The Pros and cons of being a Professional Decorator

I’m a professional decorator and I’ve been in the trade for almost 21 years, which is pretty much my whole working life. I’ve been self employed for 10 of those years. I have all the equiptment from airless spray machines to dust free sanders.

I thought I’d put pen to paper with a little blog and just explain the pros and cons of being a decorator like me. If you’re reading this and you fancy a career change then you never know, it might just help you make your mind up. At the very least you’ll be able to have a laugh at my expense!

The positives of Being a Decorator

OK, let’s start on a high and go through the pros. I’m my own boss which is a winner. I’ve got a good base of loyal customers who almost all love me and I get great satisfaction when I’m coming to the end of a project. I’m also a bit of a geek when it comes to paint products and I’m genuinely interested in all that side of things.

I earn what I consider to be good money. I don’t know where my income sits on a scale of national averages, but I was never very good at school, so my prospects were never great. I think I do ok. A week on the tools earns me over £1,000, sometimes more. That’s after running costs.

The other major positive is job satisfaction. Decorating someone’s home is quite personal. I’ll go in and take the client on a journey. It starts with talking through the job, giving advice on colour, talking through which products we should use to give the best result, and then making it all a reality.

The negatives of Being a Decorator

There’s a lot of stress involved with running a decorating business. I don’t know how much of that is to do with the business, or the actual decorating. I know a lot of tradesmen struggle with their mental health because of it.

I’m what you’d call a ‘one man band’. Well, there’s two of us, but you get what I mean. If a client books us, they go on a waiting list, and then they’re offered a set date around a month before we can start the work.

However, there are a lot of unforeseen problems when decorating. A client might change their mind on colour. Or it might be that previous coatings, that we thought were solid, start flaking and bubbling when we apply fresh paint. Or we’re working outside and the timber around a window disintegrates when we touch it.

Delays put us under pressure, which negatively impacts the rest of our business. We need to put the next few jobs back, we graft longer and harder on the job we’re on, our quoting and admin suffers.

Sometimes it all gets on top of you. You can have a bad run where you encounter problems on a few decorating jobs, which really knocks everything. It’s a lot to cope with.

There are other things;

• Cash flow.
• Aches and strains.
• Non-payers.
• Nightmare customers.
• Tool maintenance.

In Conclusion

OK, I have given you the pros and cons of being a Decorator, and I may have exaggerated the negatives a little bit. It isn’t an easy life at times and you will need to work hard in order to make a good living.

You can make a good living at it though. The modern decorator, the one who looks at the industry, then devises a strategy, erns a very good living.

My advice; if you can, once you have the experience, start your own decorating business. It can be a bit of a rollercoaster and you will need to overcome a few hiccups, but it will be one of the most rewarding things you ever do. Find a way to ensure you are bringing enough money into the business. Look into spraying. Look into dust free sanding. Stay presentable and work on your sales and marketing techniques. Take pride in your work. If you do all this, you’ll be fine.

There is a certain amount of stress that comes with running your own decorating business. It comes with the pressure of the job, and no one really sees it. If you ever feel yourself becoming isolated, or things are getting on top, then take some time for yourself. One good thing about this trade, is most of us are our own boss, so we can take time if needed.

FAQs

Is there a shortage of Painters and Decorators?

Decorating is an aging trade, and there aren’t enough youngsters coming through to replenish those that leave. So, there is a shortage of Painters and Decorators, and it’s bound to get worse in the coming years.

How many hours do Decorators work?

Employed Decorators can work 35-45 hours per week. Those with their own businesses tend to work longer hours. Quoting, colour consultancy, the cleaning of tools, and “nipping back to jobs” tends to eat into evenings and weekends.

Can a woman be a Painter and Decorator?

Roughly 10% of Painters and Decorators are women, but that number is set to increase over time. Go back a decade and there was a lot of sexism in the trade, but things are different now. Sex doesn’t hold you back at all.

What is a typical day rate for a Decorator?

The day rate for a Decorator can be anywhere from £150 – £300 a day, or even more depending on how specialist the job is.

Can you be a painter and Decorator without Qualifications?

Roughly half of Painters and Decorators in the UK hold no formal qualifications. You will still need training so you can carry out the work to a professional standard, and you’ll need a CSCS card before you can work on building sites.