The typical cost of an interior painting and decorating project on Bark is around €950 in 2026. For a single room, you can expect to pay around €250 to €700, while painting a three-bedroom house can cost €2,500 to €5,000+.

Always check whether a quote includes VAT before comparing prices.

Compare painters and decorators on Bark and get free quotes for your project.

Bark has 3,600+ painters and decorators across Ireland who have attended to 28,000+ client requests in the past 4 years and earned an average of 4.69/5.

The catch is that two similar-sized homes can need very different amounts of work.

One may have clean walls and a single neutral colour. Another could have damaged plaster, dark paint to cover and detailed woodwork throughout.

By the end of this guide, you'll know what pushes a quote up or down, room by room and house by house.

How much does a painter charge in Ireland?

Painters and decorators in Ireland usually price work by the day, room or full job, depending on how clearly the scope can be defined.

For day-rate work, expect to pay around €200 to €300 including VAT where it applies. That broadly works out at about €25 to €40 an hour, although hourly pricing is less common for larger decorating jobs.

The final quote can be higher or lower depending on what the painter actually needs to do. Preparation often makes the biggest difference. Filling cracks, sanding rough walls, repairing damaged surfaces or applying extra coats can add considerably more time than painting a room that's already in good condition.

Other factors that can affect the price include:

• The size and number of rooms
• The condition of the walls, ceilings and woodwork
• How much preparation is required
• The type and quality of paint
• Whether ceilings, skirting boards, doors or other woodwork are included
• Access and furniture that needs moving or protecting
• Specialist finishes or wallpapering

It's also useful to separate what a painter earns as an employee from what a painting business needs to charge a client.

From 1 August 2026, the construction sector's statutory minimum wage for a craftsperson is €23.74 an hour under the Sectoral Employment Order.

That's a wage floor for the worker, not a customer-facing painting rate. A business also needs to cover travel, insurance, equipment, preparation time, administration and other operating costs before making a profit.

For a homeowner, the most useful figure is therefore the total quote for the agreed scope, rather than the painter's underlying hourly equivalent.

If you want a clearer idea of what your own project could cost, connect with painters and decorators on Bark near you.

How much does it cost to paint one room?

Room size matters, but it isn't the only factor.

Ceiling height, wall condition, woodwork, and the finish you choose can all change how long the job takes.

Interior painting cost by room (2026, EUR, inc. VAT)

Hall, stairs and upstairs landing jobs tend to cost more because high walls, stairwells and difficult access add labour.

How much does it cost to paint a three or four-bedroom house?

Whole-house prices rise with size, but wall condition can affect the quote just as much as bedroom count.

Interior painting cost by property size (inc. VAT where applicable)

A three-bedroom house with sound walls and one colour throughout may sit near the lower end.

Damaged surfaces, several colours or lots of internal woodwork can move the same property towards the top.

Does the price include ceilings, woodwork and doors or just the walls?

A quote for walls only can look much cheaper than one covering the entire room, so check the scope before comparing prices.

Painting cost by room scope (inc. VAT)

Doors, skirting boards and window frames can add a surprising amount across a whole property.

Painting one door and frame can cost around €80 to €150 including VAT where it applies. Across ten doors, that could add around €800 to €1,500+.

How much does paint itself cost?

Paint is usually only part of the final bill, but the cost becomes more noticeable across a full home.

A three-bedroom property can need dozens of litres once you allow for two coats, ceilings and different finishes.

A mainstream 10-litre tin of emulsion can cost around €58 including retail VAT, while premium ranges cost more.

Practical paint-only budgets (inc. VAT)

Trim paint may also cost more per litre than standard wall emulsion.

Painting doors, frames and skirting across several rooms can therefore require several additional tins.

What pushes the price above the room-size average?

Wall condition is one of the biggest factors.

A property needing heavy preparation can cost around 20% to 50% more including VAT where it applies, than one with clean, sound walls. Several cracks or holes may add around €100 to €300 per room.

If a wall needs full replastering, treat that as a separate job rather than assuming the painting quote covers it.

Colour changes matter too. Covering a dark wall or strong feature colour may need primer or an additional coat. That can add around 10% to 25% where it affects a large part of the home.

An occupied property may also cost more than an empty one. Moving furniture, protecting belongings and working around the household all take extra time.

What do wallpapering and kitchen cabinet painting cost?

Both can form part of a decorating project, but they're priced differently from painting a normal wall.

Wallpapering costs

Revenue treats wallpapering as part of the reduced-rate painting and decorating category for VAT purposes.

Wallpapering estimates (inc. VAT)

Wallpaper itself may cost extra if the decorator isn't supplying it.

Pattern matching, awkward walls and removing old wallpaper can also increase the labour involved.

If wallpaper is a major part of your project, you can also compare wallpapering professionals on Bark rather than treating it as a small painting add-on.

Kitchen cabinet painting costs

Cabinet painting is a specialist job and is priced separately from painting the kitchen walls.

Kitchen cabinet budgets (inc. VAT)

Spraying, specialist coatings, and removing doors for off-site finishing can push the price toward the top of the range.

How do you know a painter or decorator is good before you hire them?

Price matters, but it doesn't tell you how carefully someone will prepare the surfaces or how they'll leave your home afterwards.

That helps explain why two quotes can differ even when both professionals are pricing the same room.

Before you hire, check:

• Photos of similar completed work
• Recent customer reviews
• Public liability insurance
• A written quote with a clear scope
• Whether ceilings and woodwork are included
• How much preparation is included
• A realistic project timeline

A vague quote can create problems later if you and the painter have different ideas about what's included.

Instead of judging on price alone, you can use Bark to review painters and decorators, past work and customer feedback before deciding who to contact.

Do you pay VAT on painting and decorating in Ireland?

Painting and decorating of a private home, including wallpapering, falls under Ireland's 13.5% reduced VAT rate where VAT applies.

Bark's public painter and decorator page shows an average project price of €950, but it doesn't state whether that figure includes VAT.

That's why you should check the VAT treatment when comparing that benchmark with an individual quote. Design or consultancy work is treated differently and may be subject to the standard VAT rate.

A decorator offering separate colour-consultancy advice may therefore invoice that part differently.

Not every painter has to charge VAT. If a professional isn't VAT registered, their quote won't simply have 13.5% added to it. Compare the final amount payable, not just the number before VAT.

Final thoughts

Interior painting and decorating averages €950 per project on Bark, but the final cost depends heavily on the size, condition and scope of the job.

A simple room can start from around €250, while a large home with extensive preparation and woodwork can cost several thousand euros.

When comparing painters, check that each quote covers the same surfaces, preparation and VAT treatment.

Find painters and decorators on Bark and request free quotes before choosing who to hire.