Decorating before selling

The short answer

Repainting is worth doing where paintwork is marked, dark or strongly coloured, particularly in the hall, main living room and the largest bedroom. Neutral warm whites and soft greys photograph best and let buyers project their own taste. Full redecoration of a property in reasonable order rarely returns its cost — buyers discount for condition, not for colour they intend to change anyway.

What the work involves

Filling and sanding, treating any stains with a stain block, and painting walls, woodwork and ceilings in a consistent neutral scheme across connected spaces.

Rules and responsibilities in Scotland

Internal decoration needs no consent. In a listed building, stripping or altering original features such as panelling, shutters or cornice detail can need listed building consent.

What commonly goes wrong

Painting over a damp stain without finding the cause — a surveyor will identify it anyway and the fresh paint raises questions.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

• Hall, stairs and landing is the most labour-intensive area because of access and height.
• Trade-grade neutral emulsion covers better and touches up more easily than budget paint.
• A single room repaint by a decorator is usually a day, plus materials.

What to do, in order

1. 1Identify and fix the cause of any stain before painting over it.
2. 2Choose one neutral scheme and use it across connected spaces.
3. 3Prioritise hall, living room and the largest bedroom.
4. 4Repaint woodwork where it is chipped rather than the whole property.
5. 5Leave rooms that are already neutral and sound alone.

Local detail for the Lothians

• Edinburgh tenement halls and stairwells are tall, so decorating them needs proper access equipment and takes longer than the floor area suggests.
• Original cornice, shutters and panelling should be worked around carefully — buyers value them and listed status may protect them.
• North-facing rooms in city flats benefit from warmer whites rather than cool greys, which read cold in photographs.

When you need a professional

A decorator for high stairwells and cornice work; a surveyor first if any stain suggests damp or a leak.

Common questions

Is it worth repainting the whole house before selling?

Rarely. Focus on rooms that are marked, dark or strongly coloured. Full redecoration of a sound property does not usually return its cost.

Should I paint over a damp patch?

No. Find the cause first. The Home Report surveyor will look for it, and fresh paint over a stain attracts more scrutiny, not less.

Related pages

• Fixing damp before selling

  Diagnosing and dealing with damp before a surveyor records it.

• Small repairs worth doing

  The short list of quick fixes that stop a buyer counting problems.

• What not to spend money on

  The pre-sale work that does not return its cost, and why.