I have had my kitchen re-done, and the final part of the job was to get the decorating done. A friend of mine who is a professional decorator has being doing the job for me at a reduced rate, but one of my other friends is convinced that I had still paid too much. Can you please tell me how much you think the job should have cost? (Then I'll tell you how much I have paid! lol)

The job consists of:

2 coats of paint (the kitchen is about 2 and half metres by about 4 metres)
removing the old vinyl floor tiles that were there,
laying and grouting new ceramic tiles (for which he moved the appliances out for me, and put them back in when he'd finished)
re-plastering the walls where necessary,
mosaic tiling all around the walls above the work-tops up to the level of the sockets.

It is about 4 days' work in total.

If you are a decorator, how much would you charge for all this please?
(or if not, how much would you pay for this work?)

Thank you.

I have a small wood bench. Not press board, but I don't think it's oak..maybe pine? I would like to cover it in ceramic tiles, but don't know if it will ruin or weaken it once I grout it.

Is there any sealant I can put on the wood to protect it?
Should I sand it first? It does have a finished surface.
Any tips help... thanks
Why can't I adhere the chards to the wood, then grout? Just like I do with metal or terra cotta pieces. I use small broken pieces, not large tiles.