UK Decorating Marketing Leaderboard 2026: Airtasker UK, Pimlico Plumbers and Bell Group

Last Updated on October 12, 2026

Airtasker UK scores highest of the five UK painting and decorating brands compared, at 6.4 out of 10 on the Whito leaderboard.

Opinion and analysis. Whito read every brand below by hand on 12 October 2026, using publicly visible activity only. Each channel is scored 0 to 10 against fixed anchors, set out under How we scored, so a score describes what we could see on the day, not the quality of the service. Brands cannot pay to appear or to change a score. Where a figure is not published, we say so.

There is no household-name decorator in the UK. The largest painting firms work for housing providers and public bodies, so this board compares the biggest multi-region contractors and networks with two on-demand services that homeowners actually use.

The result is clear. The two firms built for homeowners lead: Airtasker UK at 6.4 and Pimlico Plumbers at 5.7. They publish prices or booking routes, collect email or accounts, and run Google ads. The three established painting brands score between 3.1 and 3.3.

Bagnalls and Dulux Select Decorators share the lowest score, 3.1. Neither has a Trustpilot profile, collects email or ran ads we could find in October 2026.

The leaderboard

Average is the simple mean of the seven channel scores, rounded to one decimal place. Read 12 October 2026.

Company verdicts

Airtasker UK, 6.4

Airtasker UK scores 6.4, the highest of the five. It is a marketplace, not a decorator, but it is where many homeowners start. Its painting page scores 9 for website: it publishes price ranges (painters £140 to £400, median £240) and lets people post a task free and receive offers in about seven minutes. It appeared in 4 of 10 UK searches and keeps cost and service guides, for an SEO score of 7. Paid scores 8, with about 300 Google ads and 7 Meta ads. Reviews score 7 from 4.1 across 17,438. The clearest gap is local detail: its UK painting page quotes insurance cover ‘up to $10 million’, in dollars.

Pimlico Plumbers, 5.7

Pimlico Plumbers scores 5.7. The London firm, part of Neighbourly since 2021, lists painting and decorating among its building trades. Reviews score 8: 4.4 from 12,402 on Trustpilot, with replies on 19 of the latest 20. Brand scores 6, helped by named staff profiles and a clear line, ‘London’s No.1’. Paid scores 8, with about 600 Google ads and 2 Meta ads. A mailing list for ‘the latest news and offers’ gives email a 4. It did not appear in our ten searches. The clearest gap is focus: decorating is a single line under ‘Building’, with no decorating page of its own on the homepage and no prices shown there.

Bell Group, 3.3

Bell Group scores 3.3. It operates from 37 UK branches and began as a decorating firm, but now sells property services to social housing and public bodies. Social scores 6, with X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram all under one name, and its line ‘Built locally. Delivered nationally.’ is clear. The website (6) has service pages and case studies but no prices. Reviews score 3: Trustpilot shows 3.0 from 89 reviews, although it replied to 19 of the latest 20. There is no email capture, no ads found and no presence in our ten searches. The clearest gap is review sentiment, which sits at 3.0 despite steady replies.

Bagnalls, 3.1

Bagnalls scores 3.1. The family business runs 17 branches from Bristol to Edinburgh and calls itself ‘The UK’s Most Trusted Painting & Decorating Contractor’. Brand scores 6: the name is the same across four social channels, and news stories name its management trainees. Social and website score 6 each, with a branch finder, a quote form and a long list of accreditations. It has no Trustpilot profile, no email capture, no ads found and did not appear in our ten searches. Its work is mainly for organisations, which explains some of this. The clearest gap is identity: the homepage shows no legal company name or number, only ‘Bagnalls Group of Companies’.

Dulux Select Decorators, 3.1

Dulux Select Decorators scores 3.1. It is a network of independent decorators approved by Dulux after referencing, qualification checks and an onsite assessment, with a 24-month workmanship guarantee. Brand scores 6: the Dulux name carries it, the line ‘Only the Best are Selected’ is clear, and five featured decorators are shown. The website (6) has a postcode finder but no prices or booking. Social links go to Dulux and AkzoNobel accounts rather than the scheme. There is no Trustpilot profile for the scheme, no email capture and no ads found. The clearest gap is scale: the page does not say how many decorators are in the network.

