How Long Does It Take to Paint a London Flat? Complete Timeline

The Question Every London Flat Owner Asks

Whether you are refreshing a studio in Marylebone, redecorating a two-bedroom flat in Fulham, or undertaking a complete transformation of a lateral apartment in Kensington, one of the first questions is always the same: how long will it take?

The answer matters for practical reasons — you may need to arrange childcare, work from elsewhere, coordinate with other trades, or plan around a move. And yet it is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of the decorating process. Online estimates are often wildly optimistic, and some contractors, eager to win the job, quote unrealistically short timelines that lead to rushed work, extended projects, or both.

This guide provides honest, realistic timelines for painting London flats, based on our experience across thousands of projects. The numbers assume a professional team working at a pace that allows for proper preparation and a high-quality finish.

The Variables That Determine Duration

Before we get to specific timelines, it is important to understand the factors that affect how long a painting project takes:

1. Condition of Existing Surfaces

This is the single biggest variable. A recently plastered flat with smooth, clean walls can be painted significantly faster than a Victorian conversion with decades of paint build-up, cracks, damp patches, and failing plaster.

Good condition — Walls are smooth, clean, and free from defects. Minor filling only. Add zero to one day per room.
Average condition — Some cracks, nail holes, minor scuff marks, and general wear. Standard preparation. This is the baseline for our timeline estimates.
Poor condition — Significant cracking, failing plaster, damp staining, heavy paint build-up, wallpaper that needs stripping. Add one to three days per room, potentially more if replastering is needed.

2. Specification Level

How thoroughly is the work being done?

Basic refresh — Light sand, one coat of emulsion on walls and ceiling. This is appropriate for rental properties between tenancies or rooms in good condition that just need freshening. It is fast but does not last as long or look as good as a full redecoration.
Full redecoration — Proper preparation, two coats on walls and ceiling, full treatment of all woodwork. This is the standard for owner-occupied London flats and is the basis for our timeline estimates.
High specification — Extensive preparation, premium paints, detailed work on architectural features, specialist finishes. This takes significantly longer.

3. Number of Colours

A flat painted in a single colour throughout is faster than one with different colours in every room. Each colour change requires cleaning brushes and rollers, mixing new paint, and careful cutting in at the junctions between colours. Multiple colours in a single room (feature walls, different colours above and below a dado rail) add further time.

4. Woodwork

The amount and complexity of woodwork significantly affects the timeline. Flush modern doors can be painted in a fraction of the time required for six-panel Victorian doors. Elaborate cornicing, picture rails, dado rails, deep skirting boards, and window frames all add to the duration.

5. Drying Time

Paint needs to dry between coats, and this is non-negotiable. Rushing the drying time leads to poor adhesion, brush marks, and a finish that deteriorates quickly.

Modern water-based emulsion: Two to four hours between coats (though overnight is better)
Water-based eggshell/satinwood: Four to six hours between coats
Oil-based eggshell/gloss: Twelve to sixteen hours between coats (effectively overnight)
Farrow & Ball and similar premium paints: Follow manufacturer guidance; some formulations are slower-drying than trade paints

In winter, when humidity is higher and temperatures lower, drying times can be significantly longer. Adequate heating and ventilation are important.

6. Team Size

A single decorator works more slowly than a pair, but it is not a simple doubling of speed. Two decorators in a room coordinate naturally — one can be cutting in while the other rolls — but three in a standard room often get in each other's way. For most London flat projects, a team of two is optimal. Larger flats may benefit from three or four on certain phases of the work.

Timeline by Flat Size

The following timelines assume a full redecoration (walls, ceilings, and woodwork) at a premium standard, with the flat in average condition and the work being carried out by a team of two experienced decorators.

Studio Flat (25-40 sqm)

Typical duration: 3-5 days

A studio flat is a single main room plus kitchen area and bathroom. Despite the small size, the timeline is not proportionally shorter because setup time, bathroom painting, and kitchen preparation take a fixed amount of time regardless of flat size.

Day 1: Preparation — protect floors and fixtures, fill and sand, prime bare areas
Day 2: First coat on walls and ceiling, begin woodwork preparation
Day 3: Second coat on walls and ceiling, first coat on woodwork
Day 4: Second coat on woodwork, bathroom painting, kitchen painting
Day 5 (if needed): Snagging, touch-ups, final clean

One-Bedroom Flat (40-60 sqm)

Typical duration: 5-7 days

A standard London one-bedroom flat — living room, bedroom, hallway, kitchen, and bathroom — is the most common project size we handle.

Days 1-2: Preparation across all rooms. Fill, sand, prime. Protect all surfaces.
Day 3: First coat on ceilings and walls (bedroom and living room)
Day 4: Second coat on ceilings and walls, first coat on hallway
Day 5: Woodwork throughout — skirting, doors, architraves. Second coat on hallway.
Day 6: Kitchen and bathroom painting, second coat on woodwork
Day 7 (if needed): Snagging, touch-ups, detail work

Two-Bedroom Flat (60-85 sqm)

Typical duration: 7-10 days

The two-bedroom flat adds another bedroom and typically a second bathroom or shower room, plus proportionally more hallway and storage space.

