How to Start a Painting and Decorating Business

I’ve been a Professional Decorator for the best part of 21 years, 12 of which were spent as a sole trader. So, I know how to start a painting and decorating business and what it takes to really get going.

I thought I’d put pen to paper and write a simple guide, as well as highlighting some of the resources that are available to help. I hope you find it useful.

I’ll start by briefly listing the steps you need to take. I’ll then go into more detail about each of the important aspects of becoming a self-employed Decorator in the UK.

Steps to Start a Painting and Decorating Business

Get trained up.

You will need to know how to do the job. It isn’t just the basics, like how to paint a wall or apply wallpaper. You will also need to be an expert in materials so you can advise a client, and you’ll need to know how to deal with problems that arise.

Get tooled up.

You will need a van, dust sheets, sanders, scrapers, brushes, rollers, and loads of other bits and pieces. You can build your tools up slowly as you go.

Get proper insurance.

You will need liability insurance. Most self-employed Painters and Decorators also have tool insurance and income insurance. We have partnered with a broker to offer discount to our readers. More details further down.

Get a marketing plan.

Sales and marketing are essential when starting a painting and decorating business. The more leads you get and the better you are at sales, the more you can charge.

Get work booked in.

You will be under less pressure if you can get 4-6 weeks of work booked in before you officially start as a self-employed Painter and Decorator.

Stay organised.

You’ll find things a lot easier if you stay organised. Keep the van tidy, spend time on quotes and admin, and don’t get bogged down doing long-hours on the tools.

Training to Become a Decorator

The first thing you should consider is whether you’re capable of carrying out decorating work to a professional standard. Funnily enough, this doesn’t necessarily mean you are qualified. A lot of great Decorators never went to college, but they have worked with other Decorators and received proper training.

Too many people out there assume decorating is easy, and think they can just buy a set of cheap tools and throw a few leaflets out. Well, they’re wrong. If you want to be capable of carrying out a proper standard of work, then you must first go through the years of training required.

Marketing

This is something you will need to focus on to begin with. Then moving forward, there are two different types of small decorating business owner. There are the ones who live off recommendations and repeat clients and as a rule, need to win most jobs they go to see.

Then there are those who put time and budget into marketing and raise their prices to a point where they’re winning maybe 1 in 3 jobs they go to look at. I’m speaking in general terms, but doing the latter will earn you a better income as a Painter and Decorator. After all it is a business, and running it as a business will generate a lot more profit. I’ll take you through some of the ways I bring in painting and decorating work. The main thing is to talk to as many people as you can!!

Have a walk around local estate agents, introduce yourself, then leave them a card.

Call in at a house renovation and have a chat to the owner or contractor, or even spend a day phoning round designers and builders (although working for builders can be a pain). Just have as many conversations as you possibly can!!

You will need a good quality website when you get up and running properly, but you set up a decorating business without one. A website acts as a reference point for everything you do. You can add it to free directories, share the URL on social media and even print it on your business cards. As you develop, you may want to go down the SEO route to generate leads from Google and other search engines.

Facebook is pound for pound the most cost-effective method when paying for advertising. You can create a Facebook page and just use it as a blog. Show your audience what you can do and try and make yourself familiar with them. I find boosting posts are a great way of bringing in enquiries, however you do seem to get a lot of timewasters through Facebook. Running social media competitions are a great way to really get things moving.

Instagram becomes a gallery to showcase your painting and decorating work. It may not bring in many leads, but you can direct potential clients to an Instagram page so they can see your projects. There are simple ways you can grow your Instagram following which are worth looking at.

I could go on and on about marketing!! I’ve given you the very basics, but as you go on with your business, you’ll find yourself targeting specific types of jobs or clients, which becomes a bit more complicated.  One of the best books out there is Marketing for Decorators by Jon Mears which is available online. If you’re starting a decorating business, then I would highly recommend it. Click here to see current prices.

Quoting for Painting and Decorating Jobs

Quoting is so important to get right if you’re looking to run a successful decorating business. You’re not just turning up to offer a price, it’s your opportunity to sell yourself. Book a time, turn up when you’re supposed to, wear clean whites and take your shoes off at the front door. This will go a long way.

