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What should you ask about kitchen wall paint?
In Cheshire, the cost of kitchen wall paint depends on the condition of the walls, the preparation and the number of coats a decorator includes. This page does not print a pound total for the job.
Last reviewed:What should a kitchen wall paint job include?
Cheshire is the place to start. A kitchen wall paint job in Crewe, Nantwich or Sandbach is decorating, and the price moves with the walls you actually have. This page does not print a pound total. Anyone in the UK can post or register.
Painters and decorators need a description, not a colour name on its own. Say which walls, whether the ceiling is included, whether the units stay in place, and whether tiles meet the paint. A quote for "the kitchen" can mean the one bare wall by the door, or every surface that is not a cupboard. Write it down.
Preparation is the part that changes the figure. Washing grease off, filling cracks, sanding, and a primer or mist coat are different from rolling a colour straight onto last year's paint. Ask which of those are included, and how many coats of the finish. No brand is named, and finishes are not ranked. Eggshell, matt emulsion and a wipeable product are choices you make with the decorator, then write into the quote so the next decorator prices the same choice.
What if the wall is damp or mouldy?
Paint will not fix a wall that is wet. GOV.UK's guidance says simply removing surface mould will not prevent damp and mould from reappearing [S2]. Underlying causes include building deficiencies, inadequate ventilation and condensation [S2]. If you can see mould, tell the decorator. An honest quote will either include dealing with it or say that it is outside the painting. Damp-proofing firms are the people to ask when the cause is the question, not the colour.
The guidance is written mainly for rented housing providers in England, and it says owner occupiers and tenants may also find it helpful [S2]. Damp and mould primarily affect the airways and lungs, but they can also affect the eyes and skin [S2]. The respiratory effects can cause serious illness and, in the most severe cases, death [S2]. That is why a kitchen repaint is the wrong first step when the patch is active. It is not a reason to scrub the wall. No scrubbing method is given.
How do you compare decorator quotes?
Citizens Advice asks for written quotes from at least three traders [S1]. A quote is a fixed price. An estimate is a rough guess and can cost more [S1]. The trader should not go above the quoted price unless you ask for extra work, you agree to extra work they have told you about, or they made a genuine mistake in the calculation [S1]. A price that is much lower deserves a second look, because the work may not match [S1].
| Ask this | So the quotes match | If the line is blank |
|---|---|---|
| Which walls and the ceiling | The area is the job | "Kitchen" meaning different rooms |
| Preparation | Wash, fill, sand, or paint only | A lower total that assumes the wall is already sound |
| Coats and finish | The product type you agreed | One coat priced, two expected |
| Units, tiles, switches | What is masked or removed | Splashes priced as a later extra |
| Mould, if any | Cause versus cover-up [S2] | Paint over a patch that will return |
| Who buys the paint | Supply and apply, or apply only | A tin missing from one total |
| VAT | Whether it is included [S1] | Two numbers that are not both the same kind |
Ask the decorator to say whether VAT is included [S1]. If a deposit is mentioned, keep it to 25% or below where you cannot avoid one, and take a receipt [S1]. For a repaint, many people simply pay when the walls are done. Either way, the ceiling Citizens Advice gives is the one to use [S1].
What belongs in the message you send?
Photos do more than adjectives. Take the walls in daylight, the ceiling, the extractor if there is one, and any patch you are worried about. Say whether the kitchen will be empty or in use, and whether there is evening-only access. A decorator pricing a clear room is not pricing a room where the hob is still cooking.
Crewe station is on the West Coast Main Line. Nantwich is on the River Weaver. Sandbach market square has the Saxon crosses. None of that chooses a paint. The parking and the doorway do. Say if the house is a flat above a shop or a bungalow with a side gate. Then stop. Three quotes for the same walls are the comparison. A town average is not printed here, because this page does not have one.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- Repaint the kitchen walls in Crewe, ceiling included, units left in place, grease washed off, two coats of a wipeable finish the household will choose.
- Repaint one chimney breast in a Nantwich kitchen where the other walls were done last year, colour matched as closely as the decorator can.
- Look at a mouldy external wall in Sandbach before any paint, and say whether the job is decorating or a damp investigation.
- Paint new plaster in a kitchen extension once the plasterer says it is ready, with the number of mist coats written down.
QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
A job can be sent to up to five matched local businesses [QZ2].
Posting a job is not open yet
Which questions come up most?
Does QuoteZila check the businesses?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Should I paint over mould and hope the colour hides it?
GOV.UK's damp and mould guidance says simply removing surface mould will not stop it coming back, and that causes include inadequate ventilation and condensation. Paint over a live patch is not a cure. If the wall is mouldy, ask a decorator what they will do about the cause, or speak to a damp firm, before you compare colour charts.
How many quotes should I collect for a kitchen repaint?
Citizens Advice says to try for written quotes from at least three traders, and to remember that a quote is a fixed price while an estimate is a rough guess. A much lower price can mean the work is not the same work. Give every decorator the same rooms, the same note about preparation, and the same finish, so the totals can be lined up.
What if the decorator asks for a deposit?
Citizens Advice says that if a deposit cannot be avoided, do not agree to more than 25%, and get a receipt. Buying the paint yourself is the alternative they describe, which only helps if the decorator will still apply that paint and the quote says who supplies it. A short repaint is often invoiced at the end. If money is asked for first, the same ceiling applies.
Related trades
Related pages
- Latex Paint: How to Read a UK Tin. Latex is a word on some tins, not a category in the UK paint regulations. How to match matt, glossy, primer and floor coatings to the job.
- Magic Eraser on Walls: Will It Mark the Paint?. When a melamine foam eraser lifts scuffs from painted walls, why it can leave a shiny or pale patch on matt paint, how to test it, and when to repaint instead.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila matching cap.
- S1: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-26. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S2: Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-26. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/damp-and-mould-understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-for-rented-housing-providers/understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-of-damp-and-mould-in-the-home--2