What the channels show

Homeowner brands lead, contractors trail

The two brands that serve homeowners directly, Airtasker UK and Pimlico Plumbers, both score 8 on paid and 4 on email. The three painting specialists score 2 on paid and 0 on email. Bagnalls and Bell Group work mainly for housing providers and public bodies, so they do not chase consumer channels. The gap shows how open the homeowner market is for a well run local decorator.

Only a marketplace publishes prices

Airtasker UK shows UK painting price ranges, from £140 to £400 for painters with a median of £240, and room ranges such as £150 to £450 for a bedroom. None of the four decorating firms or networks publishes a price on the pages read. That is a large part of why Airtasker scores 9 on website and appears in 4 of 10 searches.

Reviews split three ways

Pimlico Plumbers holds 4.4 from 12,402 Trustpilot reviews and replies to 19 of its latest 20. Airtasker UK holds 4.1 from 17,438 but replies to only 5 of 20. Bell Group has 3.0 from 89, despite replying to 19 of the latest 20. Bagnalls and Dulux Select Decorators have no Trustpilot profile. The Dulux paint brand has one, but it covers paint, not decorators, so it was not counted. A homeowner comparing decorators has little public proof to go on.

Search is wide open

Across ten UK painting and decorating searches, only Airtasker UK appeared, in 4 of 10, helped by its cost and service guides. The four other brands appeared in none, and three of them have no guides library at all. Decorating search is not held by the big painting names. That leaves room for local firms with useful pages about room prices, finishes, preparation and the towns they cover.

Key lessons for any painting and decorating business

Publish room prices

Airtasker UK shows a typical bedroom at £150 to £450. No decorator on this board publishes a price. A local firm that lists a range for a bedroom, a hallway and an exterior gives homeowners the number they search for and filters out poor-fit enquiries before you visit.

Explain your checks and guarantee

Dulux Select Decorators sets out what it checks, from references and qualifications to an onsite assessment, and offers a 24-month workmanship guarantee. A small firm can do the same: list your qualifications, insurance and guarantee in plain words on the homepage, so a homeowner knows what protection they get.

Show the people who turn up

Pimlico Plumbers shows staff profiles and Bagnalls names its trainees in news stories. Both pass the named people check. Homeowners are letting a decorator into their house for days, so a photo and first name for each painter builds trust quickly.

Collect emails from past customers

Three of the five brands collect no email at all. Pimlico runs a simple ‘news and offers’ signup. Decorating work repeats every few years, so a short list of past customers and a seasonal reminder about exterior work is cheap repeat business.

Write replies by hand

Bell Group replied to 19 of its latest 20 Trustpilot reviews but sits at 3.0. Replying is good; replying in the same words to everyone is less convincing. Thank people by name, mention the job and say what you will do about any problem.

Steal this playbook

Five moves from this leaderboard, ranked by return on effort.

1. Publish a price range per room. Airtasker UK is the only brand with prices and scores 9 on website and 7 on SEO.
2. Ask every customer for a review and reply personally. Pimlico Plumbers replies to 19 of 20 and holds 4.4 from 12,402 reviews.
3. State your guarantee and checks on the homepage. Dulux Select Decorators builds its whole proposition on vetting and a 24-month guarantee.
4. Name and picture your painters. Named people lift Pimlico Plumbers, Bagnalls and Dulux Select Decorators to 6 on brand.
5. Start a simple email list. Three of five brands collect no email, and decorating customers come back every few years.

The evidence behind the scores

One line per channel, as read on 12 October 2026. Review figures change daily; these are the numbers on the day we looked.

Airtasker UK

• Social 6: Links Facebook, Instagram and TikTok; the TikTok account is the global @airtasker.
• Website 9: Painting page publishes price ranges (painters £140-£400, median £240; interior £900-£6,000), free task posting with offers in about 7 minutes, plus an app.
• Email 4: Account needed to post a task, plus an app; no newsletter signup seen.
• SEO 7: 4 of 10 UK web searches returned airtasker.com in the top ten, plus 1 for an advice or guides library.
• Paid 8: Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days) showed about 300 ads for airtasker.com; Meta Ad Library (UK) showed 7 active ads naming the brand. Read 12 October 2026.
• Reviews 7: Trustpilot 4.1 from 17,438 reviews; 5 of the latest 20 have a company reply.
• Brand 4: Same name across social and a clear positioning line (‘Find an experienced local painter near you’); no long-running asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.