As the client is talking to you about the decorating they’re thinking of having done, talk them through the process and materials you’d use to do the job. Highlight specific primers and their qualities or suggest specialist ceiling paints and talk them through the benefits of water-based trim paints. You need to take the lead when quoting. Your client will feel a lot more comfortable if they see you as the expert.

One very important thing to remember; if you get a bad feeling about someone, do not do any decorating work for them!! Trust your gut. You’ll learn to spot the telltale signs of a nightmare customer.

We have a separate blog on how to price a decorating job which you’ll find useful when working out the quote. There’s also a book by Pete Wilkinson called Fast and Flawless Pricing and Business for Decorators, which is available online, and well worth checking out. This book will help put you in the correct mindset to make profit from each job. Click here to see prices.

Quotes should be detailed and name products as you go. Try to get them back to your client as soon as you can. Oh, and attach some terms and conditions too!! These not only make you look professional, but also cover you.

One thing you could do is use Tradestack, especially if you’re unsure about how to price a decorating job. Tradestack is a tool you use on WhatsApp. You give it the details of the room you want to price, tell it what paint you’re going to use, then your day rate, and it works out your quote.

Not just that, but it puts everything together in a letter-headed PDF for you. Just download it onto your phone and then email it to your client. It makes a professional looking quote in minutes. Click here for more information, or text “new quote” to this number on WhatsApp – 07822013223

Trade Paint Accounts

I thought I’d mention this quickly. As a Professional Painter and Decorator you will want to stick to trade quality materials and you’ll be entitled to a trade discount at many decorating centres. The big three are Johnstone’s, Dulux and Crown, however there are loads of independent merchants too. You should set up a trade account with more than one store, this way the paint suppliers will need to be competitive with their pricing structure in order to win your business. Paint is getting so expensive nowadays with price increases every few months, so it’s important to negotiate the best rates you can.

You may also want to check out Tikkurila, who are the new player in town. I find their products can be a real talking point. If you need a trade paint website, then The Decorating Centre Online are well worth a look. If you want high end, then Benjamin Moore is perfect for you.

Know When to Spray

On certain jobs (not all), you will always earn more money with a paint sprayer than you can with a brush. These jobs include rough cast render, pebble dash, empty houses, etc. As you’re only just starting a painting and decorating business, you may not be able to afford a sprayer.

You can hire a sprayer from places like Airblast Eurospray. It’s quite affordable too. All you do is email them on sales@airblast.co.uk  and ask them for a quote or explain what you need the sprayer for. They’ll give you a price and guidance. If you’re happy with it, they’ll have it delivered anywhere in the UK for you.

Other Important Things to Remember When Running a Decorating Business

There are a few other important things to remember. Liability insurance is crucial!! We do have a discount with a company called Coversure Poole who are very good. You can find them on our Approved Suppliers page.  Or call them on 01202 801782 and quote “DFUK” to qualify for insurance discount.

Do not under-sell yourself. As a painting and decorating business, you will have running costs which you must cover before you can take an income. If your rates are low, you will rush your work and as a result you’ll experience more issues. Plus, your cashflow will be a nightmare to manage!!

Stay organised and on top of everything. Maintain communication with all your clients, particularly the awkward customers, as they can be more difficult to manage. Push a job back when something else is running over, make time for quoting, marketing and the maintenance of tools. If you’re organised, running your decorating business will be a lot easier.

Oh, and choose your time wisely. Decorators are a lot busier during the spring and summer, so starting a painting and decorating business in the warmer months is a lot easier than during the colder ones.

Being a Specialist Decorator

OK, I’ve explained how to start a painting and decorating business, but there is a way earn more money than other decorators. I know loads of self-employed decorators in the industry who specialise in specific aspects of the trade. Kitchen spraying, uPVC spraying, Silk Plaster, Digital Wall Murals, there is plenty of things you can look at. Try browsing the Dulux Academy website for ideas. They also run course in marketing and business.

Going down this rout will generate a lot more income, but you need to go about it in a different way. “Word of mouth” won’t cut it as a marketing strategy, and you’ll need to work hard to generate your customer base.

You WILL need a website and spend a bit of time boosting social media posts. Maybe even pay for Google Ad Words. You may end up spending £300 every month on marketing, but if you do it correctly, you will live a comfortable lifestyle.

There is another book I’d recommend if you fancy having a go at this. It’s called The Specialist Decorator. Well worth a read.

I hope you found this blog useful.