How to choose a decorator
Anyone in the UK can call themselves a decorator tomorrow. No qualification, no licence, no register. That's the whole problem, and it's why the questions you ask before you hire matter more than any photo in a portfolio.
We're a decorating firm writing a guide about choosing a decorator, so read this with appropriate suspicion. But everything below is the same advice we'd give a family member hiring someone else, and some of it points away from us. Where it does, we've said so.
Start here: portfolios are the wrong test
Every decorator's website has photos of nice walls. Here's the uncomfortable truth about them: a freshly painted wall looks good even when the job is bad. Paint over dust, skip the caulking, use one thin coat, and on handover day it photographs beautifully.
The difference between a good decorating job and a bad one is invisible for about eighteen months. Then one flakes, marks, cracks along the skirting, and wears through in the hallway, and the other doesn't. By the time you can see the difference, the money's long gone.
So judge decorators on the part you can't see: preparation. Not on photos of the part you can.
The 12 questions
You don't need all twelve. Questions 1, 2, 3 and 7 will filter out most problems on their own.
What preparation is included?
The most revealing question you can ask. It's open, it's not adversarial, and the answer tells you almost everything.
What should worry you: "quick sand and two coats", or an immediate change of subject to which paint they use.
How many coats, and are materials included?
Two questions in one because they're the two biggest hidden gaps between quotes. Materials on a 3-bed house are £350 to £700, so a quote excluding them isn't comparable with one including them.
Worry if: coats aren't mentioned, or materials are "roughly a few hundred, we'll see".
Is this a fixed price, and what would change it?
A fixed price moves the risk of overrun from you to the decorator. Some ways of pricing keep it with you. Both are legitimate, but you should know which you're agreeing to.
Worry if: they've measured the job and still won't commit. See our day rate vs fixed price guide.
Can I see your public liability insurance certificate?
Not "are you insured?" Everyone says yes. Ask to see it. A real certificate has an insurer, a policy number, an expiry date and a cover amount.
Worry if: it's "in the van", it expired last year, or the name doesn't match who you're hiring.
Who is actually doing the work?
You're often meeting the owner. That isn't always who turns up. It's not automatically bad, but you should know, and it should be the same answer on day one.
Worry if: it's vague, or the team turns out to be subcontractors nobody's vouching for.
How long will it take, and when do you start?
A realistic day count is a sign someone has actually thought about your job. Optimistic ones are a warning: the days have to come from somewhere, and it's usually the prep.
Worry if: a full 3-bed repaint is "about three days". It isn't. See our 3-bed guide for realistic timescales.
What happens if I'm not happy?
Ask it directly and watch the reaction. The answer matters, but the body language matters more. Good decorators expect this question and have an answer ready, because snagging is normal.
Worry if: defensiveness, or an implication that customers who complain are being difficult.
What are your payment terms?
Deposits are normal. What's not normal is a large one, cash-only, or any pressure to pay before the work is done.
Worry if: 50% upfront, cash-only for a "discount", or urgency about paying.
How will you protect my home?
The single biggest source of friction on decorating jobs isn't the finish. It's the mess.
Worry if: "we're pretty tidy". Everyone says that.
Where can I read your reviews?
Reviews on a decorator's own website are worth close to nothing. Anyone can type them. The value of a review is that it lives somewhere they can't edit it.
Worry if: reviews only exist on their own site, or a brand-new profile with five perfect reviews in one week.
Have you done a house like mine?
Not snobbery, genuinely relevant. Lath and plaster, sash windows, artex, damp and 3-metre stairwells are all specific skills. A decorator who only does modern estate houses may be excellent and still out of their depth in a Victorian terrace.
Worry if: a textured ceiling in a 1970s bungalow doesn't prompt a word about asbestos testing.
What would you do differently to what I've asked for?
The best question, and almost nobody asks it. You're inviting them to disagree with you. A professional will have an opinion: a durable matt in that hallway, don't put silk on those walls, that ceiling needs sealing first.
Worry if: "whatever you like". That's not agreeableness, it's an absence of expertise, or a decision to let you make the mistake.
Red flags that actually matter
- Cash only, no invoice. No paper trail means no recourse, and it usually means no insurance either.
- A large deposit before anything happens. Materials are bought as needed. A 50% deposit isn't for materials.
- Pressure and urgency. "This price is only today." Decorating is not a timeshare.
- Won't put it in writing. If it's not written, it doesn't exist when there's a disagreement.
- Offers to sand artex without testing. In a pre-1985 property this is a serious safety issue, and it tells you their standards everywhere.
- Wildly cheaper than everyone else. Nobody has a secret cheap source of labour and paint. The saving is coming out of your prep. See why paint peels.
- Vague about who's turning up.
