Woodwork painting in Exeter
Professional woodwork painting services in Exeter and surrounding areas. Local, reliable handyman - no job too small.
Price Guide
£160-£310
Typical Duration
3-5 hrs
Location
Exeter, Devon
Complete room woodwork painted with proper preparation - skirting, doors, frames, architrave all filled, sanded, and finished with two coats for a clean, professional result.
Transform a Room with Fresh Woodwork
Scruffy woodwork drags down even freshly painted walls. Crisp, clean skirting and trim makes the whole room look finished - it's the difference between "just painted" and "professionally decorated".
💡 Pro tip: Woodwork takes more knocks and wear than walls. Quality paint and proper prep - filling every dent, sanding smooth - mean the difference between woodwork that looks good for five years and woodwork that's chipped and scuffed within one.
Why Professional Woodwork Painting Matters
Anyone can brush paint on wood. Getting smooth coverage with clean edges takes technique and patience.
| ✅ Done Right | ❌ Done Wrong |
|---|---|
| Every hole and dent filled, sanded smooth | Imperfections showing through paint |
| Clean straight lines at walls and carpet | Wobbly edges, paint on wrong surfaces |
| Smooth finish, no brush marks or drips | Streaky, patchy, lumpy |
| Doors painted properly (won't stick) | Doors painted shut or tacky edges |
What You Get
🔧 The Full Service
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Prep | Fill all holes/gaps, sand smooth, clean thoroughly |
| Prime | Undercoat bare wood or big colour changes |
| Paint | Two coats on all woodwork with clean edges |
📦 You're Left With
- Fresh, crisp woodwork throughout the room
- Clean edges at walls, carpet, and glass
- Smooth, durable finish that lasts
Pricing Guide
Price depends on how much woodwork is in your room.
| Room Type | Estimated Time | You'll Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Small bedroom (minimal trim) | 3-4 hrs | £160-£210 |
| Average room (standard woodwork) | 4-5 hrs | £210-£260 |
| Large room/period features | 5-6 hrs | £260-£310 |
Based on £60 minimum (first hour) + £50/hr after. Victorian houses with picture rails, dados, and detailed architrave take longer than modern rooms.
Perfect For Your Project If...
✅ Complete room refresh - walls and woodwork together
✅ Just moved in - make it yours with fresh paint
✅ Selling your house - tired woodwork puts buyers off
✅ After repairs - new doors, skirting, repairs need painting
Why Choose Us for Woodwork painting in Exeter?
All woodwork filled and prepped first
Clean cut-in lines throughout
Smooth finish with no brush marks
Durable paint that lasts for years
What to Expect
Step 1: Prep Everything
Fill every dent, hole, and gap in all the woodwork. Sand smooth when dry. Clean everything thoroughly - grease and dirt stop paint sticking.
Step 2: Undercoat If Needed
Bare wood or big colour changes get an undercoat. Helps the top coat cover evenly and gives better durability.
Step 3: Paint Two Coats
Two coats on all woodwork - skirting, doors, frames, architrave, everything. Clean edges where wood meets wall, carpet, or glass. Smooth finish throughout.
🔧 DIY Tips
Painting your own woodwork? Here's how to get decent results:
🔧 Tools you'll need
- 1.5-2 inch angled brush for main work
- 1 inch brush for detailed bits
- Small foam roller for flat doors (optional but faster)
- Decorator's filler and filling knife
- Fine sandpaper (120 grit)
- Sugar soap for cleaning
- Paint (water-based or oil-based)
🎨 Preparation (the important bit)
- Clean ALL woodwork with sugar soap solution
- Fill every hole, dent, crack, and gap with filler
- Let filler dry completely (2+ hours)
- Sand filled areas smooth - you shouldn't see or feel them
- Wipe down to remove dust
- Prime bare wood or patches where you've stripped back
🖌️ Painting order
- Ceiling (if doing it)
- Walls (if doing them)
- Window frames
- Door frames and architrave
- Doors
- Skirting boards (last, so you can work downwards)
🚪 Door painting technique
- For panel doors: panels first, then rails (horizontal bits), then stiles (vertical bits)
- For flat doors: small roller is way faster than brushing
- Don't overload the brush - causes drips on vertical surfaces
- Brush in direction of wood grain
- Keep the door open until completely dry
⚠️ Common DIY mistakes
- Not filling and sanding properly (every mark shows)
- Painting in wrong order (getting paint on wet sections)
- Overloading the brush (drips and runs)
- Closing doors before paint is fully dry
- Not protecting carpet when painting skirting
- Rushing - good woodwork takes time
💡 Pro trick: Use a small foam roller on flat door panels and the face of skirting boards - it's ten times faster than a brush and gives a smoother finish. Save the brush for edges, mouldings, and detailed bits. Your arm will thank you and the finish looks better.
Rather leave it to a pro? No problem - that's what I'm here for. Give me a call.
Good to Know
🎨 Colour coordination: Most people keep all woodwork one colour (usually white or off-white) but you can do different - dark skirting with white frames, coloured doors with white trim, whatever you want. Just decide before I start so I bring the right paint.
Walls need doing too? Get both done together - walls first, then woodwork. I can do both or just the woodwork after you've painted the walls. Either way, fresh walls with old woodwork looks unfinished.
Period property with original features? Victorian architrave, picture rails, and panel doors take longer to paint properly because there's more detail, but they're worth doing right - they're features, not hassles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What woodwork does this include?
Everything wooden in the room - skirting boards, door frames, doors, window frames, architrave, picture rails, dado rails if you have them. Basically all the painted trim and features. I'll paint it all to match or in different colours if you want contrast.
Do you paint the walls too or just the woodwork?
This service is woodwork only. If you want walls done too, we can do both - just costs more because it's more time. A lot of people get the walls painted first, then have me in to do the woodwork after. Either way works.
Can you match the colour to my existing woodwork in other rooms?
If you know the paint colour or have the tin, easy. If not, I can get close with standard whites (Brilliant White, Pure Brilliant White, etc.) but exact matching of unknown colours needs a colour match service at a paint shop. For custom colours, bring me a sample.
How long does a whole room take?
Average bedroom - about 3-4 hours. Living room with more doors and windows - 4-5 hours. Depends how much woodwork you've got. Victorian houses with picture rails, dados, and fancy architrave take longer than modern rooms with minimal trim.
Will it smell while it dries?
Water-based paints barely smell and it fades within hours. Oil-based paints (gloss) smell stronger and linger for a day or two. I use water-based unless you specifically want traditional gloss for durability. Either way, open windows help.
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