Painting and decorating is preparing and finishing the surfaces of a home, including filling, sanding, priming and painting walls, ceilings and woodwork, hanging wallpaper and painting exterior walls and joinery, to protect them and refresh how rooms look.
We offer painting and decorating across Edinburgh and the Lothians, and Bonnyrigg is one of the places we cover, along with nearby Musselburgh, Penicuik and Edinburgh. Before anything is agreed we visit, check the existing structure and talk through your options. You then receive a written quote setting out the full scope; for most homes in Scotland it sits within £1,150–£2,900 including VAT.
- Guide price
- £1,150–£2,900 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–2 days per room; 3–7 days for a house exterior
- Postcodes
- EH18, EH19, EH20, EH22 and EH24
- Planning rules
- Scotland
- Local area
- Midlothian
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for painting and decorating in Bonnyrigg?
The costs listed here are typical for painting and decorating around Bonnyrigg and include VAT. They reflect labour and material costs in Scotland, about 4% below the national guide, giving a range of £1,150–£2,900. Exact pricing depends on your home, so we only fix it once a free site survey is done.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Bonnyrigg |
|---|---|---|
| Single room | Walls, ceiling and woodwork in one average bedroom or living room. | £350–£850 |
| House exterior | Masonry and joinery on a typical semi, including access equipment. | £2,400–£5,800 |
| Whole interior of a 3-bed house | Every room, hallway, stairs and landing, including woodwork. | £2,900–£6,200 |
The main things that change the figure:
- Number and size of rooms, including ceiling height
- Amount of preparation, filling and repairs needed
- Whether woodwork, doors and wallpaper are included
- Exterior access, scaffolding and the condition of surfaces
What do you get?
- Filling cracks and holes, sanding and spot priming
- Mist coat on new plaster before finishing coats
- Two finishing coats to walls and ceilings as standard
- Woodwork sanded, primed where bare, and painted
- Wallpaper stripped or hung where included
- Furniture replaced, waste removed and a final tidy-up
Building in Bonnyrigg
Edinburgh's New Town is a planned Georgian sandstone townscape within a World Heritage Site, and districts such as Marchmont and Leith have Victorian tenements. Bungalows and villas fill the suburbs, Midlothian has former mining villages, Livingston was built as a new town, and East Lothian villages often have red pantile roofs.
East-coast weather brings cold winds, haar and frost, and exposed hills around the city catch wind-driven rain.
So when we survey a Bonnyrigg property for painting and decorating, the first step is working out how it was built and what has been changed since.
Permissions for painting and decorating in Bonnyrigg
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Bonnyrigg is in Scotland. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
Internal improvements do not need planning permission in Scotland unless the building is listed.
Like-for-like kitchen and bathroom replacements do not normally need a building warrant, but structural changes and some drainage or heating alterations do, and electrical work must meet the building standards.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
What happens after you get in touch?
Free site survey
We arrange a free site survey on a date convenient to you. We measure up, look at the existing structure and access, and discuss your plans for painting and decorating so the price reflects your home.
Price and scope agreed
We put everything into a written, fixed-price quote: the specification, what's excluded, staged payments and the expected time on site. Take whatever time you need to decide; there's no pressure to commit.
Dates and permissions
Next comes planning the work itself. We set a start date that suits you, line up the right trades, and make sure any approvals for painting and decorating are in place before the first day on site.
Build and hand over
The work is carried out to the agreed specification, with floors and furniture protected and the site kept tidy. At the end we clean up, walk through the finished job with you and hand over any certificates.
What you can expect from us
Frequently asked questions
What paint finish should I choose?
Matt emulsion hides imperfections and gives a soft look, which suits ceilings and living rooms. Eggshell or soft sheen finishes are more washable, so they suit kitchens, hallways and children's rooms. For woodwork, satin gives a modern low-shine look, while gloss is harder-wearing and more traditional. Bathrooms benefit from paints made to resist moisture and mould.
Can you paint over wallpaper?
Painting over wallpaper is possible if it is firmly stuck, but it often leads to bubbles and visible seams, and makes future stripping harder. In most cases, stripping the paper, filling and lining the walls, or skimming them, gives a better and longer-lasting finish. We check how well the paper is bonded during the survey and explain the options and costs.
How much will painting and decorating cost in Bonnyrigg?
As a guide, expect to pay £1,150–£2,900 including VAT for painting and decorating in Bonnyrigg. That range is adjusted for Scotland, which runs about 4% below the national guide. Where your project lands depends on size, materials, access and the condition of what is already there. We confirm a fixed price in writing after a free survey of your home.
Do I need planning permission in Bonnyrigg?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Bonnyrigg is in Scotland, so Scotland's rules apply. Many smaller jobs need no planning application, but some still need building control approval. We check what applies to your address before quoting.
Do I need to move my furniture?
You only need to remove small items, ornaments, pictures and anything fragile. We move larger furniture to the middle of the room and cover it, or into another room where agreed. Please empty bookshelves and cabinets that need moving. Let us know about anything very heavy, valuable or awkward, such as pianos or large wardrobes, so we can plan around it.
Also covering areas around Bonnyrigg
Our coverage in Bonnyrigg includes EH18, EH19, EH20 and EH22. We also travel to Musselburgh, Penicuik and Edinburgh, so neighbouring addresses are looked after on exactly the same terms as those in town.