Questions, answered straight.

It depends on the size of the room, the condition of the walls, how much preparation is needed, the number of coats, whether woodwork and ceilings are included and whether paint is supplied. That’s why the job is looked at before it’s priced. For a rough national picture, see “What affects the price” below.

Ask when you get in touch. You’ll know exactly what the quote covers before anything is agreed.

It shouldn’t. The quote is based on what’s seen at the visit. The usual surprises are hidden ones, like a second layer of wallpaper or plaster that comes away when old paper is stripped. If something like that turns up, you’re told and agree any change before more work is done.

Your quote will say. Decorators usually either supply trade paint as part of the price or work with paint you’ve bought. Trade paint generally covers better and wipes cleaner than standard DIY-shop paint.

Height and access. Stairwells need ladders or a platform set up safely, and there’s a lot of fiddly woodwork: spindles, handrails, skirting on a slope. It usually takes longer than a room of a similar floor area.

As a guide, a small room takes one to two days and a larger room two to three, depending on preparation and how many coats are needed. Drying time between coats sets the pace. You’ll get a time estimate with your quote.

Get in touch with roughly when you’d like it done. Good decorators are often booked a few weeks ahead, and spring and summer are busiest because of outside work.

Water-based wall paint is usually touch-dry in an hour or two and ready for its next coat in two to four hours, so a room can often be used the same evening. Give walls about a week before pushing furniture tight against them or fitting new carpet, as paint keeps hardening after it feels dry.

Before new carpets, so drips and dust don’t matter. After hard floors like laminate or wood, so the skirting can be finished properly to the new floor level.

Clear small items, ornaments and anything valuable, and take pictures off the walls if you can. Larger furniture can be grouped in the middle of the room and covered. There’s a full checklist in “Getting ready” below.

Preparation is where the finish comes from: filling holes and cracks, sanding, washing down where needed, sealing gaps with decorator’s caulk, and masking edges. What your job needs is included in the quote, not added later.

Hairline cracks and small holes, yes: they’re filled and sanded flush. Wide cracks or ones that keep coming back can be a sign of movement or damp, and may need a plasterer or a closer look first.

Usually. Old plaster that’s cracked or patchy can often be made good, or lined with lining paper as a cheaper alternative to re-plastering. If it really needs a plasterer, you’ll be told.

Matt is the usual choice for walls and ceilings because it hides small imperfections. Eggshell has a soft sheen and is tougher, so it suits kitchens, hallways and woodwork. Satin is the most common modern finish for doors and skirting. Gloss is the shiniest and hardest-wearing, but it shows every bump underneath.

Oil-based paints can yellow over time, especially where there’s little daylight. Modern water-based satins stay whiter for much longer, which is why they’re now the usual choice for white woodwork.

Two coats is standard. Bare plaster, a big colour change (especially dark to light) or very strong colours can need more. The quote will say how many are allowed for.

Ask when you enquire. If you have a colour from a particular brand in mind, say so, and it can be talked through at the visit.

Bring your ideas to the visit. It’s always worth trying sample pots on more than one wall, because daylight changes how a colour looks through the day. You can also try a few colours on the “Paint the wall” demo on our homepage.

Floors are covered with dust sheets, furniture is moved or grouped and covered, and edges are masked where needed. The room is tidied at the end of each day and cleared properly when the job’s finished.

Water-based paints, which are used for most walls and woodwork now, are low-odour. Oil-based paints smell more, so the room is kept ventilated while they dry.

Yes. Blade Decor is one decorator: the person who looks at your job is the person who prepares it, paints it and walks round it with you at the end.

Most decorating is paid when the job’s finished. Any payment terms, including a deposit for larger jobs or special paints, are set out on your quote before anything starts.

When the job is finished and you’ve walked round it together, and anything that needs a touch-up has been done. Your quote will set out how to pay.

New plaster needs to dry fully first, which can take up to four weeks: it goes from dark to an even pale pink. Then it gets a “mist coat”, a thinned first coat that soaks in and seals the surface, before the full coats go on. Painting too soon, or with the wrong paint, leads to peeling.

Yes. It’s scored and steamed off. In older houses, steaming can loosen tired plaster underneath, so walls may then need making good or lining before painting. That’s worth allowing for in the plan.

Only once the cause is fixed: the leak repaired or the damp dealt with. Then the stain is sealed with a stain block first, otherwise it bleeds back through new paint.

Mould is treated and cleaned off with a fungicidal wash before any painting, never dry-brushed. A mould-resistant paint helps in kitchens and bathrooms, but mould usually comes from condensation, so better ventilation is the real fix.

In dry weather, with no rain or heavy dew due before the paint dries, and above the minimum temperature on the tin, usually around 5 to 10°C. Spring to early autumn is best.

Woodwork and metalwork painted before the 1960s can have lead in older layers. It’s handled with care: no dry sanding or burning off, and dust kept down.

New builds dry out and settle for the first year, and small cracks often appear where walls meet ceilings. Many people wait 9 to 12 months, then fill the cracks and decorate once, properly.

Send the address, the rooms and your deadline, with photos if you have them. Hard-wearing, wipeable finishes and mould-resistant paint in kitchens and bathrooms make sense for rentals.