Paint & gloss a room.

A professional finish relies on meticulous preparation rather than just the final coat. Whether you are updating a single bedroom or a high-traffic hallway, understanding the process and costs ensures you get a durable, streak-free result that adds genuine value to your property.

What Does the Work Involve?

• Room Protection: Moving furniture to the centre of the room and covering all surfaces, flooring, and radiators with heavy-duty dust sheets.
• Surface Preparation: Stripping old wallpaper, raking out cracks, and filling holes with appropriate compound.
• Sanding: Mechanically or manually sanding walls and woodwork to create a "key" for the new paint to adhere to.
• Mist Coating: Applying a thinned emulsion layer to any new or bare plaster to seal the surface.
• Wall & Ceiling Painting: Applying a minimum of two coats of emulsion to achieve full opacity and even colour.
• Woodwork Glossing: Preparing skirting boards, door frames, and window sills, followed by undercoating and a final topcoat of gloss, satin, or eggshell.
• Snagging & Clean-up: Removing masking tape, cleaning glass, and vacuuming dust before a final inspection.

Typical Costs

Prices are primarily driven by the condition of the existing walls; "blown" plaster or heavy nicotine staining will require specialist primers and significantly more labour time. Expect to pay a premium for designer paints like Farrow & Ball, which often require more coats to achieve the desired depth of colour.

How Long Does It Take?

• Small Box Room: 1–2 days (allowing for drying times between coats).
• Standard Double Bedroom: 2–3 days (including prep and woodwork).
• Large Open-Plan Area: 3–5 days (depending on the amount of glossing required).
• Hallway, Stairs, and Landing: 3–4 days (due to complex angles and height).

DIY or Professional?

Painting is a popular DIY task, but the "pro" difference lies in the prep work. Professional decorators use dustless sanding systems and high-quality trade paints that offer better coverage than retail versions. If your home was built before the 1970s, you must also be cautious of lead-based paint; disturbing this requires specialist masks and extraction that most DIYers lack.

Always hire a professional for high-ceilinged stairwells or rooms requiring extensive plaster repair to ensure a seamless, safe finish.

Choosing the Right Tradesperson

• Check Credentials: Look for members of the Painting and Decorating Association (PDA) or Dulux Select Decorators.
• Review Portfolios: Ask for "close-up" photos of "cutting in" (where the wall meets the ceiling) and gloss finishes.
• Red Flags: Be wary of decorators who don't mention prep work or those who claim they can finish a whole room in a single day.
• Ask: "Will you be using water-based or oil-based gloss?" (Water-based dries faster and stays white longer).
• Ask: "Is the quote inclusive of all materials, including fillers and sandpaper?"
• Ask: "How do you protect my carpets and furniture from paint splatter?"

UK Regulations

• VOC Compliance: UK law limits the Volatile Organic Compounds in paint; your decorator should use paints compliant with current environmental standards.
• Lead Paint Safety: Decorators should follow the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 when stripping old gloss in pre-1970s homes.
• Working at Height: For stairwells, decorators must comply with the Work at Height Regulations 2005, often using specialist ladders or "stair towers."

Common Problems

• Yellowing Gloss: Traditional oil-based gloss yellows quickly in rooms with low natural light; modern water-based alternatives stay white.
• "Holidays": These are missed spots or thin patches; always inspect the work under different lighting conditions.
• Flashing: This occurs when uneven coats create shiny or dull patches on the wall, often caused by poor rolling technique.
• Peeling Paint: Usually caused by painting over damp plaster or failing to use a mist coat on new surfaces.

Frequently Asked Questions