8 Best Painters & Decorators in Exeter for 2026

Exeter's housing stock is genuinely varied, and that matters more than people realise when hiring a painter or decorator. You've got Victorian and Edwardian terraces in St Thomas and Heavitree with their high ceilings, original cornicing, and the kind of aged plasterwork that needs careful preparation before a brush goes anywhere near it. Then there's the post-war semis spreading out towards Pinhoe and Whipton, the newer builds around Alphington, and the period properties up on the hill around Pennsylvania and Topsham Road. Each type has its own quirks. Exterior work in Exeter also takes a battering from the South West weather, so the right exterior masonry paint and proper surface preparation aren't optional extras, they're what separates a finish that lasts three years from one that lasts ten.

Every business listed on this page was drawn from third-party public business listings and ranked using public review ratings and review counts, with a small upward adjustment for businesses that have a working website and a contactable phone number. We checked each business's homepage to confirm that painting and decorating is what they primarily offer, which is how unrelated tradespeople get filtered out before the page is published. Any listing flagged as permanently closed is removed automatically. Where you see a Trust Verified badge next to a business, that means they've gone a step further and passed our full verification process, covering trade qualifications and accreditations, public liability insurance, trading history, customer review history, and registered company information. You can see the complete list of what that involves on our How We Verify page. Businesses without that badge haven't been independently verified by us, and it's worth doing those checks yourself before you commit to booking.

Before you pick up the phone, it's worth getting at least three written quotes rather than just verbal estimates. Ask each decorator to walk through what surface preparation they're planning, because that's where corners get cut and where most paint failures start. Find out what brands and paint grades they're specifying, and ask for a rough breakdown of labour versus materials. Check whether they carry public liability insurance and ask to see the certificate. If you're having exterior work done, agree in writing what happens if the weather delays the job. References from previous customers in Exeter are worth asking for too, particularly from anyone who's worked on a property similar to yours.