Painter & Decorator in Bray

Because scope assumptions differ: prep level, coat count, paint quality, whether materials are included, insurance and tax status, and how busy the painter is. A quote 40% below the pack usually means one coat, minimal prep, or an uninsured operator. Normalise the quotes to the same scope in writing and the spread typically shrinks dramatically — what remains is the real price difference.

For small interior jobs, many painters ask nothing up front or a token booking fee. For larger jobs, 10-30% deposit is typical, sometimes with a materials payment when paint is purchased. Be wary of demands for 50%+ before any work starts. Stage payments for multi-week jobs are fine; hold back the final payment until you've inspected the finished work in daylight.

Exterior paint needs dry surfaces and temperatures roughly between 10-30C (50-85F) without rain for 24 hours after application, so the local dry season or settled summer months are ideal. Painters' calendars fill in peak season — booking exterior work a month or two ahead gets better pricing and scheduling. Interiors are painted year-round and some painters discount interior work in their off-season.

Good ones do — prep is most of the job. Standard prep includes filling small cracks and holes, sanding, caulking gaps, and spot-priming. What's usually excluded: major plaster repairs, water-damage remediation, and wallpaper removal, which are quoted separately. Ask the quote to state the prep level explicitly; 'paint over as-is' versus 'fill, sand, and prime' can be half the price difference between two quotes.

Painters quote one of four ways: per room (most common for interiors), per square metre or square foot of wall area, a day rate for open-ended work, or a fixed price for a defined whole-house scope. A fixed quote against a written scope — rooms, surfaces, prep level, number of coats, and who supplies paint — protects you best. Day rates suit only small punch-list jobs where the scope genuinely can't be pinned down.

Yes — it's the normal mode for occupied homes. Agree the sequence, confirm low-VOC or quick-dry paints if fumes are a concern, and expect each room out of action for 1-2 days. Whole-house jobs go 20-30% faster in an empty house, which is why many people schedule painting between moving out and moving in.

Day rates typically run €200-€400, a standard room €250-€650, and a full 3-bed interior repaint €2,000-€6,000 depending on prep and woodwork. Dublin commands the top of the range. Confirm whether quotes include VAT and materials — practices vary widely.

Late spring through early autumn, opportunistically — Irish weather rarely gives long dry windows, so exterior jobs are scheduled loosely and painted in dry spells. Masonry paint needs dry substrate and no rain for 24 hours; a painter who proposes exterior work in November should explain exactly how.