Martin does not publish a price list, and this article is not one. A room in Omagh, a stairs in Enniskillen and a damp gable in Kesh are different jobs. What follows is what actually changes a quote in Tyrone and Fermanagh, then two published UK guides so you can see the sort of figures that are circulating. Those figures are national ballparks. They are not a quote from MC Decorating, and they are not a Northern Ireland price index. London and the south-east pull UK averages up. A local price can sit differently, in either direction, once someone has seen the walls.
What changes the price
- The room itself. A small bedroom with sound walls is a different day from a living room with a picture rail, a chimney breast and two colours.
- Stairs, spindles and landings. They take longer than a square room of the same floor area. If they are in the job, say so at the start.
- Preparation. Stripping wallpaper, filling cracks, sanding, and priming stains is often more of the labour than the final coat. A wall that looks “grand” until the paper comes off can change the job.
- Condition. Nicotine, water stains, dark colours under a pale one, and fresh filler that has not been primed all add coats.
- Woodwork. Doors, frames, skirting and banisters are a large share of a proper job. A quote for “walls only” will look cheaper and the room will still look tired.
- How far it is from Omagh. A house in Lisnaskea or Cookstown is not the same call-out as a street in Omagh. The quote should be honest about that. There is no published call-out fee on this site, because it depends on the work.
- The paint. Standard trade paint and a designer tin are not the same cost. If you have already bought a specific paint, say so.
Doing several rooms while the dust sheets are already down is usually better value than booking the same rooms months apart. That is about the setup, not a discount code.
Published UK guide figures
Checkatrade’s painter and decorator cost guide, in the detailed table marked as updated in October 2026, gives these UK-wide ballparks. The guide says they include regular trade paint and labour, and that premium paints cost more. A line of “fast facts” on the same page says a typical day rate of £325, while the table averages the day rate at £300. Treat that mismatch as a reason to use the guide loosely.
| Job in that guide | Figure they publish |
|---|---|
| Day rate | £250 to £350, average £300, before the table’s note on paint |
| Small room, about 8 square metres | £350 |
| Medium room, about 18 square metres | £450 |
| Large room, about 30 square metres | £1,000 |
| Hall, stairs and landing | £1,450 to £1,750, average £1,600 |
| Wallpapering a room, labour only | £350 to £500. The paper itself is extra and varies a lot |
Screwfix publishes a wider UK range in its own 2026 guide, on different assumptions: walls and ceilings, only minor preparation, and you move the furniture yourself. Their professional column is £200 to £450 for a small room, £250 to £600 for a medium room, and £350 to £900 for a large one. Source: Screwfix, how much to paint a room.
The gap between those two guides is the useful lesson. “The cost to paint a room” depends on what is included. A number with no description of prep, woodwork and paint is not a quote.
There is no separate Northern Ireland index here
I am not going to invent a Tyrone or Fermanagh average to sit beside those UK figures. Travel, the age of the houses, and how long walls stay damp all change the work, especially on exteriors. For outside paint, the limitation is often the weather rather than the price of the tin. That is covered in exterior paint for damp Northern Ireland weather.
What to tell Martin
On the quote form, the useful details are the town, the rooms, whether paper has to come off, and roughly when you want it done. Photographs on WhatsApp help if the walls are cracked or the stairs are part of it. He will come back with a price for that job. If you are comparing it with a UK guide, compare it with a description, not with a single average.
Interior work is set out on the interior painting page. Paper is separate, because the material is yours to choose: wallpapering.