8 Best Painters & Decorators in Sunderland for 2026

Sunderland's housing stock is varied, and that matters more than people realise when you're hiring a decorator. The city has a solid mix of inter-war semis and terraces across areas like Hendon, Pallion and Southwick, alongside newer builds on the outskirts in Doxford Park and Ryhope, plus some substantial Victorian and Edwardian properties in Roker and Fulwell. Older homes often have uneven plaster, chimney breast walls that have moved over the decades, and woodwork that needs careful preparation before any paint goes on. Coastal proximity is a real factor too, particularly for properties in Seaburn and around the seafront, where salt air accelerates the deterioration of exterior paintwork and you'll want a decorator who understands the right primers and exterior masonry paints for that environment. Getting someone who knows the area's common quirks saves you time and money.

The businesses on this page were drawn from third-party public business listings and ranked primarily by review rating and review count, with a small lift applied to those that have a working website and a listed phone number. We then checked each business's homepage to confirm that painters and decorating work is what they primarily offer, which is how unrelated trades get filtered out before the page is published. Any listing flagged as permanently closed is removed automatically. A small number of businesses on this page carry a Trust Verified badge. That badge is applied individually, not to the page as a whole, and it means that specific business has passed our full verification process covering trade qualifications and accreditations, public liability insurance, trading history, customer review history, and registered company information. You can find the complete criteria on our How We Verify page. Businesses that don't carry that badge have not been independently verified by us, and you'll need to carry out those checks yourself before booking.

Before you commit to any decorator, get at least three written quotes and make sure each one covers the same scope of work, so you're comparing like for like. Ask specifically about surface preparation, not just the painting itself, because that's where corners often get cut and it's what determines how long the finish lasts. Check whether they're supplying materials or you are, and confirm which brands and finishes they plan to use. For exterior work especially, ask about the number of coats and what the plan is if weather causes delays. Public liability insurance is worth confirming directly, either by asking to see the policy or checking the insurer. References from recent jobs in similar property types are useful, and if a decorator has done work on period properties in Sunderland before, that experience is worth asking about.