Days 1-3: Preparation and first coats across the flat
Days 4-6: Second coats on walls and ceilings, woodwork in living areas and bedrooms
Days 7-8: Kitchen, bathrooms, and remaining woodwork
Days 9-10 (if needed): Second coats on woodwork, snagging, completion

Three-Bedroom Flat (85-120 sqm)

Typical duration: 10-14 days

At this size, the project benefits from a team of three rather than two, which can compress the timeline somewhat.

Days 1-4: Preparation and first coats
Days 5-8: Second coats, woodwork in main rooms
Days 9-11: Kitchen, bathrooms, secondary rooms
Days 12-14 (if needed): Completion of woodwork, hallway and staircase if applicable, snagging

Large Lateral Flat (120-200+ sqm)

Typical duration: 14-21 days

Large lateral flats — common in Knightsbridge, Kensington, and Belgravia mansion blocks — are substantial projects. These flats often have high ceilings, elaborate cornicing, and extensive woodwork that adds to the timeline.

Week 1: Full preparation across the flat, first coats in main reception rooms and master bedroom
Week 2: Continue through remaining rooms, woodwork, kitchen and bathrooms
Week 3 (if needed): Complete all woodwork, detailed finishing, snagging

What Adds Time: Common Extras

Several common additions can extend the timeline significantly:

Wallpaper Stripping

If existing wallpaper needs to be removed before painting, add one to two days per room. Some wallpapers — particularly vinyl wallpapers on old paste, or wallpaper that has been painted over — are extremely stubborn and can take a full day per room to remove properly.

Plaster Repair or Replastering

Minor filling is included in standard preparation, but significant plaster repair is additional. If a wall needs replastering, add at least three to five days: one for the plastering itself and three to four for the plaster to dry sufficiently for painting. Skimming a ceiling in a London flat can add two to three days.

Specialist Finishes

Polished plaster, limewash, lacquer work, and other specialist finishes take significantly longer than conventional painting. A lacquer finish on a single feature wall can take a week — the multiple coats of paint and sanding between each coat simply cannot be hurried.

Colour Complexity

A flat with eight different colours across its rooms takes longer than one with three. Each colour change adds time for mixing, testing, cutting in at junctions, and cleaning equipment.

Cabinet Painting

Spray painting kitchen cabinets is often combined with a flat redecoration. This adds three to five days for a standard kitchen, and the spray equipment requires additional setup and protection of surrounding areas.

Staying in the Flat During Painting

Many London flat owners do not have the luxury of moving out during decoration. It is entirely possible to stay in the flat while it is being painted, but it requires planning:

Room-by-Room Approach

The most practical approach is to paint room by room rather than the entire flat simultaneously. This means you always have functional living space, a bed to sleep in, and a working kitchen and bathroom. The trade-off is that the project takes longer overall, as the team cannot work as efficiently when restricted to one room at a time.

Practical Tips for Living Through a Decoration

Move belongings out of the room being painted the evening before work starts in that room. The team should not be responsible for moving your personal items.
Designate a "refuge room" — one room that is either done first or done last, where you can retreat during the day.
Expect dust and disruption — even with careful protection, sanding creates fine dust that travels. Covering soft furnishings and electronics in adjacent rooms is advisable.
Ventilation is important — even with modern low-VOC paints, freshly painted rooms benefit from good airflow. Open windows where possible.
Plan your kitchen access — if the kitchen is being painted, you will need to eat out or use a microwave in another room for a day or two. Plan ahead.
Protect your daily routine — if you work from home, make sure your workspace is not in the room being painted. The noise of preparation (sanding, scraping) and the smell of paint, even low-odour paint, are not conducive to video calls.

When Moving Out Makes Sense

For larger flats (three bedrooms and above) or projects involving significant preparation, moving out for the duration of the works is often more practical and allows the team to work more efficiently. If the project includes spray painting, moving out is strongly recommended — the masking required for spray application means much of the flat is inaccessible during the spray phase.

Realistic Expectations

A few final points on timeline expectations:

Weather Matters, Even Indoors

Temperature and humidity affect paint drying times. In a poorly heated flat in January, drying times can double. If you are planning winter decoration, ensure the heating is on and working before the team starts.

Quality Takes Time

A flat that looks properly painted — with clean lines, even coverage, no roller marks on ceilings, and smooth woodwork — cannot be achieved by rushing. If a decorator promises to paint your two-bedroom flat in three days, they are either planning to work very long hours, skip preparation, or produce a result that will not satisfy you.

Communication Is Key

A good contractor will provide a realistic timeline before the work starts and communicate any delays or changes during the project. If unexpected issues arise — plaster that is in worse condition than expected, damp that needs addressing, a colour that does not cover as expected — a few extra days is better than a compromised result.

The Bottom Line

For a properly done redecoration of a London flat, a reasonable rule of thumb is two to three days per room for a team of two. This includes preparation, painting, and woodwork. Studios and one-bedroom flats skew slightly higher per room (because of the fixed setup time), and larger flats slightly lower (because of the efficiencies of working through multiple rooms in sequence).

This is not the fastest possible speed. It is the speed at which good work is done — and in a London flat that you will live in and look at every day for the next five to ten years, good work is what matters.