16/10/2026
A lot of people think decorators are expensive. They think that if they pay a decorator £1,500 for a week’s work, then that decorator must be on £78,000 a year. What they don’t see is everything else that comes with running a decorating business…
They don’t see all the lost time that we should have spent with our families. The evenings and weekends running around doing quotes, washing tools, organising the van, nipping back to jobs, etc. Or the “can you just paper a feature wall” jobs that we try to fit into an already hectic schedule so we can try to keep everyone happy.
They don’t see the stress of things going wrong on jobs, from bubbling paint to smashed TVs, or mis-tinted paint to grip primers that aren’t gripping like they should. Or worrying about cashflow, nightmare customers, non-payers, other trades, the weather.
They don’t see the running costs like new tools, keeping the van on the road, advertising, insurance.
They don’t see that whatever we do earn is a self-employed rate, and we don’t get paid for holidays or sick days. We don’t have an employer to pay into a private pension.
They don’t see the mental health problems associated with the trade, or that it takes a certain type of person to run a successful decorating business. The motivation needed to keep so many plates spinning at once and stay organised. Or not letting our standards slip.
But yeah, decorators are expensive.