- Dismisses your questions. You're spending thousands. Questions are proportionate.
Red flags that don't matter
Equally worth saying, because some things people worry about are fine:
- A small deposit. 10–25% is normal and reasonable.
- Not being the cheapest. Middle of three is usually the right answer.
- A waiting list. Good decorators are booked. That's information, not an obstacle.
- Being a one-man band. Plenty of the best are. Size isn't quality.
- Saying no to your idea. A decorator who tells you silk will show every bump on those walls is doing their job.
- An occasional imperfect review. A wall of 100 perfect reviews is less believable than 97 good ones and a couple of bad days handled well.
How to compare quotes like for like
Most "why is one £2,600 and one £4,100?" questions dissolve once you compare properly. Both may be fair prices for different jobs.
| Check | Typical difference |
|---|---|
| Materials in or out | £350–£700 on a 3-bed |
| Woodwork in or out | ~£1,000 on a 3-bed |
| Ceilings in or out | £400–£600 |
| One coat or two | Up to 40% of labour |
| Bay windows in or out | £400–£800 |
| Prep level | Invisible for 18 months, then everything |
The fix is simple: write the brief yourself. List the rooms, the surfaces, and say "two coats, materials included". Give the identical brief to everyone. Then the numbers actually mean something.
Deposits, payment and protection
Two things worth knowing that decorators rarely volunteer:
Paying by credit card can protect you. Under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, purchases over £100 and up to £30,000 made on a credit card make the card provider jointly liable with the trader. That protection doesn't exist on a bank transfer. If you're paying a substantial deposit, it's worth asking whether they take card.
Never pay the balance before you've inspected. Walk every room, in daylight, before money moves. Your negotiating position after payment is dramatically weaker than before it, and any decorator who resists a walkthrough is telling you something.
If it goes wrong
Not everything ends well, so know where you stand:
- Raise it before paying the balance, in writing, with photos and dates.
- The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires a service to be performed with reasonable care and skill. If it isn't, you're entitled to have it put right, or to a price reduction if it can't be.
- Give them the chance to fix it. Legally and practically, this matters. Most decorators would rather return than have a bad review.
- Use the platform. If you found them on a vetted site, its complaints process exists precisely for this, and traders care about it.
- Keep everything. The quote, the messages, the photos.
How we'd want you to judge us
By our own list, then. Our preparation is itemised on every quote rather than described as "a rub down". We price fixed, so an overrun is our problem. Our reviews are all published on Checkatrade where we can't edit them, and we've reproduced every one on our site including the ones that didn't go perfectly. We don't take the balance until you've walked every room.
And where we're not the right answer, we'll say so. If your wall is wet, that's a damp problem, not a decorating one, and we'll tell you to fix that first rather than take your money twice.
That's the test, really. Not whether someone can paint a wall. Whether they'll tell you something that costs them the job.
See what an itemised fixed price looks like
Every line, every coat, materials in. Instant, no visit, no obligation.
See My Price Instantly →Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a decorator is any good?
Judge them on preparation, not on finished photos. Anyone can photograph a freshly painted wall. Ask what preparation is included, how many coats, and what happens if you're not happy. A decorator who talks fluently about filling, caulking, sanding and priming is describing the part that decides whether the job lasts. One who only talks about paint brands is describing the easy bit.
Should I always get three quotes?
Three is a reasonable number, but only if you compare like for like. Three quotes for different scopes tell you nothing. Write down the rooms, the surfaces and the number of coats you want, give every decorator the same brief, and ask each to confirm materials are included. Otherwise you're comparing a price for painting walls with a price for decorating a house.
Is it a red flag if a decorator asks for a deposit?
No. A reasonable deposit, typically 10 to 25%, is normal and covers materials bought before work starts. What is a red flag is a large deposit, a request for cash only, pressure to pay quickly, or any demand for the full amount before the work is finished. You should never pay the balance until you've inspected the completed work.
Do decorators need to be qualified or registered?
There's no legal requirement to hold a qualification to paint someone's house in the UK, which is exactly why checks matter. Look for public liability insurance of at least £2m, a CSCS card, and membership of a vetted platform such as Checkatrade where reviews are verified and can't be edited by the trader. Ask to see the insurance certificate rather than taking it on trust.
What should a decorating quote include?
A quote you can rely on should state the rooms and surfaces covered, the number of coats, whether materials are included, the preparation being carried out, a start date and rough duration, what would trigger a variation in price, and the payment terms. A single number with no breakdown isn't a quote you can compare or enforce.
What do I do if the decorating work is not up to standard?
Raise it before you pay the balance, in writing, with photographs. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, and you're entitled to have substandard work put right. If the trader was found through a vetted platform, raise it with the platform too. Paying in full and complaining afterwards weakens your position considerably.