculating the area you need to wallpaper

    The first step in working out how many rolls of wallpaper you need is to calculate the area that you need to cover. Here’s how to do it:

    1. Calculate the total area of wall in m2 (total width x total height)

    2. Deduct the area (m2) of any windows, doors or other areas you don’t want to wallpaper

    3. The result is the total area in m2 that you’ll need to cover with wallpaper

    Once you know how many square metres you need to cover, you then need to know how much area a single roll of wallpaper will cover – which you can find out from the manufacturer’s information.

    You then simply need to divide your total area to cover by the area covered by a single roll of wallpaper. But that's not the final answer. In order to account for wastage and accommodate wall shapes it’s sensible to buy more wallpaper than you think you need (about 10-20% extra), just in case.

    If you need to cover 100m2 of wall and each roll of wallpaper covers 20m2, you theoretically need 5 rolls to cover the wall. But we’d suggest buying 6 rolls to be safe.

    If in doubt, reach out to local painters and decorators to get their professional advice. They’ll be happy to help you estimate how many rolls of wallpaper you’ll need – and they might even have tips and tricks to save you money.

  • How to calculate how much paint you need

    When it comes to calculating how much paint you need for your home decorating project, you want to make sure you’re getting it right so that you don’t end up under ordering, or running out of paint halfway through the job.

    The main factors that will affect how much paint you need are:

    • Total area that needs to be painted

    • Type of surface (walls, ceiling, woodwork)

    • Type of paint

    • Number of coats needed

    • Type of painting application tool used

    Step-by-step guide to calculating paint volume

    1. Measure up the total area (m2) of the surface you want to paint by multiplying the width by the height – and then subtract any window or door areas

    2. Work out how many coats of paint you’ll need based on the type of paint you choose (some will require only one paint, others might need two or three) then multiply the total area by the number of coats needed

    3. Calculate how many litres of paint you need by dividing the total number from point #2 above by the ‘square metre per litre’ value that should be listed on the paint product information

    The result from point #3 will give you a pretty accurate estimate of the number of litres of paint you need for the job. That said, if you have any doubts then it’s always a good idea to chat with an experienced local painter and decorator who can advise on paint volumes for the job.

    As a rough guide here are some estimated volumes for various painting jobs:

    • A door – 750ml tin

    • Skirting in a small room – 750ml tin

    • Feature wall – 1 litre tin should be enough to paint a single 2.5m interior wall

    • Small-sized room – Roughly 2.5 litres would paint walls in a 2m x 2m room

    • Medium-sized room – About 5 litres should cover walls in a 4m x 4m room