Choosing a painter and decorator comes down to insurance, genuine reviews, a written quote after a visit and a clear plan for preparation. DH Painter & Decorator, a Northampton decorator with over 30 years' experience, is fully insured and offers free written quotes across Northampton and nearby towns.
Knowing how to choose a painter and decorator saves you from the two most common regrets: a finish that starts peeling within a year, and a job that drags on for weeks longer than promised. Most homeowners only hire a decorator every few years, so it is hard to know what good looks like. This guide sets out the checks worth making, the questions worth asking and the warning signs that tell you to keep looking.
It is written by DH Painter & Decorator, based in Northampton with more than 30 years in the trade. We would rather you hired well than hired us regardless, so treat this as a neutral checklist.
What’s the difference between a painter and a decorator?
In the UK the two words are used almost interchangeably, and most tradespeople do both. Strictly speaking, a painter applies paint, while a decorator also handles the wider finish: hanging wallpaper, lining paper, decorative effects and advising on colour. A “painter and decorator” should be comfortable with all of it.
The distinction matters if your job includes more than emulsion on walls. If you want wallpaper hanging, a feature wall with a pattern match, or woodwork brought back to a crisp gloss finish, ask directly whether they do that work regularly. Hanging a heavy vinyl or a wide-repeat pattern is a skill of its own.
How to tell if someone is a good painter
A good painter shows it in the details you can check before they start, and in the finish afterwards. Before hiring, look for evidence rather than promises.
- Photos of their own work. Close-ups of cut-in lines where walls meet ceilings, glossed skirting and door frames tell you more than wide shots of a finished room.
- Independent reviews. Reviews on independent platforms such as Google are harder to fake than testimonials on a website. Read the detailed ones, not just the star rating.
- They talk about preparation first. A decorator who asks about cracks, damp patches or old gloss before talking colours usually knows where the finish comes from.
- They look properly. Someone who measures, runs a hand along the woodwork and checks the ceiling is building an accurate quote.
- Tidy habits. Clean dust sheets, a well-kept van and cared-for brushes are small signs of how they will treat your home.
Once the job is done, look at the straight lines, the evenness of colour in low sunlight, the absence of drips on door edges and whether the sockets, floors and windows are clean. That is the finish you should expect.
How to choose a painter and decorator: your checklist
| Check | What good looks like | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | Holds public liability insurance and will say so if asked | Vague answers or “never needed it” |
| Reviews | Detailed reviews on an independent site such as Google | Only a handful of short, unverifiable testimonials |
| Quote | Written, itemised by room or surface, states coats and paint | A single figure over the phone without a visit |
| Preparation | Describes filling, sanding, caulking and priming | “We’ll just give it a quick coat” |
| Previous work | Photos of real jobs, ideally similar to yours | Stock images or no photos at all |
| Payment | Clear terms written on the quote | Pressure to pay most of it up front |
| Availability | A realistic start date and duration | Can start tomorrow on a big job and will “fit it in” |
Insurance
Public liability insurance covers accidental damage to your property or injury to others while the decorator is working. Think of a tin of paint knocked over on a new carpet, or a ladder slipping against a conservatory roof. It is a basic expectation for any trade coming into your home. DH Painter & Decorator is fully insured and trained, and you are welcome to ask about it when we visit.
Reviews that mean something
The most useful reviews describe a specific job and how the person behaved while doing it. For example, one of our customer reviews reads: “Dean did some painting and decorating in my hallway, landing and stairs for me recently. He did an excellent job; takes great pride in his work and has good attention to detail.” A named area of the house and a comment on the detail tells you more than “great service, would use again”.
Written quotes
Always get the quote in writing, after a visit. It should list the rooms or areas, which surfaces are included (walls, ceilings, woodwork, radiators), the number of coats, the type of paint and roughly how long the job will take. If something is excluded, it should say so. Our decorating cost guide explains what tends to make one quote higher than another.
Questions to ask a painter and decorator
- What preparation will you do on this room, and how long will that take?
- Which paint will you use, and what finish on the woodwork?
- How many coats are included on walls, ceilings and woodwork?
- Will you move and cover furniture, or should I clear the room?
- Who will actually be doing the work?
- How do you leave the room at the end of each day?
- What happens if you find something unexpected, such as blown plaster or rot?
- For outside work, what do you do if the weather turns?
Listen to how they answer as much as what they say. Someone experienced will give specific, confident answers without needing to think about it.
Is a painter and decorator worth it?
For a single spare bedroom in a colour similar to the old one, a confident DIYer can get a decent result. For most other jobs, a professional is usually worth the money. The difference shows in straight cut-in lines, even coverage, woodwork without brush marks and a finish that lasts.
It is also a matter of time and access. A hallway, stairs and landing needs platforms or a tower to do safely. Exterior work at height needs proper access equipment and weather know-how. Paying a decorator often costs less than it first appears once you count the equipment, materials and weekends you would otherwise spend.
Warning signs to watch for
Some red flags are easy to spot. A decorator who turns up unannounced offering a deal because they are “in the area”, who wants cash up front for materials on a small job, or who can’t give you a landline, email or any independent reviews is worth avoiding. So is a price that is far below every other quote you have received, because the difference is usually made up by skipping prep.
How we work at DH Painter & Decorator
Dean and the team visit, look at the job properly and give you a free written quote. We explain the prep we plan to do, protect floors and furniture with dust sheets and masking, and clear up at the end of each day. Customers often mention this. One wrote that Dean “worked quietly and tidily, using good-quality materials and appropriate access equipment”.
We cover Northampton and nearby towns such as Kettering, handling everything from single rooms to full interior painting of larger homes. If you are gathering quotes, we are happy to be one of them. Get in touch for a free quote and ask us anything on the list above.
Call DH Painter & Decorator on 07539 779 036 or email office.dhpainter@gmail.com to arrange your free quote.