Pimlico Plumbers

• Social 6: Links Facebook, Twitter and Instagram from its homepage; no YouTube, TikTok or LinkedIn account is linked.
• Website 6: Painting and decorating page under Building, online booking request form, 24/7 phone and a ‘same rates everyday’ page; no prices on the homepage (pimlicoplumbers.com).
• Email 4: Mailing list signup on the homepage for ‘the latest news and offers’, collecting name and email.
• SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned pimlicoplumbers.com in the top ten.
• Paid 8: Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days) showed about 600 ads for pimlicoplumbers.com; Meta Ad Library (UK) showed 2 active ads naming the brand. Read 12 October 2026.
• Reviews 8: Trustpilot 4.4 from 12,402 reviews; 19 of the latest 20 have a company reply.
• Brand 6: Same name everywhere, a clear positioning line (‘London’s No.1 – improving and maintaining properties for over 45 years’) and named staff profiles; no long-running asset or three recent news mentions found.

Bell Group

• Social 6: Links X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram from its homepage, all under the same bellgroupuk name.
• Website 6: Service and sector pages, case studies, a contact page and head office phone; no prices (bellgroup.co.uk).
• Email 0: No newsletter, offers signup or other email capture found on the pages read.
• SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned bellgroup.co.uk in the top ten.
• Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days) showed no ads for bellgroup.co.uk; Meta Ad Library (UK) showed none naming the brand. Read 12 October 2026.
• Reviews 3: Trustpilot 3.0 from 89 reviews; 19 of the latest 20 have a company reply.
• Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Built locally. Delivered nationally.’); no long-running asset evidenced, no named staff and no three recent news mentions found.

Bagnalls

• Social 6: Links Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube from its homepage, all under the Bagnalls name.
• Website 6: Service and sector pages, branch finder, contact and quote form, phone 01274 714 800; no prices (bagnalls.co.uk).
• Email 0: No newsletter, offers signup or other email capture found on the pages read.
• SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned bagnalls.co.uk in the top ten.
• Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days) showed no ads for bagnalls.co.uk; Meta Ad Library (UK) showed none naming the brand. Read 12 October 2026.
• Reviews 0: No Trustpilot profile found for bagnalls.co.uk, checked 12 October 2026.
• Brand 6: Same name everywhere, a clear positioning line (‘The UK’s Most Trusted Painting & Decorating Contractor’) and named trainees in its news; no long-running asset or three recent news mentions found.

Dulux Select Decorators

• Social 6: Links Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram, all Dulux or AkzoNobel accounts rather than the scheme’s own.
• Website 6: Postcode decorator finder, featured decorators, assessment process and guarantee explained; no prices and no booking (duluxselectdecorators.co.uk).
• Email 0: No signup, newsletter or other email capture on the scheme page read.
• SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned duluxselectdecorators.co.uk in the top ten.
• Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days) showed no ads for duluxselectdecorators.co.uk; Meta Ad Library (UK) showed none naming the brand. Read 12 October 2026.
• Reviews 0: No Trustpilot profile found for duluxselectdecorators.co.uk, checked 12 October 2026; the Dulux paint profile covers paint and is not counted.
• Brand 6: Dulux name and logo throughout, a clear positioning line (‘Only the Best are Selected’) and five featured decorators shown; no long-running asset on the page read or three recent news mentions.

How we scored

Who is on the board. True national consumer painting brands are scarce in the UK (no consumer franchise with a public UK network could be verified), so this board uses the largest multi-region firms and networks, chosen for reach not marketing strength: two national contractors with branch networks (Bagnalls, 17 branches; Bell Group, 37 branches; both mainly B2B and social housing), a manufacturer-run approved decorator network (Dulux Select Decorators, AkzoNobel), an on-demand marketplace with UK painting pages and price ranges (Airtasker UK) and a London on-demand multi-trade firm with decorating and a franchise programme (Pimlico Plumbers, part of Neighbourly). Brands were chosen for relevance and size, not for marketing strength.

