Two out of every five (42%) UK households are planning on decorating their homes as lockdown lifts, according to a survey by Dulux Decorator Centre.

While the coronavirus outbreak caused financial uncertainty for many, the research also reveals a positive impact for one in five (20%) of those interviewed, who reported being financially better off by as much £500 a month as a result of the savings made due to retailers and leisure facilities closing for an extended period.

The findings could provide a welcome moral boost for tradespeople who have been hit hard by the pandemic, with fears raised that it could force as many as one in 10 decorators to hang up their paint brushes for good.*

Painting the living room has emerged as the nation’s no.1 post-lockdown decorating priority, with one in four (25%) intending to tackle it first.   

One in five (20%) want new carpets, while 15% intend to give the dining room a fresh coat of paint. Thirteen percent plan on painting the exterior of their homes.

Over one in five (22%) household plan on spending between £100 and £500 on decorating projects, while 18% will shell out up to £1,000 and one in 10 (12%) could spend as much as £2,500.

The survey was also found that a quarter of people (26%) have abandoned a planned house move in favour of renovating their current home.

The research forms part of the Backing Our Decorators initiative launched by Dulux Decorator Centre to support decorators as lockdown measures ease. 

Lockdown’s impact on the nation’s spending power can be seen in the fact that a quarter (27%) of those left better off by lockdown have between £50 and £100 more disposable income a month. A third (30%) report a boost of up to £250, while a further third (29%) say they have up to £500 more spare cash per month.

Eating out (30%), holidays (25%) and pub trips (13%) are the regular outgoings people saved most on during lockdown.

As restriction lifts and the nation gets used to the new normal, the majority (57%) of the public say they are keen to support local tradespeople. 

Dulux Decorator Centre Managing Director John Henderson said: “The Coronavirus outbreak has seen our industry face huge challenges and disruption.

“By undertaking this comprehensive research we hope that its positive findings reassure the industry that the public’s appetite to undertake decorating jobs is returning.

“We have created a host of resources to support decorators in working safely and we would now encourage homeowners to think about the benefits of using a professional to get their perfect finish and support the trade as normality resumes.” 

The survey of a representative sample of 2,014 UK adults was conducted by Censuswide between 12 and 15 June 2020.