• Social: which platforms the brand links to from its own site, and whether we could see recent posting and video.
• Website: 2 for a brochure page, 4 with a contact route on mobile, 6 with a page per service and a one-step enquiry, 8 with prices or ranges and registration numbers shown, 10 with online booking or an instant priced quote.
• Email: visible capture only, as we did not subscribe test inboxes for this edition. 2 for a bare newsletter form, up to 10 for a loyalty or app ecosystem with personal offers.
• SEO: ten UK searches for this trade, run through a standard web search API on 12 October 2026 (not personalised, no location set beyond the town in the query); we counted how many returned the brand’s own site in the top ten results. 0 of 10 scores 2, 1 to 2 scores 4, 3 to 4 scores 6, 5 to 6 scores 8, 7 or more scores 10, plus 1 for a substantial advice library. The searches: painters and decorators near me; painting and decorating prices UK; commercial painting contractors UK; exterior house painting cost UK; painter decorator London; painters and decorators Manchester; painters and decorators Leeds; painters and decorators Glasgow; painters and decorators Bristol; approved decorator guarantee UK.
• Paid: the Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days, by domain) and the Meta Ad Library (UK, active ads whose text names the brand, counted by the advertiser page). 2 for nothing found in either, 4 for active in one with fewer than 10 ads, 6 for active in both or 10+ in one, 8 for active in both with 10+ in at least one, 10 for 50+ Google ads and 10+ Meta ads. Paid describes visible activity, not quality. A low paid score is not a fault.
• Reviews: a fixed formula. Rating (4.7+ scores 4, 4.5 to 4.69 scores 3, 4.0 to 4.49 scores 2, 3.5 to 3.99 scores 1) plus volume (10,000+ scores 4, 1,000+ scores 3, 100+ scores 2, 20+ scores 1) plus replies to the latest 20 reviews (half or more scores 2, some scores 1).
• Brand: five checks worth 2 each: the same name and logo everywhere, one clear positioning line, a distinctive asset used for years, three or more independent press mentions in 90 days, and named people or expertise on the site.

These anchors are fixed for this edition, so the five scores can be read against each other. Boards published before October 2026 used scores relative to the other brands on the board, so compare across boards with care.

Common questions

Which painting and decorating brand scores highest on the Whito leaderboard?

Airtasker UK scores highest of the five brands compared, at 6.4 out of 10. It publishes UK painting price ranges, appeared in 4 of 10 searches and ran about 300 Google ads in the 30 days read. It is a marketplace that connects homeowners with painters, and the score measures marketing, not the quality of any painter.

Which painting and decorating brand scores lowest?

Bagnalls and Dulux Select Decorators share the lowest score, 3.1 out of 10. Both have clear brands, but neither has a Trustpilot profile, collects email or ran Google or Meta ads we could find in October 2026, and neither appeared in our ten searches.

How do decorating brands compare on reviews?

Pimlico Plumbers leads with 4.4 from 12,402 Trustpilot reviews and replies on 19 of the latest 20. Airtasker UK holds 4.1 from 17,438. Bell Group has 3.0 from 89. Bagnalls and Dulux Select Decorators have no Trustpilot profile, so they score 0 on this channel.

What can a local decorator copy from these brands?

Publish a price range for common rooms as Airtasker UK does, state your checks and guarantee as Dulux Select Decorators does, and show the people who will do the work, as Pimlico Plumbers and Bagnalls do. A simple email list also helps, since three of the five collect none.

Why are there no national consumer decorating brands on this board?

The UK has no household-name decorating chain. The largest painting firms, Bagnalls with 17 branches and Bell Group with 37, work mainly for housing providers and public bodies. Homeowners tend to find decorators through local word of mouth, schemes such as Dulux Select Decorators and marketplaces such as Airtasker.

Corrections and right of reply

If your business is scored here and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk. We check it against the source, correct it within five working days if we are wrong, and publish your statement alongside if you want us to. Scores are never changed for payment or because a business has claimed a Whito listing. Full route: corrections, right of reply and removals.

Related: all UK marketing leaderboards · Painters & Decorators on Whito

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